Spring schedule, Christmas in Camelot
Environmental Science on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a professor I've heard is good if difficult.
Math for Liberal Arts Majors on Tuesday and Thursday . . .
The American Experience (Cultural Foundations req'd course) on Monday and Wednesday with Molly's Sociology professor who is good if difficult.
Introduction to Literary Studies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a professor I don't know a thing about; this is for my major.
Rhetoric & Composition II on Tuesday and Thursday.
---
Concerning the extra-curricular:
This morning I slept in and read 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' Burton Raffel's translation; I love it, so I made a library trip to get Tolkien's translation which I imagine I'll love even more. In Tolkien's letters, I remember a Raffel mention - I'm gonna go find that to share -- well, I couldn't find it; it wasn't indexed. Maybe later.
From the Raffel version,
"With the New Year drawing close, courtiers
And ladies sat to a double feast;
Mass had been sung in the chapel, the king
And his knights came to the hall, and priests
And laymen called "Noel! Noel!"
And shouted and sang, and nobles ran
With New Year's presents in their hands, noisily
Passing in a crowd, calling "Presents!
Presents!" and loudly disputing gifts,
While ladies laughed when kisses were lost
(And whoever won them found it hard to weep),
And till dinnertime came they ran and laughed;
Then they washed and sat at that stately table,
The noblest nearest their lord, and his queen,
Guenevere the gay, seated in their midst:
Arranged around that priceless table
Fringed with silk, with silk hung
Over their heads, and behind them velvet
Carpets, embroidered rugs, studded
With jewels as rich as an emperor's ransom--
And the queen
Watching with shining
Gray eyes, seemed
As beautiful a lady
As a man could have seen."
Edit seven p.m. -
Note in the bit from S. G. G. K. above that the mass was 'sung'. Doesn't that sound much more wonderful than 'said' or celebrated or anything else? Besides the ring of it, I imagine it's a literal phrase as well and that reminds me how much more I prefer the more 'sung' mass. Singing is much more suitable to what the mass is, the type of thing it is; and that's to say, for one, that beauty is a priority. At the cathedral more is in song; the pater noster, for instance. Agnus Dei is actually Agnus Dei (in the latin, I mean), and it's sung as well (but I believe that's much more common). Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
"And Gawain's gear shone rich, the smallest
Laces and loops glowing with gold.
Ready in armor, he stood at the altar
For mass to be chanted, then came to the king
And the assembled knights of Arthur's court,
And took courteous leave of lords and ladies,
Who kissed him, commended him to Christ, then
walked him
There where Gringolet stood ready..."
Math for Liberal Arts Majors on Tuesday and Thursday . . .
The American Experience (Cultural Foundations req'd course) on Monday and Wednesday with Molly's Sociology professor who is good if difficult.
Introduction to Literary Studies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a professor I don't know a thing about; this is for my major.
Rhetoric & Composition II on Tuesday and Thursday.
---
Concerning the extra-curricular:
This morning I slept in and read 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' Burton Raffel's translation; I love it, so I made a library trip to get Tolkien's translation which I imagine I'll love even more. In Tolkien's letters, I remember a Raffel mention - I'm gonna go find that to share -- well, I couldn't find it; it wasn't indexed. Maybe later.
From the Raffel version,
"With the New Year drawing close, courtiers
And ladies sat to a double feast;
Mass had been sung in the chapel, the king
And his knights came to the hall, and priests
And laymen called "Noel! Noel!"
And shouted and sang, and nobles ran
With New Year's presents in their hands, noisily
Passing in a crowd, calling "Presents!
Presents!" and loudly disputing gifts,
While ladies laughed when kisses were lost
(And whoever won them found it hard to weep),
And till dinnertime came they ran and laughed;
Then they washed and sat at that stately table,
The noblest nearest their lord, and his queen,
Guenevere the gay, seated in their midst:
Arranged around that priceless table
Fringed with silk, with silk hung
Over their heads, and behind them velvet
Carpets, embroidered rugs, studded
With jewels as rich as an emperor's ransom--
And the queen
Watching with shining
Gray eyes, seemed
As beautiful a lady
As a man could have seen."
Edit seven p.m. -
Note in the bit from S. G. G. K. above that the mass was 'sung'. Doesn't that sound much more wonderful than 'said' or celebrated or anything else? Besides the ring of it, I imagine it's a literal phrase as well and that reminds me how much more I prefer the more 'sung' mass. Singing is much more suitable to what the mass is, the type of thing it is; and that's to say, for one, that beauty is a priority. At the cathedral more is in song; the pater noster, for instance. Agnus Dei is actually Agnus Dei (in the latin, I mean), and it's sung as well (but I believe that's much more common). Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
"And Gawain's gear shone rich, the smallest
Laces and loops glowing with gold.
Ready in armor, he stood at the altar
For mass to be chanted, then came to the king
And the assembled knights of Arthur's court,
And took courteous leave of lords and ladies,
Who kissed him, commended him to Christ, then
walked him
There where Gringolet stood ready..."