[Image: Stairwell at the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich (“State Gallery of Lower Austria”), in Krems an der Donau. (Building designed by Marte.Marte Architects; photo from the Web site of M+G Ingenieure, the engineering firm who actually planned and, I believe, managed its construction.) You might look at this and think, “Eh? Big deal. It’s a concrete stairway!” But no: you’re actually looking at two stairways: one, “the” stairway with the window, the railings, etc.; and one, on the far side of the concrete wall and ceiling — you’re looking at that stairway’s underside. This stairwell houses, in short, a double helix of stairways: the main stair, and the concrete-sealed fire/emergency stair. I’ll add more in a follow-up comment to the post.]

From whiskey river:

The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest art seems unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.

(Lao Tzu [source])

…and:

Reading Milosz

I read your poetry once more,
poems written by a rich man, knowing all,
and by a beggar, homeless,
an emigrant, alone.

You always wanted to go
beyond poetry, above it, soaring,
but also lower, to where our region
begins, modest and timid.

Sometimes your tone
transforms us for a moment,
we believe — truly —
that every day is sacred,

that poetry — how to put it? —
makes life rounder,
fuller, prouder, unashamed
of perfect formulation.

But evening arrives,
I lay my book aside,
and the city’s ordinary din resumes —
somebody coughs, someone cries and curses.

(Adam Zagajewski, translated by Clare Cavanagh [source])

[Read more…]