Something With a Lifespan
Audio Poem of the Day

Something With a Lifespan

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 14, 20261 min
  • One speaker
  • Arts & culture

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Sentence 5 of 12 · 0:16

have anything to do with anything German.

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How many times should I look at you and should I change my life?

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  • B20:16
  • B20:34
  • B20:34
  • B20:34
  • C10:42
  • B20:48

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 20%A2 50%B1 10%B2 20%C1 0%
  • 80% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 135 words a minute: a natural pace.
  • 7 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.

0:00

Many poets have written poems inspired by Rilke's Archaic Torso of Apollo, which ends in a line that's very similar to a line in this poem. And all I can claim for this one is that since it was written in California, it can't possibly have anything to do with anything German.

0:16

Something with a lifespan. How many times should I look at you and should I change my life? Monarch, you make your orange ascent to death. And how much dexterity can you really teach me?

0:34

Does your courage even map onto these worldly obligations to friends, my job, desire for a little affection in the late hours of the evening, etc.? I can't put myself ever in your head, but I can lie on your wing with my left eye letting my right dart forward as you do.

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