. Poetry Notes Winter 2014 Volume 5, Issue 2 ISSN 1179-7681 Quarterly Newsletter of PANZA based on his Diary is given in the Inside this Issue Welcome Bouzaid Family History (1993) by Tony Bouzaid (pages 12-18). While the Hello and welcome to issue 18 of summary gives the facts, it of course Welcome Poetry Notes, the newsletter of PANZA, does not reflect the attitudes of the 1 the newly formed Poetry Archive of Diary. Niel Wright on George New Zealand Aotearoa. The two documents provide much Bouzaid (1856-1933) Poetry Notes will be published quarterly information about the family’s activities and will include information about in Aotearoa. But I want here to discuss Classic New Zealand goings on at the Archive, articles on George Bouzaid’s Diary from one angle poetry by Jim Tocker historical New Zealand poets of interest, only. I draw attention to George 4 occasional poems by invited poets and a Bouzaid’s Diary and these specific Comment on business record of recently received donations to remarks as relevant evidence. poetry in New Zealand the Archive. George Bouzaid came from a society 6 Articles and poems are copyright in the (rural Lebanon) where family and social Manchester United vs names of the individual authors. ties were strong. What he found in 8 Auckland 1967 in verse The newsletter will be available for free Aotearoa he describes as much download from the Poetry Archive’s different. But what he says about it is Bibliography of Ellesmere website: perceptive and perhaps revelatory 9 Guardian verse 1921-22 though brief. I don’t wish to put my http://poetryarchivenz.wordpress.com interpretation on what he observed and New publication: Fallen described, though that would be 12 Grace by MaryJane possible of course. Thomson Niel Wright on George The passage in question appears on Tribute to Hilary Baxter Bouzaid page 46 of the Diary of George (1949-2013) Bouzaid. He is describing conditions 13 around Wellington in the 1880s, when he was peddling goods from village to Further comment on Wellington poet, publisher and literary village: Donald H Lea 14 critic Niel Wright discusses the translated diary of Lebanese immigrant I was on my own in those places with Donate to PANZA through to New Zealand, George Bouzaid, who no one to chat with; neither a relative PayPal also wrote poetry in Arabic. nor one from my home country. The people in this country are European Recently received George Bouzaid was the patriarch of the and like to be left alone; even if one donations Aotearoa family of Bouzaids. He wanted to talk to them they would immigrated to Aotearoa towards the end th converse only with whatever is About the Poetry Archive of the 19 century and over time necessary to say, as everyone is busy brought out many of his kin from his doing his own thing. If he is delayed a PANZA and their homeland Lebanon. Besides little this delay would affect his 1 Woburn Road the Diary of George Bouzaid the family situation, and most people get their Northland has also published a Family History. A money by working hard for it. Those Wellington 6012 summary of the life of George Bouzaid who have property can live on what . Winter 2014 the land will give them, but those who shunning public exposure while being a apocalytism, but – the point I wish to do not own land have to work hard for prolific author and publisher on the QT. make – they are in effect identical with a living, and when they finish their I have reread (1997) the Diary of those presented by John Liddell Kelly in work they would go to their dwellings George Bouzaid from page 59 to the his booklets The Last Days (serialised in and read a newspaper or a book, as end, and I have been further impressed a newspaper and published in a booklet they are not interested in talking to how fine a literary work the Diary is in 1913) regarding the same events in anyone. (Translated from the and how revelatory of the ethos of the Middle East in the last 1890s. I have colloquial Arabic of George Bouzaid migration. since reprinted Kelly’s booklet in my by Suzanne Nesbitt.) Also in my review of the Diary of book Heine and the Apocalypse. George Bouzaid I refer to mumbo J L Kelly was a Scotsman, a journalist, That is an honest, accurate and jumbo offered by George Bouzaid’s newspaper proprietor and editor in percipient description of New uncle as advice in a crisis. The passage Aotearoa in the 1870s and thereafter, a Zealanders in the 1890s. So what is is in the Diary as pages 101-104. On poet and literary critic, dying in 1925. going on? I will offer a very wild second reading, I am inclined to view Yet he shares the same general views as speculation. the uncle’s comments with much more El-Hajj Elias. Kelly is correctly R G Collingwood in his History of sympathy. identified as a British Israelite. Roman Britain notes that Celtic culture In effect the Lebanese of the late 19th was submerged under Mediterranean century saw and believed that the culture during the Roman occupation of Ottoman Empire was about to collapse, The Diary Of George Bouzaid Britain, but resurfaced following the and hoped that a European power would (autobiography) withdrawal of the Romans. It has to be take over in Lebanon (as the French did supposed then that Celtic culture went in 1923). My copy was given to me by a underground in Britain for three or four But what I see as particularly significant grandson, Tony Bouzaid. The review on centuries. What is the social mechanism is that George Bouzaid’s uncle (an page 121 by Archimandrite Boutros for this process? Aotearoa resident at the time) saw the Abu Zaid is fair enough. George What I suspect is that we see in current events of the 1890s in the Bouzaid’s writing is distinguished by Aotearoa a similar process, whereby a Middle East in apocalyptic terms. He his trust in providence, and his filial popular culture is submerged beneath an wrote to George Bouzaid (page 103): piety. But the Archimandrite misses the official culture. Indeed I see the popular literary quality of the work, which was culture as what I call Peripheral I say to you that the measure of the written in Arabic and translated in 1991 Civilisation and the official culture as Turks has overflowed, and their in a way that preserves some Arabic as the tail end of what I call the old offences have multiplies, and this is a opposed to English idioms. (A few Western Civilisation. sign of their departure. The Greeks words are misused, such as ‘begot’ for In the case of Aotearoa the mechanism would then take power, as this was ‘befall’. These should be corrected. by which the Peripheral Civilisation previously their land. When power There are very few misprints.) survives underground is what might goes from the hands of the Turks to For an autobiography, the book is look like social atomisation: the the Greeks and they become rulers, surprisingly indifferent to domestic individuals appearing untalkative and and when the truth appears and the concerns. George does make his home-loving and pursuing their interests discord appears with the rest of the relations to his father, his uncle and his in private. That is what in fact I think kingdoms, you must know that this is brother central to his narrative, and he was going on. the beginning of the Day of does refer to many relatives and In my book Eeyore’s Defence Resurrection. I believe that, no matter acquaintances. But the book is really Concerning Certain Matters Volume 2 what, our country shall improve about his experience as a migrant and I discuss at length the contrast in before the return of our Saviour and marginally as a tourist. Aotearoa of pseudo intellectualism (ie will thrive and prosper as it has been The book was written apparently about the tail end of the old Western when He first came. (Translated from 1906, at least the narrative ends at that Civilisation) in public and the colloquial Arabic of George date, and seems to represent the intellectualism (ie the Peripheral Bouzaid by Suzanne Nesbitt.) culmination if not resolution of a Civilisation) in private. midlife crisis (that being his 50th year). The truth of the matter is that this This is a passage from a letter written The book is printed on A4 paper, so dichotomy seems characteristic of much on 17 December 1897 from Reefton on would run to about 250 pages A5. It is intellectual life in Aotearoa. Many of the West Coast of Aotearoa by an therefore quite a substantial work. It is the literary writers present themselves elderly (Maronite Christian) Lebanese however in structure slight and as totally alienated from the official El-Hajj Elias. (In those days Lebanese economical. It is essentially The Four society: Janet Frame and Sylvia Ashton- were known in Aotearoa as Arabs and Voyages of Sinbad. George takes a Warner are prime examples. As I have in the Middle East as Syrians.) tourist’s interest in the Middle East and noted I am also an example, deliberately The views that El-Hajj expresses not Australasia and points between. He also only agree comfortably with my own remarks and records certain practical 2 . Poetry Archive issues. There is an awareness that the disjointed and casual. Pressed by his approval, but bad luck still dogs him.