...With the great gale we journey
That breathes from gardens thinned,
Borne in the drift of blossoms
Whose petals throng the wind;
Buoyed on the heaven-heard whisper
Of dancing leaflets whirled
From all the woods that autumn
Bereaves in all the world.
And midst the fluttering legion
Of all that ever died
I follow, and before us
Goes the delightful guide,
With lips that brim with laughter
But never once respond,
And feet that fly on feathers,
And serpent-circled wand.
--from A. E. Housman's "The Merry Guide," A Shropshire Lad, XLII, 1896--
Housman is novel to me. However I like his romanticism. I don't know whether he belongs to the romantic era. But, surely he memories the poets of the that age
ReplyDeleteMe too! We plan to 'get away' to Pensacola the middle of the month or so. My daughter (who is an avid snowboarder) is in Pensacola this weekend. Lucky girl! Loved the video and Lenny, well, he's a product of the 90s and one singer I distinctly remember. His 'What Goes Around Comes Around' is still a favorite song.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the much- needed delight to my day. Awesome music.
ReplyDeleteI hope your fall garden flourishes even in your absence.
Rosey
I love Housman and the way he utilizes language in his poems. Being an English major in years past I got exposed to so many poets that most people haven't even heard of or enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteLike you, this summer and its high temps and oppressive humidity has proved to be way too much for here me - even here in Michigan. We need change for the school year, and to get back to those normal rhythmic days of fall.
Take me with you! Please! I love extreme sports and I hope to come back in my next life as a Shaun White. That's right, a boy/man. I can't complain about the weather right now, it's actually temperate and tolerable but I could use - well I won't say a break considering what happened to my foot in New Orleans - at the least a change of scenery. Mountains sound good. Hang in there...
ReplyDeleteI love Lenny Kravit's first two albums: Let Love Rule and Mama Said. That song isn't bad either, although a little repetitive.
ReplyDeleteA break is as good as a rest. I hope you get away for a break. The mountains sound wonderful after all the oppressive heat and I have only had to deal with it for ten days.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the poem too.
I'm ready to get away, too! But it doesn't look like I'll be going anywhere soon. Hope it's cool wherever you're going--but not snowy:)
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. Were migrating to Ireland in a few weeks. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! the photos are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGet recharged and be back soon
ReplyDeletei love to get away to many different parts of our island and taking even short hikes get me to a very different world than my own neighborhood, loved the video :)
ReplyDeleteI don't read enough poetry. But I like the flow of "The Merry Guide."
ReplyDeleteI've never snow boarded or been skiing, but when I was a kid, I would often dream about doing both.
Visiting new places is always exciting (and with memories to hold on to)
ReplyDeleteDear Walk2Write in Florida,
ReplyDeleteI love that Lenny Kravitz song (but never thought it in connection with that beautiful snowboarder picture) - and I love A.E. Houseman, though he is not the most cheerful poet I know.
"We'll to the woods no more,
The laurels all are cut,
The bowers are bare of bay
That once the Muses wore;
The year draws in the day
And soon will evening shut(...)"
I found Houseman when reading Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse detective novels - Morse adores Housman.