Reflections on the Art of My Poetry 93

91 restait qu’une chance de lui poser toutes Reflections on the les questions pertinentes sur son art, il a mené une entrevue téléphonique avec M. Art of My Poetry White, et a fait transcrire le contenu de leurs échanges. Le dialogue suivant est ROGER WHITE (1929–1993) le fruit de l’objectif initial de M. Hatcher et de la volonté de M. White, malgré son Abstract état de santé défaillant, de participer à In 1991, well-known Bahá’í poet Roger une conversation extrêmement franche White retired from his work at the Bahá’í et révélatrice. Bien qu’une partie de leur World Centre because he was dying of discussion fasse appel à une terminologie cancer. John Hatcher had always intend- bahá’íe, leur échange laisse entrevoir ed to write a piece on Roger’s poetry, and la pensée d’un poète talentueux et des suddenly aware of the brief chance he had obstacles qu’il a dû surmonter, comme bien to pose all the relevant questions to Rog- d’autres artistes bahá’ís, pour s’efforcer de er about his art, Hatcher talked to Roger répondre à l’exhortation de Bahá’u’lláh on the phone, recorded his responses on selon laquelle l’art peut le mieux servir tape, and had the results of that Q&A l’humanité lorsqu’il élève et édifie l’âme et transcribed. The following dialogue is sa réceptivité spirituelle. Il ne fait aucun the result of Hatcher’s original objec- doute que la poésie de Roger White a su tive and Roger’s willingness, despite his atteindre ce but, et qu’elle continuera si failing health, to participate in creating bien de le faire dans l’avenir. what is a remarkably frank and revealing conversation. While some of the discus- Resumen sion involves Bahá’í terms, it provides a En 1991, el conocido poeta bahá’í Roger glimpse into the mind of a gifted poet and White se retiró de su trabajo en el Centro the struggles that he, like so many other Mundial Bahá’í porque se estaba murien- Bahá’í artists, encountered in trying to re- do de cáncer. John Hatcher siempre había spond to the exhortation from Bahá’u’lláh tenido la intención de escribir una pieza that art best serves humanity when it ele- sobre la poesía de Roger. Repentinamente vates and edifies the soul and its spiritual consciente de la oportunidad breve que receptivity. Surely Roger’s poetry accom- tenía para plantearle a White todas las pre- plished that objective for many Bahá’ís, guntas relevantes sobre su arte, Hatcher and doubtless it will continue to do so well lo entrevistó por teléfono y transcribió la into the future. grabación de ese intercambio. El siguiente diálogo es el resultado del objetivo origi- Resumé nal de Hatcher y la disposición de White, En 1991, le poète bahá’í bien connu Roger a pesar de su delicado estado de salud, de White a mis fin à son travail au Centre participar de una conversación notable- mondial bahá’í car il était en train de mente franca y reveladora. Mientras par- mourir du cancer. John Hatcher avait te de la discusión involucra terminología toujours eu l’intention d’écrire un article bahá’í, este discurso provee una mirada sur la poésie de Roger White. Prenant dentro de la mente de un poeta dotado soudainement conscience qu’il ne lui y las luchas que él, como tantos artistas 92 The Journal of Bahá’í Studies 26.1-2 2016 bahá’ís, enfrentó al tratar de responder a The rest is vain imaginings and idle la exhortación de Bahá’u’lláh que el arte fancies, rumors and gossip, and none mejor sirve a la humanidad cuando eleva y of it is really important. edifica al alma y a su receptividad espiritu- al. Seguramente la poesía de Roger White Hatcher: But what about your early logró ese objetivo y sin duda su verso con- life? What influences prepared you to tinuará lográndolo en el futuro. accept the Bahá’í Faith and also led you to become interested in writing HOW I BEGAN TO WRITE poetry? Hatcher: Roger, how did you become a White: I was born in Toronto, Cana- Bahá’í, and what impact did that have da, in 1929. As a child I moved with on your life? my family to a small town in Central Ontario called Belleville, sort of half- White: When I consider my life and way between Kingston and Toronto. It its relationship to my work, it occurs was then a small railroading town, but to me that perhaps the only thing very attractive, with a church on every that need be said is that I was fortu- street corner, and filled with virtuous nate enough to encounter the Bahá’í people. revelation and to be given the gift of The environment in which I grew accepting it while I was young. And up was not particularly conducive from that point in my mid-thirties on- to activity in the arts, so although I ward—presumably to the end of my wrote poetry as a youth of fourteen, life—I have had the opportunity to fifteen, and sixteen, I soon recognized devote my full time to the work of the that this was considered a “frivolous Faith. activity,” something not likely to pro- Because of this transformation in duce money. And in the environment my life, I was able to serve as secretary in which I grew up, North American and research assistant to very dear men were “achievers” and were ex- figures in the Bahá’í Cause, including pected to engage in activities that the Hands of the Cause in Africa, the would earn them a living. So I early Hands of the Cause of God residing put to rest the child in me and got on in the Holy Land, Mr. William Sears, with the task of making a living, and I and member of the Universal House succeeded in that very well for one of of Justice Mr. David Hofman. my rank and station. I consider myself blessed to have As a young a man, it was apparent had an opportunity for such close asso- that I wouldn’t be able to afford to go ciations, and for the last twenty years to college or university, so I took com- of my life to have been of service to mercial courses. I had been born into the Universal House of Justice. That, a Roman Catholic family, and the com- in a nutshell, is the reality of my life. mercial courses were conducted in a Reflections on the Art of My Poetry 93 nondenominational school—probably have never been my favorite thing— run by “evil people” like the Protes- probably led to my success in the field tants—so I was a “criminal” from the because I was totally detached from it. very beginning and very suspect in the godly village. Hatcher: But did any of this spur you In any case, I excelled at what I was into thinking of yourself as a writer? doing—working as a court reporter. And after a few years, I went on to White: I saw myself as required to serve in the House of Commons in sit down and record what these nice Canada, recording the debates there gentlemen said, but correcting their in my Pitman shorthand. (The short- grammar and spelling to give it a little hand machine had not yet come into polish so they all sounded like Winston use in Canada.) Indeed, according to a Churchill. And that was that. And yet book written by John Ward, the pres- perhaps you know that Dickens was a ent editor of Hansard,1 titled The Han- court reporter in his day, and I have sard Chronicles, I was considered “one read that we are to be grateful for this of the finest shorthand writers ever to fact because it was the boredom of his serve his Country” (173). work that drove him to write. But that’s really all that needs to be And as I mentioned, I had written said of my “career,” if such it can be as a youngster, but I put away that called. I was never very interested in it. childhood “frivolous nonsense” to get I fell into it. I had the skill to do it. I did on with the business of my career. But it because it was a financial necessity. my career, such as it was, came to an Court reporters and those capable of end in 1964 when I was called to serve writing shorthand at speeds exceeding as secretary to Hand of the Cause the speed of sound were few and far William Sears, first in Africa—in Nai- between, so we were a bunch of prima robi, Kenya—and then in California.2 donnas. We were well paid, and people Then in 1971 he “loaned” me to the took care of our every need. Universal House of Justice for a six- There was lots of work to be done, month period and never got me back and one could literally work night and again. day doing Royal Commissions and I used to wonder whether he never moonlighting in one way or another. asked to have me back, or whether he Nothing else much needs to be said did and the answer was, “No! We’re about it because, as I said, it didn’t re- never going to let that man out of our ally interest me.

Load more