Episode 60 Goethe on Love and TravelIn episode 59 I told about Goethe’s thinking on breathing as the metaphor ofa lifegiving style of mental health attained in dialogue. Now it’s time to sample some dialogues I wrote with him when we con-versed in my dialogic translation of the German poet’s “Roman Elegies” and “Venetian Epigrams.” My verse replies to Goethe’s short poems copy his rhythms, which are easy-going and pleasant. I call them each a “blogatelle,” meaning a blog which is light and musical, as “bagatelle” is a term for entertaining light music.

“First Elegy”: yes, the monuments are impressive, but where’s the Romanwoman he had hoped to meet again today? My two-part “blogatelle” offersthoughts about Venus and Mars, Love and War, and the difficulties we have inkeeping them apart.

“Sixteenth” and “Seventeenth” elegies offer a bit of comedy, and I enjoytalking about it in my blogatelles.

Moving to Venice, in Epigram 41 we’re sampling a museum with Goethe,and of course I have a conversational verse reply interpreting and elaborating his mood.

Lastly, in conversation on Epigram 48 Goethe and I discuss “separating thesheep from the goats.”