English Teachers

Am mai scris pe tema asta. Mi-au sărit tinerii în cap. În ciuda evidențelor de zi cu zi. De pe-aici și de aiurea.

Eu n-am făcut engleza la școală. Am făcut germană și franceză. Limba engleză am învățat-o… spontan. Din cântece și filme la început și mai apoi de la Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum și George Orwell, pe care m-am chinuit să-i citesc „în original”. Am ajuns la Puzo și chiar la Soljeniţîn sau Faulkner. De multe ori erau re-lecturi ale unor traduceri în limba franceză, ceea ce îmi facilita înțelegerea.

Am divagat. Vroiam să scriu despre primul meu „profesor de engleză”, despre pasiunea pentru această limbă descoperită prin el, la 14-15 ani.

Eu am învățat engleza, când eram adolescent, din cuvintele cântecelor lui LEONARD COHEN.

Un tip ale cărui interviuri erau publicate în ”The Literary Magazine of Sir George Williams University – Montreal, Canada”, care a frecventat McGill University și ale cărui poezii au apărut în vreo zece volume. Un tip inspirat literar de Yeats, Whitman, Garcia Lorca sau Henry Miller.

Am descifrat limba engleză din versurile pieselor ”Suzanne” și ”Famous Blue Raincoat”…

SUZANNE

«Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half crazy
But that’s why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you’ve always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said „All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them”
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you’ll trust him
For he’s touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind.»

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FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT

«It’s four in the morning, the end of December
I’m writing you now just to see if you’re better
New York is cold, but I like where I’m living
There’s music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you’re building your little house deep in the desert
You’re living for nothing now, I hope you’re keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You’d been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody’s wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane’s awake –

She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I’m glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

Sincerely, L. Cohen»

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Văd că și adolescenții de azi au „profii” lor de engleză. Am luat la întâmplare un astfel de „dascăl” cu un search după „rapper” și am dat peste… LIL’ WAYNE.

Un tip care dă interviuri la poliție, frecventează pușcăria și se află „în derivă”. Ah, și care arată ca mai sus…

Faptul că este un model pentru adolescenții de azi nu poate fi contestat, dacă vrem să vedem cum se îmbracă, cum se comportă și cum vorbesc, cum se exprimă aceștia. Nici nu e de mirare, din moment ce sunt inspirați de capodopere artistice ca aceasta, simpatic intitulată…

GONORRHEA

[Lil Wayne]
«I-I am not a human
shout to all my moon men
Daddy call me tune
got them bitches tuned in
its a crazy world so I stay in mine
and niggas don’t cross the line
niggas stay in line
like welfare I’m stayin elsewhere
hotter than a devil, nigga hell yeah
rock-a-bye baby, homocide baby
thats more tear drops call me cry baby
what you talkin’ bout tell it to my nine
cut your tongue out, mail it to your mom
I’m a young God, swagga un-flawed
bitch I’m in the building, you in the front yard
lifes a bitch nah, better yet a dumb broad
and I bet I can fuck the World and make it cum hard
yeah you, boys is washed up
and I’m shittin on em like two girls and one cup
weezy baby a.k.a. bring the money home
pull out the AK and pop ya in ya funny bone
laugh now die later motherfucker
you’s a bitch like zeta phi beta motherfucker»

[Chorus]
«Yeah, I call it how I see ya
I wish I never met ya, i wouldn’t wanna be ya
pussy ass nigga I don’t want your gonorrhea
pussy ass nigga I don’t want your gonorrhea»
(repeat)

[Lil Wayne]
«Man I’m too tired of ballin I sleep a lot now
I’ll let my goons rush ya like Moscow
gun at ya eyebrow, pow pow
man I ball hard even with 5 fouls
yeah we in this bitch like tampons
dump ya in the woods now get ya camp on
choke hold around this shit cause I’m so hands on
I get high as fuck and polo sheets is what I lands on
back against the wall and my two feet is what I stand on
diva in the room she blowin me just like a band horn
got her on her knees the same knees that she be prayin’ on
now she just text her girlfriend with a capital, You can join
yeah, what y’all wanna do I’m all ears
smokin on that head band call that shit that Paul Pearce
I’m just so ahead of my time like dog years
ball like Solange, India Arie, Britney Spears»

[Chorus]
«Yeah, I call it how I see ya
I wish I never met ya, i wouldn’t wanna be ya
pussy ass nigga I don’t want your gonorrhea
pussy ass nigga I don’t want your gonorrhea»
(repeat)

[Drake]
«I am spending much more than I’m making
on these cars and these vacations is that too much information?
I just bought a Lambourghini, I’m not even into racing
with a windshield full of tickets cuz I live right by the station
I am tryna figure out why you so mad at me
yes I’m with Young Money tell the magazine stop askin me
I be with the dread with the tattoo’s on his head
and a flag the colour red like a fucking low battery (ok)
nigga peep the shit I’m wylin’ on
I be with your baby momma you be with your child at home
Big Mo, Big Red, two cups made of styrofoam
big cheese big bread call that shit a calzone
I will break your fucking collar bone
us against the World better pick which fuckin side you on
Wayne got a Bugatti that he steady putting mileage on
and we about to kill em C4 Mr Carters home»

[Lil Wayne]
«Yeah, I call it how I see ya
I wish I never met ya, I wouldn’t wanna be ya
we some asshole niggas, call us diarrhea
the money keep growing yep
its gorwing like a chea
yeah, I call it how I see it
y’all some pussy ass niggas we should call ya gonorrhea
uh, you keep talkin’ that shit I’mma see ya
kill ya senorita and and fuck ya mama mia.»

Atenție, textul de mai sus poate fi găsit – culmea ridicolului – sub denumirea… lyrics!

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Ce pot învăța tinerii cu chiloții la vedere, cu turul pantalonilor la nivelul genunchilor și cu căciulă în cap dintr-o „lirică” atât de duioasă, pusă sub genericul ”I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING”? Ce pot învăța de la B.U.G. Mafia, care „cântă”ceva ce se intitulează didactic „Bag P***-n Lume Și V-o Fac Cadou”?

Răspunsul îl va suporta generația viitoare, care va trăi în lumea făcută cadou de Tataee, Caddy și Uzzi.

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© Alexandru Dan Mitache • 2011