Vice, in its true light, is so deformed, that it shocks us at first sight; and would hardly ever seduce us, if it did not at first wear the mask of some virtue.
quote by Lord Chesterfield
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Ballad of Gentleness
The firste stock-father of gentleness,
What man desireth gentle for to be,
Must follow his trace, and all his wittes dress,
Virtue to love, and vices for to flee;
For unto virtue longeth dignity,
And not the reverse, safely dare I deem,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
This firste stock was full of righteousness,
True of his word, sober, pious, and free,
Clean of his ghost, and loved business,
Against the vice of sloth, in honesty;
And, but his heir love virtue as did he,
He is not gentle, though he riche seem,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
Vice may well be heir to old richess,
But there may no man, as men may well see,
Bequeath his heir his virtuous nobless;
That is appropried to no degree,
But to the first Father in majesty,
Which makes his heire him that doth him queme,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
poem by Geoffrey Chaucer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Right Mask
One night a poem came up to a poet
From now on, it said, you must wear a mask.
What kind of mask? asked the poet.
A rose mask, said the poem.
I've used it already, said the poet,
I've exhausted it.
Then wear the mask that's made out of
a nightingale's song, use that mask.
Oh, it's an old mask, said the poet,
it's all used up.
Nonsense, said the poem, it's the perfect mask,
still, try on the god mask,
now that mask illuminates heaven.
It's a tight mask, said the poet,
and the stars crawl about in it like ants.
Then try on the troubador's mask, or the singer's mask,
try on all the popular masks.
I have, said the poet, but they fit so easily.
The poem was getting impatient,
it stamped its feet like a child,
it screamed. Then try on your own face,
try the one mask that terrifies,
the mask only you could possibly use,
the mask only you could wear out.
The poet tore at his face til it bled,
this mask? he yelled, this mask?
Yes, said the poem, yes.
But the poet was tired of masks,
he had lived too long with them,
he snatched at the poem and stuck it in his face.
Its screams were muffled, it wept, it tried to be lyrical,
it wriggled into his eyes and mouth.
Next day his friends were afraid of him,
he looked so distorted.
Now it's the right mask, said the poem, the right mask.
It clung to him lovingly and never let go again.
poem by Brian Patten
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Virtue has a veil, vice a mask.
quote by Victor Hugo
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Masks
Different masks some people wear
Pretending to be true.
They really don't care
If you are sad or blue.
They put on a mask of Friend
And try to let you down.
They are amazingly sad when you are up
And feel so happy when you are down.
Some people wear the mask of Kindness
Which is the most horrible one.
They just kill you without any gun.
They tell you kind words
To relax your vigilance
Looking only for their own conveniance.
And after all they run away
Leaving you alone on a crossway.
There is a mask of Faithfulness
Which sells you as a good
And you live in ignorance like in a dark wood.
There is a mask of Love
That breaks your heart in pieces,
It talks about love without any ceases,
And sounds like a dramatic art
Without any feelings
It waits for your kneelings.
The mask of Tenderness is a vile thing,
The sweetest songs it sings
But only disappointment it brings.
Horrible mask is a mask of Duty,
It is sometimes so cutie.
It shouts hurrays and the next day it betrays.
There are so many masks some people wear,
All of them are different
But...they are all indifferent;
To your life, your feelings, your love.......
All the masks I named above
Have the same profiles
Even having different styles.
They betray, they ignore, they lie,
They don't even care if you die.
But they forget one thing:
The mask of Death is the only one for all.
That's all!
poem by Larisa Rzhepishevska
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Failing Mask
I wear a clay mask
A mask of strength and happiness
That its true task
Is to cover my true sadness
A loss so deep and discerning
It makes my body yearning
For something to fill this void
That seems to always loid
Around my broken heart of despair
Yet so many people seem to care
Its pain is still so very deep
Of a loss I wish to not ever seek
So I wear this mask of happiness and strength
For I know its job will soon fall to length
For all the sadness and pain I have endured
This mask is going to fall
As a building to tall
So I know
It will shatter and fall
So I pray for you all
That you will not fall
To such a loss of mine
So terrible in mind
poem by Eric Mills
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Seduce Me
Dont ever say you do
Dont ever say you want to make me shine
You keep your mystery, dont ever try
To be my guiding light
Mmm...
Dont ever say you care
Dont follow when Im here and everywhere
Im blinded by your looks but theres a scent
Of heartache in the air
In the air...
Hey you!
Walk out through that door
And into that dream
Where I met you before
Oh oh...
Babe, you seduce me
You take my heart and use me
My feelings all run wild
When you seduce me all the time
Dont ever call me up
I never wanna hear your voice again
Oh lay your pretty hands on someone else
Somebody who dont know you well
Know you well...
Hey you!
Your sweet sweet talk cant stay
And get back to that dream
Lets both keep it that way
Hey hey...
Oh you seduce me
You pull my heart and use me
And I keep running blind
When you seduce me all the time
Mmmm... get back to that dream
Lets both keep it that way
Hey hey...
Tell me once again...
You seduce me
You take my heart and use me
My feelings all run wild
When you seduce me all the time
When you seduce me all the time
You seduce me all the time
You seduce me...
song performed by by Roxette
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Mask
You wear a mask upon your face
So people wont know of your sin and disgrace
Or of the things that you have said and done
And of the life you have ended and then again begun.
You cover up your lines and all of your tears
So no one can see the worries and your fears
Or of the anger and the hate that's on your face
So upon your face a mask you did paste.
But I wonder if anyone really does know
The color of your cheeks or the shape of your nose
Or the saddened bags underneath your eyes
From the guilt you felt from the tears of your lies.
And when you meet people I wonder do they stare
Maybe they think to themselves, who is really behind there
But then you don't care what people might say or ask
As you can conceal all, when you wear your mask.
And so that mask you will wear till your dying days
As it will become you in so many very different ways
But one day in death your mask it will then be removed
Then man and all will stand in sadness, as they see the real you.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave
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Mask That Covers My Pain
I wear a mask,
A mask that covers my pain,
I wear a smile,
A smile to cover my frown,
Secretly I am sad,
No ones here to hold me,
No ones here to love me,
I have no one,
My mask covers the pain in my eyes,
My mask covers the pain in my face,
My mask covers the pain in my heart,
My mask covers the pain in me,
I am but alone,
I am but in pain,
I am the only one,
I put a mask on,
To cover my pain,
poem by Samantha Guinen
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It is easier to run from virtue to vice, than from vice to virtue.
Low Light
Clouds roll by
Reeling is what they say
Or is it just my way?
Wind blows by, low light
Side-tracked, low light
Cant see my tracks, your scent-way back
Can I be here all alone?
Clear a path to my home
Blood runs dry
Books and jealousy tell me wrong
All I feel, calm
Voice blows by, low light
Car crash, low light
Cant wear my mask, your first, my last
Voice goes by
Two birds is what theyll see
Getting lost upon their way
Wind rolls by, low light
Eye sight, low light
I need the light
Ill find my way from wrong, whats real?
The dream I see
song performed by by Pearl Jam
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We Wear the Mask
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar
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Virtue practiced to be seen is not real virtue; vice which fears to be seen is real vice.
Beneath The Mask
Beneath the mask her wander lies
projecting an image for lovers eyes.
Such endless beauty my eyes behold,
under the mask she wears so bold
She hides behind her vain-full pride,
The twist and turn of storms inside.
She sits so still, so calm a girl
And guards with faith her hidden pearl.
Behold the mask covers her face
For between its cracks lies hidden grace
And beneath that mystic mask of wood
Lies secrets of a love so good
She needs to see through sudden glee
She needs not wear the mask for me.
In her glory I need to bask
For I love the girl who wear the mask.
Beneath the mask
There is a love and compassion
Inhibition and insecurities,
But there is also the girl I love
poem by C.F Francis
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This Mask
this is the mask you love most
and it is you who always ask me to wear it
the happy face
the look of a rich man to save you from your financial distress
the look of desire to save you from loneliness
the penetrating eyes
lips hungry for your kisses
smooth skin for you to feast upon in your caress
i will wear this mask today and tomorrow
i have nothing to hide
i am honest and you have loved me
inside this mask
how can i blame you? you also need to relax and feel life
even for a moment
of this illusion
anyway, reality is always there
why bother
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Virtue And Vice
think of me
i'll think of you
we better think
this whole thing through
sometimes i'm so clumsy
you talk to me
i'll talk to you
you cut the fat
and we'll both chew
you know we're both hungry
i feel so alive today
that's all that i wanted to say
i hope that it stays this way
if not i will be okay
say another prayer
save another life
kiss me on my head
and tell me
everything's alright
'cause i can say it one
or i can shout it twice
all there really is
is virtue and vice
virtue and vice
cry to me
i'll cry to you
sometimes the pain will only do
you know i'm not kidding
you laugh with me
i'll laugh with you
at all the stupid things we do
tomorrow we'll be happy
song performed by by Black Crowes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Virtue & Vice
Think of me
I'll think of you
We better think
This whole thing through
Sometimes i'm so clumsy
You talk to me
I'll talk to you
You cut the fat
And we'll both chew
You know we're both hungry
I feel so alive today
That's all that i wanted to say
I hope that it stays this way
If not i will be okay
Say another prayer
Save another life
Kiss me on my head
And tell me
Everything's alright
'cause i can say it one
Or i can shout it twice
All there really is
Is virtue and vice
Virtue and vice
Cry to me
I'll cry to you
Sometimes the pain will only do
You know i'm not kidding
You laugh with me
I'll laugh with you
At all the stupid things we do
Tomorrow we'll be happy
song performed by by Black Crowes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Virtue Vice
Think of me
Ill think of you
We better think
This whole thing through
Sometimes Im so clumsy
You talk to me
Ill talk to you
You cut the fat
And well both chew
You know were both hungry
I feel so alive today
Thats all that I wanted to say
I hope that it stays this way
If not I will be okay
Say another prayer
Save another life
Kiss me on my head
And tell me
Everythings alright
cause I can say it one
Or I can shout it twice
All there really is
Is virtue and vice
Virtue and vice
Cry to me
Ill cry to you
Sometimes the pain will only do
You know Im not kidding
You laugh with me
Ill laugh with you
At all the stupid things we do
Tomorrow well be happy
song performed by by Black Crowes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Make Me A Mask
Make me a mask
That I can wear
till day is done
The wind in the trees
The falling leaves
The worlds spinning
Make me a mask
So I can laugh
till night time comes
No more can I stay
How long must I play
This game of winning
If I had known this was only a dream
I would have awakened from this sleep
Make me a mask
So I can last
till the right time comes
A tear in my eye
To light I fly
An end is beginning
song performed by by Fleetwood Mac
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Masks
Some people wears a mask,
afraid to let their feelings show.
Sometimes they wear them
when they are happy,
when they don’t need them at all.
Some wear a mask when they are sad
to hide their feeling there.
Some hide their anger,
others hide their shame,
while others hide behind a mask
trying to show they have no feelings at all.
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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In the midst of vice we are in virtue, and vice versa.
quote by Samuel Butler
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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