Hello hello. Last Sunday, 21st March, was World Poetry Day, and as part of the celebrations for it inVERSE have created a series of videos with reimaginings of some of the world’s oldest poems. This truly unique way of celebrating one of the most exciting literary days on the calendar is a wonderful way of making it engaging, and proving how, even thousands of years apart, we are really so similar.
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness.
And every tomorrow
A vision of hope.
Salutation to the Dawn by Kālidāsa (attributed) – India, c.400 CE
The short films you can find featured are varied and beautiful, both for their artistic qualities and for the poems that have been chosen themselves. The poems you can find at inVERSE are as follows:
· Love Song – An Egyptian love poem written in 1400 BCE reveals a meditation on the meaning of relationship and gender in 2021.
· Long Wall – A poem about loss and suffering from the Han Dynasty in China, opens up a conversation about Europe’s refugee crisis.
· My Heart – Originating from ancient Mesopotamia, “My Heart Flutters Hastily” is a delightful reminder that those giddy, dizzy feelings you can get when you really like somebody are nothing new.
· The Look – A first century poem taken from Ovid’s Ars Amarosa is reimagined as a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance.
· The Dawn – The ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa’s Salutation to the Dawn transforms into a rallying cry for a better tomorrow led by young street protestors.
Thank you to Midas PR for the invitation to be involved with this brilliant and beautiful work, and my apologies – publicly! – for the delay in posting; I’ve had technology problems. I highly encourage everyone to head over and check out these stunning poems, matched beautifully with such wonderful film work.
And On She Reads 