Don- That's a very nice poem, and it shows how observant he was with nature---since at least a quarter of my lineage is Cymry, I'm very partial to Dylan Thomas' works. He can even make our ultimate demise seem pleasant, or at least acceptable. Emily Dickinson's references to death are much bleaker, I think.
Another poem: And death shall have no dominion. Dead men naked they shall be one With the man in the wind and the west moon; When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone, They shall have stars at elbow and foot; Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion. I've told my close friends that when I become (more)demented and recalcitrant, they should just put me on a portage up North, tell me the canoe is at the end of the trail, wave goodbye, and then go fishing in my honor. Steve On Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 11:30 AM, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]>wrote: > Bob/Steve- > Your "DT" selection especially resonated with me, as my father at 92 is > not "raging against the dying of the light", but with some fear embracing > it... > Perhaps in response to this, I am recalling another DT poem called Fern > Hill, which has wonderful imagery seen with childlike wonder... > > Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/150> > > *Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs > About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green, > The night above the dingle starry, > Time let me hail and climb > Golden in the heydays of his eyes, > And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns > And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves > Trail with daisies and barley > Down the rivers of the windfall light. > > And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns > About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home, > In the sun that is young once only, > Time let me play and be > Golden in the mercy of his means, > And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves > Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold, > And the sabbath rang slowly > In the pebbles of the holy streams. > > All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay > Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air > And playing, lovely and watery > And fire green as grass. > And nightly under the simple stars > As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away, > All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars > Flying with the ricks, and the horses > Flashing into the dark. > > And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white > With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all > Shining, it was Adam and maiden, > The sky gathered again > And the sun grew round that very day. > So it must have been after the birth of the simple light > In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm > Out of the whinnying green stable > On to the fields of praise. > > And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house > Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long, > In the sun born over and over, > I ran my heedless ways, > My wishes raced through the house high hay > And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows > In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs > Before the children green and golden > Follow him out of grace, > > Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me > Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand, > In the moon that is always rising, > Nor that riding to sleep > I should hear him fly with the high fields > And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land. > Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, > Time held me green and dying > Though I sang in my chains like the sea.* > > > May you and yours all, have a wonderful holiday season and another happy > year of renewal! > -Don > > ------------------------------ > Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:52:52 -0500 > > Subject: Re: [ENTS] A little story > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > > Bob- > > Game shows are the best example of our cultural wasteland, other than the > distorted AM broadcasts of cretins Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Any > relection of aging reminds me of this DT(Dylan Thomas, not Delerium tremens) > poem, since we've been on a poetic trend lately: > > > > "Do not go gentle into that good night, > Old age should burn and rave at close of day; > Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end > know dark is right, > Because their words had forked no lightning they > Do not go gentle into that good night. > Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright > Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, > Rage, rage against the dying of the light. > Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, > And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, > Do not go gentle into that good night. > Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight > Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, > Rage, rage against the dying of the light. > And you, my father, there on the sad height, > Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. > Do not go gentle into that good night. > Rage, rage against the dying of the light" > > > Trees help us live longer. > > > Steve > > > > > > On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 11:08 PM, Gary A Beluzo <[email protected]> wrote: > > I really hope so Darian and Barry. I like "Cluster Fox"...very > appropriate. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Dec 21, 2009, at 10:45 PM, Darian <[email protected]> wrote: > > Barry, you're kidding, right? > > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Dec 21, 2009, at 10:12 PM, Barry Caselli < <[email protected]> > [email protected]> wrote: > > You say "Fox Network". Are you referring to the local Fox affiliate, > or The Fox News Channel? The Fox News Channel is one of my all-time favorite > channels. > > --- On *Mon, 12/21/09, Lee Frelich < > <[email protected]>[email protected]>*wrote: > > > From: Lee Frelich < <[email protected]>[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [ENTS] A little story > To: <[email protected]> <[email protected]> > [email protected] > Date: Monday, December 21, 2009, 5:55 PM > > Bob: > > Similar thing happened to me at the Buick dealer in Minneapolis two > weeks ago, except the TV was set on Fox network. I had no idea that TV > was such irrational nonsense. If I though it would do any good, I would > write in and tell the FCC that Fox should not be relicensed to broadcast > when their current license expires. > > Lee > > <http://us.mc544.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] wrote: > > ENTS, > > > > Back when I was younger, before my hair turned gray and starting > > falling out, I imagined how I might recognize the onset of decline > > into old age with its attendant feelings of powerlessness and the > > eventual oblivion? > > > > This morning I think I discovered the metric needed, while waiting for > > my car to be serviced at the local Buick dealer. It was a little too > > raw to go outside and wander around looking at trees, so I stuck it > > out in the waiting room, which meant I was exposed to the T.V. set. > > Game shows. Horror of horrors. Two little old ladies had copped the > > set were glued to the wins and losses. They discouraged any thoughts > > of channel changing with piercing looks. I audibly mumbled my > > displeasure, but wasn't about to chance getting swatted by an old > > lady's purse. I sullenly set through the hoopla. > > > > Game shows. What better measure of mental decline than a tally of the > > number of hours spent watching giddy contestants alternately scream > > and bawl and confirm our addiction to materialism. Where do we cast > > our ballots for euthanasia? > > > > Bob > > > > -- > > Eastern Native Tree Society > > <http://www.nativetreesociety.org/><http://www.nativetreesociety.org/> > http://www.nativetreesociety.org > > Send email to > <http://us.mc544.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] > > Visit this group at > > <http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en><http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en> > http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > > To unsubscribe send email to > > entstrees+<http://us.mc544.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society > <http://www.nativetreesociety.org/><http://www.nativetreesociety.org/> > http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to > <http://us.mc544.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] > Visit this group at > <http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en><http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en> > http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to > entstrees+<http://us.mc544.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society > <http://www.nativetreesociety.org/><http://www.nativetreesociety.org/> > http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to <[email protected]>[email protected] > Visit this group at > <http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en><http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en> > http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to > <[email protected]><[email protected]> > [email protected] > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society <http://www.nativetreesociety.org/> > http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at <http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en> > http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to <[email protected]> > [email protected] > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to > [email protected]<entstrees%[email protected]> > > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to > [email protected]<entstrees%[email protected]> > > ------------------------------ > Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it > now.<http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/> > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to > [email protected]<entstrees%[email protected]> > -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
