Off-time : enjoy simply the sound of the poet

I love the invitation ushered in by Poetry International web newsletter to "enjoy simply" the sound of a language - namely Dutch - one may not know.

"Although the CDs are meant specifically for the Dutch market, we want our international readers to hear at least some of the voices from the last forty years of Poetry International Festival Rotterdam. We are therefore publishing a selection of recordings on our website. Normally, we would offer English translations alongside the original audio or text poems. For this occasion, however, we invite you to enjoy simply the sound of the poet."

The coincidence is perfect. I am waiting for the mailman to deliver hopefully any time soon a package from Italy that will contain a paper book, an essay on Venice, with the corresponding audio book. Besides being able to pinpoint at similarities between French and Italian, the latest is to me a foreign language, just as Dutch can be.

I will not only listen to the audio books while following the written words, but I intend to do shadowing while lacking part or most of the meaning. Some watch TV or hunt birds songs. This will be a totally useless sidetrack just as walking for no purpose besides walking and thinking can be. In a sense, it will be an Italian luxury.