Monday, July 07, 2008

D. G. Rossetti

Sonnet XXVI: Mid-Rapture
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82)


Thou lovely and beloved, thou my love;
      Whose kiss seems still the first; whose summoning eyes,
      Even now, as for our love-world's new sunrise,
Shed very dawn; whose voice, attuned above
All modulation of the deep-bowered dove,
      Is like a hand laid softly on the soul;
      Whose hand is like a sweet voice to control
Those worn tired brows it hath the keeping of:--

What word can answer to thy word;--what gaze
      To thine, which now absorbs within its sphere
      My worshipping face, till I am mirrored there
Light-circled in a heaven of deep-drawn rays?
What clasp, what kiss mine inmost heart can prove,
O lovely and beloved, O my love?

Friday, July 04, 2008

Light blogging

Light blogging here, as you may have noticed

I don't have too much to say nowadays. I do feel a blog-slumber coming on, but will try to add something at least once a week.

Recently I found some old writing of mine, circa 2001, and if that biblical verse about "accounting for every idle word" be true, I'm in deep trouble! Long stretches of public wordlessness might do this soul some good.

So please forgive the comparative silence hereabouts -- or, enjoy it!

July 4

4th of July

An excellent prayerful reflection at Word Incarnate, with which this blogger concurs just about wholeheartedly.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Longevity

As of yesterday

I have surpassed Dylan Thomas (d. aetat. 39 yrs., 13 days) in the longevity department.

As for accomplishments, that's a different story! Was recently rereading "Poem on His Birthday" (In the mustardseed sun / By full tilt river and switchback sea / Where the cormorants scud, etc.) and was yet again struck speechless at the Welshman's mastery.

Friday, June 27, 2008

dylanpoints

Ten dylan-points

are hereby awarded to the driver on this morning's # 77 bus. When an extremely elderly woman got on, she paid her fare, and the bus did not start to move until the woman was safely established in her seat. (Some drivers will step on the gas before the senior passenger has paid her fare!)

Twenty dylan-points

are awarded to the nurse at my doctor's office, who was kind enough to bring me a very large cup of water after I had walked over a mile to the office in extremely humid weather, and arrived in a somewhat diaphoretic state.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Writing rules

You're not a writer if ...

A top-ten list, at the Daily Eudemon.

Number 2 is relatively easy to do; number 5 is difficult, at least for me.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Religion poll

Religion poll

Yahoo!'s story on a recent attempt to, uhm, divine, how the American people as a whole feel about the Deity.

I heard some of the stats on my local Fox affiliate's morning news: 92% of those polled believe in God, 58% pray every day, 74% believe in life after death.

And here's the fun part:


Oddly, one in five of those who identified themselves as atheists in the survey said they believe in God.

"It may very well be that they don't really know what atheist means. It sounds good so they answered it; we call that measurement error," Greene said.

"But this also shows us the complicated way that people think about their faith. Many people who identify as atheists may not be telling us they don't believe in God, but that they don't like organized religion," he said.

Monday, June 23, 2008

James Thomson

James Thomson (1700-48)
one of my favorites; unjustly underrenowned


More

summer

poetry

courtesy of ELC.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Evdokimov

Fascinating quotation

from the 20th century Orthodox Christian theologian Paul Evdokimov, at Vox Nova.

I don't understand, or perhaps don't agree with, the bit about "obligatory international taxation." And am wary of anyone who tosses about the word "proletariat"; still, a fascinating quotation, nonetheless.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Profile

Tinkering with the Blogger User Profile

Adding a photo. And various "interests." Et cetera.

Keba

Still no Keba

I am disconsolate. I fall upon the thorns of life!

Dylan Thomas film

Article about an upcoming Dylan Thomas film

in which we learn that Mick Jagger owns the rights to DT's 1939 collection The Map of Love.

Celtics

I'm glad the Celtics won

Very glad indeed. But I do tire of the phrase "rolling rally." It's a ******* parade.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Keba

No Keba

My favorite reporter was missing from this morning's Fox 25 newscast. Hélas! Woe is me! Life is so terribly unfair.

39

Jack Benny's age

The occasion falls today. Huzzah, etc. Let joy be unconfined.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Back from the north

Back from the north

The mountains are still there! Weather conducive, on one afternoon, to outdoor swimming. The driving on I-93 enough to give one palpitations of anxiety. A little rain. Saw a moose. Great breakfast Sunday morning, great dinner Sunday night. Unfortunately, one absolutely sleepless night/morning in an unfamiliar bed, but I wasn't as tired as one might think the following day.

Something I should do more often!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Hiatus

Blogging hiatus upcoming

Headed to northern New England to see the mountains this weekend. Maybe a few things tomorrow, but nothing from Saturday through Monday, inclusive. Should be back on or about Bunker Hill Day, the 17th.

Metablogging?

Is this what's called "metablogging"?

With this post, the 244th of the year, 2008 passes 2007 as the third most active year for more last than star.

I'll never catch 2003!

Obama quote machine

I think it's time we had a national conversation about prejudice. We need to get past all the migraines and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming Tom Petty songs. We need ravioli, not overdrawn bank accounts. Ravioli are our enlightenment. And we need to have change in prejudice.

Via TSO, it's the Barack Obama Quote Generator! (As you can plainly see, you can make them as surreal as you like.)

Addendum, hours later : This is more like it :

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!




"These people haven't had choice for fifty years. So you can't be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their heterosexist remarks and their judgmental people and their Catholic devotions. That's what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have reproductive rights."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com


Monday, June 09, 2008

Creed of the People of God

Spotted at Vivificat!

Creed of the People of God. A beautiful summary of the truths of the Faith -- a prayer, indeed -- which I had never read before!

Lavender fascism

Canada's lavender fascism

directed against Catholics (info via Some Have Hats) and evangelicals (info via The Curt Jester).

If only those religious-right types would roll over and play dead, the world would be a better place!

Afterthought: Canada is not only criminalizing "anti-gay" speech, they're criminalizing "anti-Islamic" speech. Which leads one to wonder: What will the government do when Muslim clerics become prominent spokesmen against homosexual unions?