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From Darkness Came (poems), 2004Review of From Darkness Came by Laurel Johnson of Midwest Book Review From Darkness Came by Alexander Shaumyan ISBN 1-59196-660-4 72 pages paperback at 12.00 which includes s & h order at www.geocities.com/ashaumyan Alexander Shaumyan is a prolific poet and writer, born in Russia and now living and working in America. His work is intelligent, thought provoking, often fueled by politics, passion, and unrequited love. From Darkness Came is the sixth Shaumyan book I have reviewed, and the most unusual. Laced with longing, irony and self-effacement, his work is never ordinary. For those of you who've been betrayed by faithless lovers, Shaumyan speaks for you. His powerful translation of "I Have Been to the Market of Dreams..." by Alessandra Novelli sets the tone: I have been to the market of dreams And I saw the sellers of images and words they called them artists, poets and writers they were raping the young minds and traded with the old ones and for every image sold another little piece of heart would turn to dog food. "To a Cynic Who Spends Too Much Time In His Chateau" is pure Shaumyan with no buffers to blunt the loneliness and pain: I do not know how this story ends, I weep for him and for his self-made walls And feel the chill that permeates his soul -- gone all the joy and all the tears too, I see a man, a lonely man whose view Of life is hopeless -- there is no sun, There is no love, no thrill, no fun... His dreams of honest love have all fallen through. In "Through the Eyes of Love" he minces no words and spares no wound: What's there left to say -- my youth is all but gone... Throughout these years I've seen too many wars and not enough compassion... And again in "The World Collapsed", the wounds of love have hardened to a scar that seemingly will never heal: I dream of love but it is hard to find Amidst these dreary homes and barren trees And see the world impersonal and blind -- Devoid of beauty and humanity. Love and war are addressed with equal passion, perhaps because the poet sees them both as killing fields. "War is Staged Murder" is but one example: War is staged murder, nothing more, And all the patriotic whores Who sing of liberty are dead -- Their shallow lives are filled with dread Of walking home late at night -- Shaumyan is the master of self mockery, sly humor and of describing the stunning thrust and parry practiced by unscrupulous lovers and false friends. As I said at the beginning, this book is unusual. In addition to original Shaumyan poetry he has included two translations of Novelli poems; a commentary on Desdemona's role in Shakespeare's Othello; and scathing prose involving faithless friends, lovers, and organizations. One thing is clear from reading From Darkness Came. Shaumyan's eyes have seen too many wars and not enough compassion. Laurel Johnson Midwest Book Review |
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