You are not logged in. [Log In] Wordsmith.org » Forums » General Topics » Miscellany » - -- "grooks" Register User    Forum List        Calendar     Active Topics    Search     FAQ

Page 1 of 2 1 2 > Topic Options #208740 - 01/05/13 12:59 PM - -- "grooks" LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8438 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Distilled Spirits When Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, physicist Piet Hein published an innocent-seeming poem: Losing one glove is certainly painful, but nothing compared to the pain of losing one, throwing away the other, and finding the first one again. The German censors let it go, not understanding its meaning -- that while enduring occupation was bad, ceasing to resist would be worse. "It said that what happens to you from outside is less important than how you take it," he explained later. "The Danes knew what I meant." In later years Hein cultivated a talent for such tiny aphoristic poems, which he called "grooks": Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by hitting back. There is one art, no more, no less: to do all things with art- lessness. The road to wisdom? -- Well, it's plain and simple to express: Err and err and err again but less and less and less. Put up in a place where it's easy to see the cryptic admonishment T.T.T. When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb, it's well to remember that Things Take Time. In all he wrote more 7,000 grooks, which have become a part of Scandinavian culture. "I cannot really say where my activity as a scientist ends and where my activity as a man of letters begins," he said. "Whether I am writing a poem or solving some technical problem, I think the same." _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #208750 - 01/06/13 12:28 AM Re: - -- "grooks" [Re: LukeJavan8] Avy old hand Registered: 06/23/00 Posts: 724 Really, really, really wonderful and much needed post Luke. Thank you for sharing. Top #208751 - 01/06/13 02:24 AM Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: LukeJavan8] jenny jenny veteran Registered: 06/05/10 Posts: 1554 Loc: Lower Aberdeen, Mississippi Put up in a place where it's easy to see the cryptic admonishment T.T.T. When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb, it's well to remember that Things Take Time. __________________________________ Put up in a place You donna wanna be The dynamite explosive T.N.T. And if you feel explosive As you climb, Be sure to remember that Time Negates Time. Top #208758 - 01/06/13 12:16 PM Re: - -- "grooks" [Re: Avy] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8438 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Originally Posted By: Avy Really, really, really wonderful and much needed post Luke. Thank you for sharing. Just ran across it and was intrigued myself, thought others might appreciate it. You're welcome. _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #208759 - 01/06/13 12:18 PM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: jenny jenny] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8438 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Put up in a place You donna wanna be The dynamite explosive T.N.T. And if you feel explosive As you climb, Be sure to remember that Time Negates Time. Very nice addition. Edited by LukeJavan8 (01/06/13 12:18 PM) _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #208925 - 01/11/13 12:25 AM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: LukeJavan8] Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11613 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky These are cool, Luke. Top #208934 - 01/11/13 12:48 PM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: Jackie] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8438 Loc: Land of the Flat Water _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #208935 - 01/11/13 12:55 PM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: Jackie] Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7210 Loc: Vermont Originally Posted By: Jackie These are cool, Luke. Give him a Hand. :¬ ) _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top #208936 - 01/11/13 12:57 PM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: Buffalo Shrdlu] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8438 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Thanks, but they're not from my head. Found them and just thought I'd share. _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #208937 - 01/11/13 01:03 PM Re: Counter Grooks. A new thread? [Re: LukeJavan8] Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7210 Loc: Vermont I know, I was just playing with Cool Hand Luke. :¬ ) _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top Page 1 of 2 1 2 > Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Moderator:  Jackie  Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts Forum Stats 8947 Members 16 Forums 13866 Topics 222207 Posts Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM Newest Members michor, Daksh1, geoffhargreaves, Guadalupe, may2point0 8947 Registered Users Who's Online 1 registered (wofahulicodoc), 48 Guests and 5 Spiders online. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters (30 Days) wofahulicodoc 65 LukeJavan8 53 may2point0 19 Tromboniator 3 geoffhargreaves 1 jheem 1 Top Posters wwh 13858 Faldage 13803 Jackie 11613 tsuwm 10538 LukeJavan8 8436 Buffalo Shrdlu 7210 wofahulicodoc 6795 AnnaStrophic 6511 Wordwind 6296 of troy 5400

Board Rules · Mark all read Default StyleBlackNTanDrabeBayGooG_v2infopoprounded_cornersSlatesnowsunny_dropshadowthebluesTouch_Of_Greyubbthreadsubbthreads-dark Contact Us · Wordsmith.org · Top

Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2016 Wordsmith