Ode to Typography

Ode

To

Typo

grap

hyOde To Typography

Ode To Typography

By Pablo Naruda

By Pablo Naruda

Ode

to

Typography

Ode To Typography

By Pablo Naruda

turb

lence

;Elzevirian vowels cast in the minute steel of

the printshop by the water, in Flanders, in the

North of the canals, ciphers of the anchor ;

f i l l e w i t h

c o n f uo n

Letters long, severe, vertica

l,

a l g e b r a -ic Bodoni,

c o m p l e t e

letters, lean

as grey-

h o u n d s ,

subject to

the white

rectangle of

Geometry;

ma

de

o

f

pu

re

l

in

e,

ere

ct like a

ship

’s ma

st in th

e m

idd

le o

f the

pa

ge

turb

lence

;

Elzevirian vowels cast in the minute steel of

the printshop by the water, in Flanders, in the

North of the canals, ciphers of the anchor ;

Letters long,

severe,

vertical,

made of pure line,

erect like a ship’s mast

in the middle of the page

filled with confusion and turbulence;

algebraic Bodoni,

complete letters,

lean as greyhounds,

subject to the white rectangle of Geometry;

Elzevirian vowels

cast in the minute steel

of the printshop by the water,

in Flanders,

in the North of the canals,

ciphers of the anchor ;

f i l l e w i t h

c o n f uo n

There they were shaped like teeth, nails,

metallic ham

mers of language.

curvi g the

alphbet:

nav

ate

the ursive

Aldine characters

firm a

s the

ma

rine

statu

re o

f Ve

nice

,

in whose mother waters,

the air of the oceanic discovers bent down forever

the prof i le of writing. F

advanced this N,

this double 8,

this J this R

of

regal and rain.

like a leaning sail,

rom medieval hands to your eyes

they beat each

letter,

There they were shaped like teeth, nails,

metallic ham

mers of language.

Aldine characters

firm as the marine stature of Venice,

in whose mother waters,


navigates the cursive curving the alphabet:

the air of the oceanic discovers bent down forever

the profile of writing.

From medieval hands to your eyes

advanced this N,

this double 8,

this J this R of regal and rain.

There they were shaped like teeth,

nails,

curvi g the

alphbet:

nav

ate

the ursive

F

advanced this N,

this double 8,

this J this R

of

regal and rain.


rom medieval hands to your eyes

extending

and the passing

erected it,

a small black statue

on the whiteness, a petal or a starry foot of thought

taking

the fo

rm o

f a swo

llen river,

all the alphabet illuminating the outlet.

The hearts, the eyes of

men became filled with

letters,

messages,

words,

or permanent w

ind raised mad

or sacred books.

rushing to a sea of people

they beat each letter,

erected it,

a small black statue on the whiteness,

a petal

or a starry foot of thought

taking the form of a swollen river,


with all the alphabet illuminating the outlet.

The hearts,

the eyes of men became filled with letters,

messages,

words,

and the passing

or permanent wind raised mad

or sacred books.

extending

a small black statue

on the whiteness, a petal or a starry foot of thought

The hearts, the eyes of

men became filled with

letters,

messages,

words,


all the secret h

um

us o

f the ag

es,

son

g, m

emo

ries, revolt, b

lind

parab

le,

Beneath the newly written pyramids

the letter was alive,

the

vow

els,

the

con

sona

nts

like

curv

ed f

low

ers.

The paper’s eyes, which looked at m

en seeking their gifts,

their history, their loves;

the accumulated

treasure;

spreading suddenly the slowness of wisdom

over the printer’s word like a deck of cards;

sud

den

ly w

ere

fecu

nd

ity,

gra

nar

y,

the alphab

burnin

Beneath the newly written pyramids the letter was alive,

the alphabet burning,

the vowels, the consonants

like curved flowers.

The paper’s eyes, which looked at men seeking their gifts,

their history, their loves;

extending the accumulated treasure;

spreading suddenly the slowness of wisdom over the printer’s word

like a deck of cards;

all the secret humus of the ages,

song, memories, revolt, blind parable,

suddenly were fecundity, granary,the alphab

burnin

tro

ub

ado

urs

of

mem

ory

fai

ntl

y w

ritt

en

on

leat

her

as

on

bat

tle

dru

m,

at the sailing typography.

Letters,

Letters that traveled and kindled,

Letters

Letters that sailed and conquered,

Letters that awakened and climbed,

Letters that liberated,

Letters dove-shaped that flew,

Letters scarlet in the snow; punctuation, roads,

buildings of Letters,

and Villon and B

erceo,

tro

ub

ado

urs

of

mem

ory

fai

ntl

y w

ritt

en

on

leat

her

as

on

bat

tle

dru

m,

Letters,

letters that traveled and kindled,

letters

letters that sailed and conquered,

letters that awakened and climbed,

letters that liberated,

letters dove-shaped that flew,

letters scarlet in the snow; punctuation,

roads,

buildings of letters,

and Villon and Berceo,

troubadours of memory faintly written on leather

as on battle drum,

arrived at the spacious nave of books,



Letters,

Letters that traveled and kindled,

Letters

Letters that sailed and conquered,

Letters that awakened and climbed,

Letters that liberated,

Letters dove-shaped that flew,

Letters scarlet in the snow; punctuation, roads,

buildings of Letters,

and welling in the throats of men

it imposed the clarity of the song.

Yet the letter was not beauty alone, but life,

it wen

t do

wn

to th

e solitu

des o

f the m

ine,

and

the m

iner read

the h

ard an

d clan

destin

e leaflet, hid it in the folds of the secret heart and above, on earth,

he w

as d

iffe

ren

t an

d d

iffe

ren

t w

as h

is w

ord

.

Th

e letter was th

e mo

ther o

f the n

ew b

ann

ers;

the letters b

ego

t the terrestrial stars an

d th

e son

g,

the ard

ent h

ymn

that u

nites p

eop

les;

from

on

e letter add

ed to

ano

ther letter an

d an

oth

er,

peac for th soldi r;

Yet the letter was not beauty alone,

but life,

peace for the soldier;

it went down to the solitudes of the mine,

and the miner read the hard and clandestine leaflet,

hid it in the folds of the secret heart and above,

on earth,

he was different and different was his word.

The letter was the mother of the new banners;

the letters begot the terrestrial stars and the song,

the ardent hymn that unites peoples;

from one letter added to another letter and another,

from people to people went bearing its sonorous authority,

and welling in the throats of men it imposed the clarity

of the song.

Th

e letter was th

e mo

ther o

f the n

ew b

ann

ers;

the letters b

ego

t the terrestrial stars an

d th

e son

g,

peac for th soldi r;

from

peo

ple to

peo

ple w

ent b

earing

its son

oro

us au

tho

rity,

B t t pogra

in the orange shaped P.

let me celebrate you in the purity of your pure profiles,

in the retort of the letter O,

in the fresh flower vase of the Greek Y,

in the Q of Quevedo, in the lily multiplied of the V of victory,

in the E echeloned to climb to heaven

in the Z w

ith its thunderbolt face,

But typography,

let me celebrate you in the purity of your pure profiles,

in the retort of the letter O,

in the fresh flower vase of the Greek Y,

in the Q of Quevedo, in the lily multiplied of the V of victory,

in the E echeloned to climb to heaven

in the Z with its thunderbolt face,

in the orange shaped P.

B t t pogra

the U

of y

our g

lanc

e,

the S

of y

our fi

gure

. one

read

s, ro

se,

one

read

s,

and th

e heav

ensLove I love the letters of your hair,

In th

e le

aves

of t

he yo

ung sprin

gtime

spar

kles t

he dia

man

tine

alphab

et;

emeralds write your nam

e with the fresh initials of dew.

My love your hair profound as jungle

or dictionary covers me with its totality of red language.

In

ever

ythin

g,

in

the

wake

the

worm,

in the roots are filled with letters

t wi s t e d

by t h

e da m

pn

e s s of t h

e f or e s t

of t

he B

lack I

sle, in

the

night

,

the U

of y

our g

lanc

e,

the S

of y

our fi

gure

. one

read

s, ro

se,

one

read

s,

Love I love the letters of your hair,

the U of your glance,

the S of your figure.

In the leaves of the young springtime sparkles the diamantine alphabet;

emeralds write your name with the fresh initials of dew.


or dictionary covers me with its totality of red language.

In everything,

in the wake of the worm,

one reads,

in the rose,

one reads,

in the roots are filled with letters

twisted by the dampness of the forest

and the heavens of the Black Isle,

in the night,


of t

he B

lack I

sle, in

the

night

,

with capital and low

er case stars and exclamations of frozen diam

ond;

I read

your h

eart w

here live entw

ined the provin

cial in

itial o

f your n

ame

I read

the

ship

s, th

e fa

ces

and th

e han

ds,

the sandy typography of the rustic earth,I read

,

read

in the co

ld firmam

ent of t

he coast,

I read

,

read

in the night o

f austr

al Chile

,

as in a book I

read

all the adventu

res

and in th

e grass I r

ead,

read

the gre

en,

intense diaphanous with beauty unfurled,

lost in the celestial solitudes of heaven,

and the re

ef of m

y surnam

es,

with capital and low

er case stars and exclamations of frozen diam

ond;

the

truth

s an

d th

e ex

plor

atio

ns,

I read

your h

eart w

here live entw

ined the provin

cial in

itial o

f your n

ame

I read,

read in the cold firmament of the coast,

intense diaphanous with beauty unfurled,

with capital and lower case stars and exclamations of frozen diamond;

I read,

read in the night of austral Chile,

lost in the celestial solitudes of heaven,

as in a book I read all the adventures

and in the grass I read,

read the green,

the sandy typography of the rustic earth,

I read the ships,

the faces and the hands,

I read your heart where live entwined the provincial initial of your name

and the reef of my surnames,

I read

the

ship

s, th

e fa

ces

and th

e han

ds,

the sandy typography of the rustic earth,

read

in the night o

f austr

al Chile

,

as in a book I

read

all the adventu

res

and the re

ef of m

y surnam

es,

until I decipher the buried punctuation the poppy

I rea

d yo

ur fo

rehe

ad,

I rea

d yo

ur h

air a

ndin the jasmine the hidden letters elevate the unceasing springtime

and the scarlet letter of summ

er:

whe

n

you

read

the

old

and

the

new

wor

ds,

But, w

hen

writ

ing

unfo

lds

its ro

ses,

and

the

lette

r its

ess

entia

l gar

deni

ng,

they are the exact flowers of m

y song.

I read your forehead,

I read your hair and

in the jasmine the hidden letters elevate the unceasing springtime


and the scarlet letter of summer:

they are the exact flowers of my song.

But, when writing unfolds its roses,

and the letter its essential gardening,

when you read the old and the new words,

the truths and the explorations,


I rea

d yo

ur fo

rehe

ad,

I rea

d yo

ur h

air a

nd

whe

n

you

read

the

old

and

the

new

wor

ds,

and

the

lette

r its

ess

entia

l gar

deni

ng,

they are the exact flowers of m

y song.

of moon, of silence, of w

ater.

Oh, lette

rs of all that li

ves and dies,

as you circulate in

the veins of o

ur anato

my and if you sleep,

You rest neither night nor winter,

letters of

light

flying during some night or strike or fatigue or break of linotype,

you go down anew

to the book or

newspaper like a cloud of birds to their nest.

You return to the system,

to the unappealable order o

f intellig

ence.

Letters continue to fall like precise rain along my w

ay.

of moon, of silence, of w

ater.the movement of the chess bishops of intelligence.

Oh, lette

rs of all that li

ves and dies,

sleep,

I beg a thought for the one who orders type,

and raises them,

for the one who sets for the linotypist

and his lamp like a pilot over he waves of language ordering winds and foam,

shadow and stars in the book:

man and steel once more united against the nocturnal wing of mystery,

sailing,

perforating composing.

Typography,

I am only a poet and you are the flowery play of reason,

the movement of the chess bishops of intelligence.

as you circulate in

the veins of o

ur anato

my and if you sleep,lette

rs of

Letters continue to fall like precise rain along my w

ay.


Typo

grap

hy,

saili

ng, p

erfo

ratin

g co

mpo

sing

.

for t

he o

ne w

ho s

ets

for t

he li

noty

pist

I beg a thought for the one who orders type

and raises them,

and

his

lam

p lik

e a

pilo

t ove

r he

wav

es o

f lan

guag

e or

derin

g w

inds

and

foam

,

shad

ow a

nd st

ars i

n th

e bo

ok:

man

and

stee

l

once

mor

e

unite

d

agai

nst

the

noct

urna

l

win

g

of

mys

tery

,



Typo

grap

hy,

saili

ng, p

erfo

ratin

g co

mpo

sing

.

You rest neither night nor winter,

as you circulate in the veins of our anatomy and if you sleep,

flying during some night or strike or fatigue or break of linotype,

you go down anew to the book or

newspaper like a cloud of birds to their nest.

You return to the system,

to the unappealable order of intelligence.

Letters continue to fall like precise rain along my way.

Oh, letters of all that lives and dies,

letters of light,

of moon, of silence, of water.

for t

he o

ne w

ho s

ets

for t

he li

noty

pist

T of trigo and tower,

and in you I gather not only

thought and combat,

and M

like

your nam

e of

manzana. --Pablo Neruda

I love you,

but your

dress, senses,

and sounds:

A of glorious avena,


I love you,

and in you I gather not only thought and combat,

but your dress,

senses, and sounds:

A of glorious avena,


and M like your name of manzana.

--Pablo Neruda

and in you I gather not only

thought and combat,

and M

like

your nam

e of

manzana.

I love you,

This book is set in garamond and Univers. The paper is

80 lb text weight, smooth. The book was created by Adam

Lowe in 2012 at RISD. The book was created for Type 3

under Hammett Nurosi.

Date post:	17-Mar-2016
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