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A New Poetry Blog begins on Saturday 25th July 2015

POETRY - A PERSONAL CHOICE

http://poetry-apersonalchoice.blogspot.com

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No.32

THE CARD-SHARPERS
A selection of paintings

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The Cardsharps, by Carravagio

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The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs, by Georges de la Tour

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The Card Players, by Jan Steen

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The Card Sharps. by Matthew William Peters

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Cardsharpers and Fortuneteller, by Nicolas Regnier

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A Sly Game, by Ivan Philipovich Tupylev

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Cardsharpers, by Jacob van Oost

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Today's Touch of Culture brings to an end the present series

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No.31

Christina Rossetti 1830-1894

Born in London to Italian parents, Christina Rossetti was a devout High Anglican whose verses often expressed frustrated love and unfulfilled spiritual desire.

Dante Gabriel the painter-poet was her brother, and her other siblings William and Maria were writers.

Christina was engaged for a short time to the painter James Collinson, who, along with Dante and William, were three of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

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HOPE IS LIKE A HAREBELL

Hope is like a harebell trembling from its birth,
Love is like a rose the joy of all the earth;
Faith is like a lily lifted high and white,
Love is like a lovely rose the world's delight;
Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth,
But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.

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WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

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IN AN ARTIST’S STUDIO

One face looks out from all his canvasses,
One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans;
We found her hidden just behind those screens,
That mirror gave back all her loveliness.
A queen in opal or in ruby dress,
A nameless girl in freshest summer greens,
A saint, an angel; - every canvass means
The same one meaning, neither more nor less.
He feeds upon her face by day and night,
And she with true kind eyes looks back on him
Fair as the moon and joyful as the light;
Not wan with waiting, not with sorrow dim;
Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright;
Not as she is, but as she fills his dream.

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A BIRTHDAY

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thick-set fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these,
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a daïs of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

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A LINNET

A linnet in a gilded cage,
A linnet on a bough,
In frosty winter one might doubt
Which bird is luckier now.
But let the trees burst out in leaf,
And nests be on the bough,
Which linnet is the luckier bird,
Oh, who could doubt it now?

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UP-HILL

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.

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THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS AT BLOGGER.COM, AND THE RESULT HAS BEEN THAT EVERYTHING I HAVE POSTED TO MY BLOGS SINCE WEDNESDAY HAS BEEN LOST.

I WILL NOW PUT THEM BACK ON

No.30

I've often wondered what my choice of music would be, if I was to be cast on to a desert island.

I know I would find it difficult, for my likes and dislikes are constantly changing, and there's every chance that a favourite piece today wouldn't appear in my best loved list next month.

There are however three pieces of music which I'm sure would always figure in my desert island selection. They're all well-known, very popular and I'm confidant you'll like the You Tube performances I've chosen.

I begin with the Prelude to Act 1 of La Traviata by Verdi, played by André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra. The video uploaded by "mychoicealfred4"



This is Kiri te Kanawa singing "O MyBeloved Father" from Gianna Schicchi by Puccini, with the London Philhatmonic orchestra conducted by Sir John Pritchard. The video uploaded by "napat14"



Finally, Puccini again, this time the Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly, performed by the Hungarian State Opera . The video uploaded by "RoLorenz"



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No.29

Max Ehrmann 1872-1945
American writer, poet and attorney

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Desiderata (Latin for "desired things") is probably the piece of literature for which Max Ehrmann is most famous. Published in 1927, it has been described as an inspirational guide to a positive way of life.

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Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly,
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings;
many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

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No.28

It seems to me that it was only in the last few years that the practice of sending Easter Cards came to Scotland, but the idea doesn’t seem to have caught on.

To take my own family as an example, each year we exchange 80-90 Christmas cards but receive just 4 or 5 Easter cards.

And so it was a surprise to learn that their history goes back to Victorian England, when a stationer added a greeting to a drawing of a rabbit!

In Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, I found a good number of Easter Cards from the first decade of the 20th century, many of them from Eastern Europe, and I’m showing here my favourites.

A Card from Russia


This one dates from 1900


This is also 1900


A 1915 card


The caption says "Christ is Risen."

A Russian Empire card


First World War - Germany


This one is Ukranian

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BLOG NEWS

Since more and more folk have been visiting JOHN’S GALLERY lately, I’ve decided to add more paintings to the site. This will begin tomorrow with 5 paintings by Sir Edwin Landseer. http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

I’ve been planning 2 new blogs and the first of those starts on Tuesday next week - “Let’s hear that song again!” which features dance band music of the 1930s.
http://letshearthatsongagain.blogspot.com

And the other is “That was another good read!” which begins on Wednesday 4th May. I’ve subtitled it - Great moments from Classic Fiction.
http://thatwasanothergoodread.blogspot.com

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