Today's poet

[Harry H Howgill]

Parting - Charlotte Bronte

THERE'S no use in weeping,
Though we are condemned to part:
There's such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one's heart:

There's such a thing as dwelling
On the thought ourselves have nurs'd,
And with scorn and courage telling
The world to do its worst.

We'll not let its follies grieve us,
We'll just take them as they come;
And then every day will leave us
A merry laugh for home.

When we've left each friend and brother,
When we're parted wide and far,
We will think of one another,
As even better than we are.

Every glorious sight above us,
Every pleasant sight beneath,
We'll connect with those that love us,
Whom we truly love till death !

In the evening, when we're sitting
By the fire perchance alone,
Then shall heart with warm heart meeting,
Give responsive tone for tone.

We can burst the bonds which chain us,
Which cold human hands have wrought,
And where none shall dare restrain us
We can meet again, in thought.

So there's no use in weeping,
Bear a cheerful spirit still;
Never doubt that Fate is keeping
Future good for present ill !

[Derby Tup]

Looks like you're doing a good job of single-handedly holding the fort on the poet thread this evening HHH!

[Harry H Howgill]

Looks like you're doing a good job of single-handedly holding the fort on the poet thread this evening HHH!

Just me, a glass (or two) of Cru des Cotes du Rhone, a crying baby every now and again to settle, and today's poetry purchases.

I'm enjoying myself.

[Derby Tup]

Just me, a glass (or two) of Cru des Cotes du Rhone, a crying baby every now and again to settle, and today's poetry purchases.

I'm enjoying myself.

Sounds fine!

[Harry H Howgill]

Sounds fine!

Should have chosen a relevent poem of course...

From Frost at Midnight

The Frost performs its secret ministry,
Unhelped by any wind. The owlet's cry
Came loud - and hark, again! loud as before.
The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,
Have left me to that solitude, which suits
Abstruser musings : save that at my side
My cradled infant slumbers peacefully.
'Tis calm indeed ! so calm, that it disturbs
And vexes meditation with its strange
And extreme silentness. Sea, hill, and wood,
This populous village ! Sea, and hill, and wood,
With all the numberless goings-on of life,
Inaudible as dreams !

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

[Harry H Howgill]

I saw a man pursuing the horizon - Stephen Crane (1871 - 1900)

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never -"

"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.

[Mossdog]

Interesting last point there Freckle. At one time I would have worried about referencing "God", (assume it is the Christian / Jewish / Muslim one that most of us think about when that term is used for now), as I would have considered it a nod to the acknowledgement of its existance when clearly there is insufficient evidence to the existance of any supernatural sky god. (I'd love Thor to be real by the way. He'd be great at parties!) But "God" is so part of our culture whether in poetry, song or architecture that it is hard not to stumble upon references. Being a non believer doesn't stop me loving great poetry, or amazing church architecture, or Christmas carols for that matter. And if asked how I can I possibly do that, I normally reply: "Well, I can watch Coronation Street without believing that any of it is true."

Interesting point too HHH. Have a look at: http://newhumanist.org.uk/1451/blind-faith.

I think the quote that Taylor uses at the end of the link was from J.B Priestly who said (I believe) "that trying to prove God exists scientifically, is like trying to prove the world is round musically". What he meant, I think, is that the two paradigms of thought are incommensurable.

Being a bit of a Wittgenstein groupie, I guess he'd also say that these are just two incompatible 'language games' (i.e. the 'scientific' and the 'religious'). Also, having an interest in the philopsohy of Science (clearly I've too much time on my hands), which most espoused scientist haven't a clue about, I too know that it is founded on many myths, and that it's claimed 'disinterested rationality', is simply one more of them. See the recent arguments about the climate change debate to really understand how science works - i.e. truth is simply what most people believe, or what those with the loudest and most authoritive voices bellow - it doesn't depend on anything else!

Ooops. None of this seems very poetic, unless of course you believe in the 'poetics of practice', but i won't bore anymore!

[Mossdog]

Parting - Charlotte Bronte

THERE'S no use in weeping,
Though we are condemned to part:
There's such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one's heart:

There's such a thing as dwelling
On the thought ourselves have nurs'd,
And with scorn and courage telling
The world to do its worst.

We'll not let its follies grieve us,
We'll just take them as they come;
And then every day will leave us
A merry laugh for home.

When we've left each friend and brother,
When we're parted wide and far,
We will think of one another,
As even better than we are.

Every glorious sight above us,
Every pleasant sight beneath,
We'll connect with those that love us,
Whom we truly love till death !

In the evening, when we're sitting
By the fire perchance alone,
Then shall heart with warm heart meeting,
Give responsive tone for tone.

We can burst the bonds which chain us,
Which cold human hands have wrought,
And where none shall dare restrain us
We can meet again, in thought.

So there's no use in weeping,
Bear a cheerful spirit still;
Never doubt that Fate is keeping
Future good for present ill !

...And that's bl**dy brilliant. Many thanks

[Harry H Howgill]

Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley

In February, digging her garden, planting potatoes
she saw the first Lapwings return, and came
indoors to write to me, her knuckles singing
as they reddened in the warmth.

It's not romance, simply how things are
you out there in the cold, seeing the seasons
turning, me with my heartful of headlines
feeding words onto a blank screen.
Is your life more real because you dig and sow?

You wouldn't say so, breaking ice on a waterbutt,
clearing a path through snow. Still it's you
who sends me word of that other world,
pouring air and light into an envelope so that
at night, watching the same news in different houses
our souls tap out messages across the icy miles.

[Harry H Howgill]

Interesting point too HHH. Have a look at: http://newhumanist.org.uk/1451/blind-faith.

I think the quote that Taylor uses at the end of the link was from J.B Priestly who said (I believe) "that trying to prove God exists scientifically, is like trying to prove the world is round musically". What he meant, I think, is that the two paradigms of thought are incommensurable.

Being a bit of a Wittgenstein groupie, I guess he'd also say that these are just two incompatible 'language games' (i.e. the 'scientific' and the 'religious'). Also, having an interest in the philopsohy of Science (clearly I've too much time on my hands), which most espoused scientist haven't a clue about, I too know that it is founded on many myths, and that it's claimed 'disinterested rationality', is simply one more of them. See the recent arguments about the climate change debate to really understand how science works - i.e. truth is simply what most people believe, or what those with the loudest and most authoritive voices bellow - it doesn't depend on anything else!

Ooops. None of this seems very poetic, unless of course you believe in the 'poetics of practice', but i won't bore anymore!

Thanks for the link Mossdog. That is the sort of article that I know I will never ever have the ability to write, even though I agree with its content.

Even though the two paradigms of thought are incommensurable, it doesn't make them both true.

I have perhaps the opposite interest in the "science of belief" and it is fascinating that we are only just discovering our true irrationality and why it is such an evolutionary advantage, which of course everything must be referred to.

The "truth" remains the truth, no matter what spin is placed upon it. Science aims to fill the gaps in our knowledge with further science, whereas the religous, (sweeping statement I know) are often happy to fill the gaps with god's work.

In order to retain some poetry equilibrium, I refer the honorable lady to the response I gave some moments ago.

There was a young man from Kendal,
Who studied both Darwin and Mendel.
He thought evolution
A neater solution
Than Creationist texts which are mental.