A Conversation Between Henry Weinfield and David Bentley Hart

[@JAWesquire373]

Best channel on KZbin not only for great conversations but also for the limitless recommendations spanning all areas of media that David and his guests provide.

[@universalistsnape8584]

Good to have another video. Been a while.

[@leavesinthewind7441]

It’s one of those irregular things. But more are lined up.

[@LateMarch3]

Recently finished your conversation with Raymond Tallis on Premier Unbelievable from a few years back. Would love to hear you both chat again. You both are incredible at articulating the mystery of consciousness and the poverty of materialism in providing an explanation for the phenomenon

[@7005andrew]

The Angel at the Church of Sacre Couer was and remains one of my favourite essays - written with a big heart! Thank you for the conversation!

[@JAWesquire373]

Which collection is it in?

[@7005andrew]

A Splendid Wickedness

[@阳明子]

So grateful you release these for free. These interviews are so jam packed with knowledge I have to watch them several times! Please excuse my gushing.

[@leavesinthewind7441]

You’re very kind.

[@wordscapes5690]

Breathtaking interview between two breathtaking intellects. Thank you so much.

[@JoaoSilva-so7df]

Delightful conversation. Thank you very much

[@snowpavement]

~Superb!

[@James-z5p3y]

"...the fine line between fidelity and felicity." Beautiful phrase Fidelity is felicity; felicity fidelity.

[@stephencahaly844]

Man, this was a dream pairing. I was thrilled to discover that David has been a reader of Mallarmé since the 1990s, and thanks to Henry Weinfield’s translation too. I have been a reader of David’s for several years now, and kept asking myself, “When is he finally going to reveal his love for Mallarmé? He has written on Baudelaire, hasn’t he?” And so the other half is revealed-excellent. I understand that Mr. Weinfield and David have written too extensively for me to have expected them to concentrate this talk on any one writer’s work alone. But I would have loved to hear both speak more about Mallarmé. Mr. Weinfield, referring to himself as a secular Jew here, was able to bring into English for us the soul of a poet whose work was imbued with Catholic imagery: the Vespers, stained glass windows, the pale, gilded saints, as these now sit ageless among faint scents of sandalwood. And as for David, we all know that he is a great advocate for a Christian reading of Japanese aesthetics-something Mallarmé achieved like none other. A word on Mallarmé’s taste for the Japanese from David would have sent me off on an incredible high far into the future. There is a Japanese proverb that could serve as a motto for translators: 明鏡も裏を照らさず “Even the best mirror cannot reflect everything.” (Literally, even the most polished mirror cannot shine a light on what’s behind it.) But let’s not let THAT stop any of us!

[@leavesinthewind7441]

Even a "brilliant" mirror does not "cast light" backward, if you want to be as literal as possible: meikyoumourawoterasazu.

[@leavesinthewind7441]

By the way, I certainly didn't start reading Mallarmé in the 1990s. My first full reading of his poems came in Junior Year French, 1981. I'm longer in the tooth than that.

[@stephencahaly844]

@@leavesinthewind7441 Excellent-I knew I was running into trouble when I added the literal reading! My dictionary, attempting an English translation of the proverb, refers to a “best” mirror. But what could a best mirror possibly mean? 明鏡 (meikyo) means a clean, or polished mirror but in this proverb and another it is used to refer to a spiritual reality. When combined with “still, or calmed water” (止水), for instance, 明鏡 refers to a serene mind free of wicked or evil thoughts. (Calm and clear like the moon reflecting on the water of a paddy.) A dear politically active friend from the Teachers Union once sent that phrase to me when she encouraged us to keep the long view in mind. In the proverb I quoted above, it’s usually used in the sense of “even a wise man has his blind spots.” 裏 (ura) can mean the rear, back or opposite side of things. But also anything shadowy or out of sight. It’s these shadowy areas that tend to pop up for me when reading or translating a poet like Mallarmé-but always with the illumination soon to follow… Thank you for clarifying about when you first read Mallarmé-that’s good to know. Best of health to you and your family, David. I greatly appreciate your work and cannot wait for your book on the philosophy of mind!

[@colingallagher1648]

despite the other picks sounding great as well I speak for all of us were all very glad you took the New Testament

[@leavesinthewind7441]

Merci.

[@James-z5p3y]

"The Bible that is in the Bible has yet to be read." DB Hart's translation gets closer to that inner Bible.

[@7005andrew]

It’s worth noting how funny his Essays are- one collection called IN THE AFTERMATH has an essay called Beyond Disbelief with a description of poor old Swinburne that’s an absolute hoot!!!

[@kathleenhale7602]

as to "not what you might call firm in the faith" Mr. Hart, clearly you are a rider in the chariot Sir.

[@leavesinthewind7441]

That’s much higher praise.

[@kathleenhale7602]

@@leavesinthewind7441 I was looking this morning for the phrase, "the justified men" in which George MacDonald and Lewis Carroll both were included among them. It is in this stream that I would also include you. High praise indeed but not excessive. I have so enjoyed the conversations at Leaves in the Wind. Thank you.

[@leavesinthewind7441]

@@kathleenhale7602 Do you mean the Tzadikim?

[@kathleenhale7602]

@@leavesinthewind7441 No. Not exactly. I'm thinking of those, traditionally among Christians, who have sanctified the imagination.

[@jasonegeland1446]

David, you are not only eloquent with your words, but your video editing is just as masterful. I didn't intend on asking this but it's been on my mind lately. What are your thoughts on Jesus being God incarnate? I look at it as Jesus could've been speaking to 'The Father' figuratively in Scripture but I've had some people get pretty confrontational with me for mentioning it. If I had a son, I wouldn't send him to die for me. I'd send myself. This is something I may be wrong about but just was curious about your opinion since you're way more learned than myself, obviously!

[@leavesinthewind7441]

You seem to be thinking of classical Christian trinitarianism as a belief in three personal individuals with distinct histories. I don’t know if you subscribe to my Substack page, but if you do you might want to read the paper on Bulgakov called “Masks, Chimaeras, and Portmanteaux.”

[@jasonegeland1446]

@@leavesinthewind7441 On the contrary, I was viewing it as God making himself flesh as a symbolic form of 'the son' (as Jesus). I don't thing of them as separate, but as one. This is all of course, if I'm explaining it correctly. It could be my ADHD or ADD in general since I was very young, but I try to work around it the best I can. It may explain some of my random tendencies when speaking (and writing). I'll check out your Substack and Bulgakov. Where can I find it? Thanks:)

[@leavesinthewind7441]

@@jasonegeland1446 davidbentleyhart.substack.com

[@jasonegeland1446]

@@leavesinthewind7441 Thanks David!

[@jericosha2842]

My education in literature has certainly failed me because most of your references are lost on me. This is okay because it allows me to investigate for myself. Furthermore, I must admit the Kindle has been invaluable for me in understanding your books because I have had to stop and highlight a word for its definition at nearly every minute. I feel bluntly stupid, however it made me realize that the English language isn't as clumsy and imprecise as I thought.