Cambridge in the Long
Where drowsy sound of college-chimes
Across the air is blown,
And drowsy fragrance of the limes,
I lie and dream alone.
A dazzling radiance reigns o'er all--
O'er gardens densely green,
O'er old grey bridges and the small,
Slow flood which slides between.
This is the place; it is not strange,
But known of old and dear.--
What went I forth to seek? The change
Is mine; why am I here?
Alas, in vain I turned away,
I fled the town in vain;
The strenuous life of yesterday
Calleth me back again.
And was it peace I came to seek?
Yet here, where memories throng,
Ev'n here, I know the past is weak,
I know the present strong.
This drowsy fragrance, silent heat,
Suit not my present mind,
Whose eager thought goes out to meet
The life it left behind.
Spirit with sky to change; such hope,
An idle one we know;
Unship the oars, make loose the rope,
Push off the boat and go. . .
Ah, would what binds me could have been
Thus loosened at a touch!
This pain of living is too keen,
Of loving, is too much.
Related quotes
The End of the Day
To B. T.
Dead-tired, dog-tired, as the vivid day
Fails and slackens and fades away.--
The sky that was so blue before
With sudden clouds is shrouded o'er.
Swiftly, stilly the mists uprise,
Till blurred and grey the landscape lies.
* * * * * * *
All day we have plied the oar; all day
Eager and keen have said our say
On life and death, on love and art,
On good or ill at Nature's heart.
Now, grown so tired, we scarce can lift
The lazy oars, but onward drift.
And the silence is only stirred
Here and there by a broken word.
* * * * * * *
O, sweeter far than strain and stress
Is the slow, creeping weariness.
And better far than thought I find
The drowsy blankness of the mind.
More than all joys of soul or sense
Is this divine indifference;
Where grief a shadow grows to be,
And peace a possibility.
Sinfonia Eroica
(To Sylvia.)
My Love, my Love, it was a day in June,
A mellow, drowsy, golden afternoon;
And all the eager people thronging came
To that great hall, drawn by the magic name
Of one, a high magician, who can raise
The spirits of the past and future days,
And draw the dreams from out the secret breast,
Giving them life and shape.
I, with the rest,
Sat there athirst, atremble for the sound;
And as my aimless glances wandered round,
Far off, across the hush'd, expectant throng,
I saw your face that fac'd mine.
Clear and strong
Rush'd forth the sound, a mighty mountain stream;
Across the clust'ring heads mine eyes did seem
By subtle forces drawn, your eyes to meet.
Then you, the melody, the summer heat,
Mingled in all my blood and made it wine.
Straight I forgot the world's great woe and mine;
My spirit's murky lead grew molten fire;
Despair itself was rapture.
Ever higher,
Stronger and clearer rose the mighty strain;
Then sudden fell; then all was still again,
And I sank back, quivering as one in pain.
Brief was the pause; then, 'mid a hush profound,
Slow on the waiting air swell'd forth a sound
So wondrous sweet that each man held his breath;
A measur'd, mystic melody of death.
Then back you lean'd your head, and I could note
The upward outline of your perfect throat;
And ever, as the music smote the air,
Mine eyes from far held fast your body fair.
And in that wondrous moment seem'd to fade
My life's great woe, and grow an empty shade
Which had not been, nor was not.
And I knew
Not which was sound, and which, O Love, was you.
With The Quandongs
IF you happen to visit the Western Plains
When the summer is young and green,
You can see the green of the quandong leaves
With the quandong fruit between.
The fruit is the size of a plum, perhaps,
And red as your own blood's hue;
And it falls to the ground at the touch of the wind
Like a drop of crimson dew.
The wide plains lie with half-shut eyes
At peace in a golden swoon,
And the lizards drink their full of rest
Abask in the drowsy noon.
There is only the whir of a wing, perchance,
To startle the sleeping lands;
But the quandong trees, all green and red,
Are a-twinkle with little hands.
Oh, many a tress has turned to grey,
And many a song grown mute
Since Rita and Meg and Trixie and I
Went gathering quandong fruit.
And there we were on the plains alone
In the hush of a drowsy air —
Rita and Meg with roguish eyes
And Trixie with wayward hair.
A far mirage of mingled sun and dream
Was born of the noontide sleep,
And the rifled fruit of the quandongs lay
At our feet in a ruddy heap.
I know that the quandong's burning fruit
Still reddens the drowsy air;
That Trixie is grown and sometime wed,
And Rita is grave and fair.
I know that Meg of the roguish eyes,
Though ten long years be sped,
Still plucks the fruit of the quandong trees
When the quandong fruit is red.
I know — and I know to my loss, alas! —
That I stand where the winds blow cold,
And search, with others, another tree
For its scanty fruit of gold.
poem by Roderic Quinn
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Past
It is story of cautious optimist
Carved out a way safe way amidst
It was no do or die approach
But reasonable enough as such
What if it was glorious to dream?
What if it had shined like sun beam?
It was ultimate end so what is left to rejoice
When we have no compulsion or choice
Past is not for us to remember
Yet not to forget either
As it may act as torch bearer
To surge ahead without any fear
Past is to make amends
That should be the trend
It is to be relived with refined approach
As it is the only way to adjust as such
Present may not be that sweet
Yet we need to add fragrance and greet
We may not be able to restore past
But present is to be moved very fast
One thing is very much certain
Neither pf the things remain
Nor disappear all of sudden
It has its own time to trouble you even
It is immaterial if you fail to adjust
Loose the confidence and trust
Neither the past nor the present can be justified
As life won't give you chance and remain mystified
So one must think with optimism
To push aside ashes of pessimism
That is the only way to move ahead
When entire universe is before us to read
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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Sonnet XX: What It Is to Breathe
What it is to breathe and live without life;
How to be pale with anguish, red with fear;
T'have peace abroad, and nought within but strife;
Wish to be present, and yet shun t'appear;
How to be bold far off, and bashful near;
How to think much, and have no words to speak;
To crave redress, yet hold affliction dear;
To have affection strong, a body weak;
Never to find, and evermore to seek;
And seek that which I dare not hope to find;
T'affect this life, and yet this life disleek;
Grateful t'another, to myself unkind:
This cruel knowledge of these contraries,
Delia, my heart hath learn'd out of those eyes.
poem by Samuel Daniel
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What If
Such a tiny word, that word if, helps to ignore the present gift,
God’s gift to us of life today, when we put the past in the way,
Today’s a gift to all of us, from the Author of life Christ Jesus,
Yesterday’s past is already gone, and He’d like us to carry on.
What if, only moves us to cast, present thoughts into the past,
Tainting concerns now at hand, with those we can’t understand,
It may even cause us to resent, past issues, in view of present,
What God wants left behind, to give us present peace of mind.
We cannot physically, go back, to alter what we presently lack,
For with the past said and done, we have a present race to run.
Old issues we should not spurn, using all them instead to learn,
As we go forward in this life, following the lead of Jesus Christ.
Allow His Spirit only to retrace, those past issues by His Grace,
As Christ helps you not to repeat, what was in your past defeat.
Christ, has a plan for all of us, and in Him we must simply trust,
And God’s plan for you and me, is not more defeat, but victory.
Believers, God will not forsake, regardless of any past mistake,
God wants us to move ahead, not be filled with regret or dread,
As God takes us by the hand, past issues we can’t understand,
Avoiding that small word if, to focus on Christ our greatest gift.
(Copyright ©07/2009)
Midnight Rendezvous
`
Join me in this boat of drunkenness,
Come with me and we shall both be drunk.
Let's sway beside what we think ourselves,
Swerving as the waves swell beneath us;
Lifting us to where lonely sounds warp,
While many other things become clear.
Come upon my mind, your tongue in mine,
And utter words that rend this turmoil;
The sound of madness not to be stilled,
Our silent voices, raging waters.
The world will list to one side of us
And back to the other in one beat.
Ghosts wail in the howling of the wind;
The sweat streams from a thousand souls,
They fling their drunken bodies upon us;
We feel only their salty wetness.
All at once they crash against this boat;
Their breath will chill the flaming sea,
Then drift back again to drowsy depths,
As our oars cut through this heady wine.
`
© Frederick Kesner. All Rights Reserved.
poem by Frederick Kesner
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Can't Beat Much Longer Without You
I'm feeling drowsy and i can't speak
My life is lousy and my heart is weak
I need to get away from this crazy street
Oh yeah and my heart can't beat much longer
Without you
I’m feeling drowsy and I’m really down
My life is lousy when you’re not around
I need to get out of this crazy town
Oh yeah, and my heart can’t beat much longer
Without you
When you called me the other night
And you asked me if I was alrite
I was fighting back the tears
But I hoped you would not notice.
It’s cos i’m missing you right now
But I knew I would somehow
Oh yeah and my heart can’t beat much longer
Without you.
poem by Lucy Vernezze
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Lover's Quarrels
JOIN hands, my dear, clasp long and close and fast,
Even this present we shall soon call past,
And lay among the unforgotten days,
Not the less loved because they could not last.
Make haste to put our hasty words away,
And hide them with dead leaves of yesterday,
Cast them aside among forgotten things,
Keep the love warm that turns to green life's grey.
Each little thorn that pricks these present hours
Is sure to hide under our memories' flowers,
Till we shall say, turning the dry wreath over,
'How sweet they were--these dear dead days of ours!'
poem by Edith Nesbit
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My Memories
Today will be a memory
yesterday is a memory drifting away
memories turn into tears,
tearing us apart.
Fear of moving on, afraid of change,
in a minute this will just be a memory
memories are all pain in vain
memories are like dreams, a reflection of the past.
Memories are vision of what it used to be.
my memories are sadness and struggle
what are yours?
are they sadness and struggle?
You are but a memory
that dwindles as each day passes me by.
and as you slowly vanish
I huddle in my room and cry.
A memory that’s all I have
that’s all that’s left of you
nothing but a mere memory
that still lingers, only for a little while longer in my head.
Don’t forget about the past
without memories there is no yesterday.
make every day one to remember a
memory to move on with no pain or anymore regrets
poem by Ralph Acosta
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Change Your Mind
When you get weak, and you need to test your will
When lifes complete, but theres something missing still
Distracting you from this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Dont let another day go by without the magic touch
Distracting you (change your mind)
Supporting you (change your mind)
Embracing you (change your mind)
Convincing you (change your mind)
When youre confused and the world has got you down
When you feel used and you just cant play the clown
Protecting you from this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Dont let another day go by without the magic touch
Protecting you (change your mind)
Restoring you (change your mind)
Revealing you (change your mind)
Soothing you (change your mind)
You hear the sound, you wait around and get the word
You see the picture changing everything youve heard
Destroying you with this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Dont let another day go by without the magic touch
Destroying you (change your mind)
Embracing you (change your mind)
Protecting you (change your mind)
Confining you (change your mind)
Distracting you (change your mind)
Supporting you (change your mind)
Distorting you (change your mind)
Controlling you (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
The morning comes and theres an odor in the room
The scent of love, more than a million roses bloom
Embracing you with this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Dont let another day go by without the magic touch
Embracing you (change your mind)
Concealing you (change your mind)
Protecting you (change your mind)
Revealing you (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind (change your mind)
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind
Change your mind, change your mind
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Change in Me
Why I need change?
for better or for the worst?
Any choices to change or not?
I need change when
There is an opportunity to grow and mature
Things being done the wrong way
Dealing with a world of change
I rediscover change
Change is the law of life
Those who look only
to the past or the present
Are certain to miss the future
I may change anything I want or don't want
But I can't change everything I want
My dilemma is
I hate change and
love it at the same time
Best of all
What I want is
For things to remain the same
but get better.
Lastly,
I need strong courage to change,
To master change;
Be the master of change.
Always I want change,
To get where I want to be,
Be the change I want to have.
poem by Lawrence Hiung
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Preoccupied
Oh, that we may be preoccupied, with the One who came and died,
To change our very present ways, for Christ’s Glory and His Praise.
Not only did He save us from sin, but, He equips us to live for Him,
In ways that we could not before, we knew Jesus Christ as our Lord,
Being Lord, is that key dear friend, as we make Christ our very end,
In everything, between now and then, as we live our life before men.
Loving Christ, with all our heart, as we finish in joy the race we start,
Living each day with thoughts of Him, by The Spirit who lives within.
We now live our life above the past, as old ways behind us are cast,
With Christ on our heart and mind, we can live beyond the old grind.
Guided by Grace from above, He fills our heart with peace and love,
We can live our new life abundantly, while we move towards Eternity.
Before, never thought of at all, Christ, in my life was less than small,
Preoccupied by things of earth, which had no lasting value or worth,
With an emptiness plaguing my heart, where Christ had not one part,
Along with darkness deep within, which was driven by a world of sin.
The empty darkness came to an end, when I meet The Savior, friend,
He filled my darkened emptiness, with the light of His righteousness.
Despite my dark and sinful past, His Light within me will forever last,
As I will remain forever occupied, eternally right by The Savior’s side.
(Copyright ©10/2007)
When sleep won't come
Trepidation, perspiration
Preoccupation on one’s brow
Replace it with hope and anticipation
With keen elation… replace it now
Anxious moments, sweaty palm
Sleepless nights, heart beat hurried
Replace it with, the peaceful calm
of a mindset… cool…unworried
Don’t seek the sleep
When sleep won’t come
Just change the channels
Within your mind
Seek the thoughts
you want to keep
The peace you want
Is the peace you’ll find
Fixate upon one pleasant thought
Concentrate with all your might
And all the worries, and fears you fought
Will skulk away into the night
Fixate upon what you love
To all else become blind
Don’t seek sleep
When sleep won’t come
Just change the channel
Within your mind
poem by David Whalen
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Never Think Of Past
Never think of past
That might have ended fast
Think of present where everything is absent
You are with your strong body and present
Work for stable future
That may make your side secured
Work hard towards goal and make it sure
Nothing will go wrong and it will reassured
To think of past may be just suicide
The difference remains very wide
The past might be sweet or dark
Yet one must cautiously embark
Past must be kept in mind but for reference
Just to compare with it and take chance
To improve the present at the same time take lessons of the past
Never to look back with pain and confidently last
Past may always remind you of poverty
How were you in those days and feeling very sorry?
How were the pitiful days spent with worry?
Now left with no choice but to go ahead with mission to carry
Some of the strong steps are needed
Some drawback has to be accepted
Yet it should not mar your will power with strong resolve
Self effort with dedication and aim to solve
Leave behind everything and think of glorious tomorrow
Live in present, steer your course and allow
That shall never allow you to go slow
As you were coming with high sprit while lying low
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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Dead Can Never
Dead can never come alive
They got to be buried underneath to relive
They stay with peaceful time and in silence
So not to be disturbed by and stay with peace
Past is past and to be buried
Never to be remembered and opened
It has its bruise and sad side
Why we should bother about it and hide?
If you carry it further and bear at heart
It will be slow poison from the start
It may make you mentally sick and spread slowly
To whole body and kill you gradually
Past is to be forgotten
Wealth is to be donated if ill gotten
Life is for change and must move on
As river water moves for the purity of its own
Body may decay
Vision may go away
Hands may refuse to move
Only soul waits to be removed
One day you may be silent past
Life may move suddenly very fast
Death may knock and take you over
You need not find then any cover
You are gone forever
From the human memory with stop over
Few family members may remember on some occasion
Then slowly you will be put in 'question'
You were and now you are no more
Life size picture may be pushed in store
You will be taken out on anniversary
As it may then be felt necessary
Live in present as it is living thing
Past has no place for lively thing
If present is bestowed as blessings
Never afford to loose with other happenings
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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My Memories
Today will be a memory
yesterday is a memory drifting away
memories turn into tears,
tearing us apart.
Fear of moving on, afraid of change,
in a minute this will just be a memory
memories are all pain in vain
memories are like dreams, a reflection of the past.
Memories are vision of what it used to be.
my memories are sadness and struggle
what are yours?
are they sadness and struggle?
You are but a memory
that dwindles as each day passes me by.
and as you slowly vanish
I huddle in my room and cry.
A memory that’s all I have
that’s all that’s left of you
nothing but a mere memory
that still lingers, only for a little while longer in my head.
Don’t forget about the past
without memories there is no yesterday.
make every day one to remember a
memory to move on with no regrets
poem by lizzy Sydney
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You & I
(joe galdo/lawrence dermer/rafael vigil)
Nothing has changed, same as it was
Its time to think about the future
Forget about the past
Once its all gone, you cant go back
So now its up to us to find a way
To try and make it last
Until you give your heart completely
Unless you take that chance
Then it cant happen
Its not all in vain
We can make a change
Just you and i
Everythings is left in our hands
Weve gotta make a resolution
We need a better plan
Dont go too slow
We must move fast
There has to be a way to make it work
To keep it in our grasp
Until you give your heart completely
Unless you take that chance
Then it cant happen
Its not all in vain
We can make a change
Just you and i
We gotta stay together
Gotta find a ray of hope in stormy weather
Trying to make it better
Till we find a way to make it last forever
Some things remain, others have gone
Its up to us to get solutions
We must come up with one
Cant get it wrong. it must be right
Because we lost too many battles
And we gotta win the fight
Until you give your heart completely
Unless you take that chance
Then it cant happen
Its not all in vain
We can make a change
Just you and i
Everything is the same as it was
Its up to us to try to find a way
To try to make it last
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Despair
Beneath this gloomy shade,
By Nature only for my sorrows made,
I'll spend this voyce in crys,
In tears I'll waste these eyes
By Love so vainly fed;
So Lust of old the Deluge punished.
Ah wretched youth! said I,
'Ah, wretched youth!' twice did I sadly cry:
'Ah, wretched youth!' the fields and floods reply.
When thoughts of Love I entertain,
I meet no words but 'Never,' and 'In vain.'
'Never' alas that dreadful name
Which fuels the infernal flame:
'Never,' My time to come must waste;
'In vain,' torments the present and the past.
'In vain, in vain!' said I;
'In vain, in vain!' twice did I sadly cry;
'In vain, in vain!' the fields and floods reply.
No more shall fields or floods do so;
For I to shades more dark and silent go:
All this world's noise appears to me
A dull ill-acted comedy:
No comfort to my wounded sight,
In the suns busy and imperti'nent Light.
Then down I laid my head;
Down on cold earth; and for a while was dead,
And my freed soul to a strange somewhere fled.
'Ah, sottish Soul' said I,
When back to its cage again I saw it fly;
'Fool to resume her broken chain!
And row her galley here again!'
'Fool, to that body to return
Where it condemn'd and destin'd is to burn!
Once dead, how can it be,
Death should a thing so pleasant seem to thee,
That thou should'st come to live it o're again in me?'
poem by Abraham Cowley
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One Day We'll Meet Again
How is life in heaven Ma,
We trust you're doing well,
Back again with your Mum and Dad,
We hope you're feeling swell.
How are all your family Ma,
We pray they're doing fine,
Back together as a family,
I bet that makes you shine.
Is it really true that life is bliss,
When you find your place with God,
What was it like when you met him,
Did you make him feel overawed?
What's life like in Paradise Ma,
Is it beautiful every day,
Does happiness and peace abound
Is it really what they say.
We hope there is a ballroom Ma,
Where you can sing and dance,
Frank Sinatra with his big band sound,
Your spirit that will enhance.
Your sons and their families are doing well,
No need for you to fret,
We'll meet up again when God decides,
It's time that we all met.
It can be lonely here without you Ma,
We miss you all the time,
Memories of you keep us going though,
They truly are sublime.
We knew you weren't feeling well
It was a secret that you kept,
But that was just the way with you,
When you passed your family wept.
If there is any consolation Ma,
It's that you are now at peace,
We knew that when you left us,
Your Earthly pain would cease.
The fact you are in Heaven now,
Does help to ease our pain,
We also have the knowledge that,
‘' One Day We'll Meet Again ''