a summer's day


Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

-William Shakespeare-
Sonnet 18





dangerous beauty

By Claude Monet; Venice at dusk


We danced our youth
in a dreamed-of city
Venice
Paradise proud and pretty
We lived for love and lust and beauty
Pleasure then our only duty
Floating then 'twixt heaven and earth
And drunk on plenty's blessed mirth
We thought ourselves eternal then
Our glory sealed by God's own pen

-part of the opening poem of the movie Dangerous Beauty-

loveliness

photo from own collection


Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

- Sara Teasdale -

exhortation of the dawn

photo from here



Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!

- Kalidasa

kiss


Painting by Gustav Klimt

The Kiss Has Powers Too Refine
Those Angry Thoughts In Our Mind.
For Harsh Anguish, It Has Answers,
Turning Hard Hearts Into Romancers

Where Or When In History's Flow,
How It Was Started, We Do Not Know.
Nothing On Earth Is Its Equal,
Except Its Repeat In Rapturous Sequel.

The Kiss Engulfs A Range Of Emotions.
Representing Love's Great Devotions.
This Nectar Of Love In Suppliant Sips,
Explodes As It Enfolds On Willing Lips.

Its Foundation Is In Every Nation.
All May Enjoy Its Intimate Sensation.
a Kiss Requires So Little Urge,
And Offers Each An Electric Surge!

There Is Nothing Close To Contend
With Its Soft, Succulent Blend.
Without The Slightest In Persistence,
a Kiss Travels To A Higher Existence.

All Worldly Hurts We May Share
Are Quickly Vanquished In Its Flair.
Our Life Attains Its Highest Peak
When Kissing A Child On Its Cheek.

We Thank The Gods, Wherever They Be
For Allowing Kisses Through History.
This World Would Truly Be Amiss.
If We Could Not Enjoy The Exotic Bliss.
That's Always As Close
As Our Next Little Kiss

-Anon-