Ithaca
When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.
Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.
Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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Related quotes
On The Shores Of Ithaka
In our minds eye...
Certainty
All powerful
Beyond blindness and fear
Confident fused with vanity
Arrogant
Propelled by scorn
Foresight
Relegated to beg in the streets with despair,
Caution
Forever
Lagging behind (the horizon)
As we sail from day
Into night's web
Tich with deceit of a tender embrace
And a knife to the heart!
Blurry eyed we strain
Seeing a different reality
Each visions
At odds with the truth
Never again in reach
So obvious to the ones
Less myopic
Each vision
As our minds
Blind to The impending doom
Guided by our misguided way
We plow on
Sight hollowed out
Visions blunted by
Web of deceit
Thick with contempt with most vocal burn blessed
With scorn
Others hope it goes away
and...
Let it happen
Word collide, worlds shatter
Opinions are cheap
Fed by ignorance
And there is the paradox
How do we reach utopia
Our shores of ithaka
If we move in the opposite direction
While trying.
On the shore, of ithaka
song performed by by Quo Vadis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Men On Islands
CAN it be that never more
Men will grow on Islands?
Ithaka and Eriskey,
Iceland and Tahiti!
Must the engines he has forged
Raven so for spaces
That the Islands dwindle down,
Dwindle down!
Pots that shelve the tap-root's growth?
Must it be that never more
Men will flower on Islands?
Crete and Corsica, Mitylene,
Aran and lona!
poem by Padraic Colum
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Sensuous Whisper
Ive seen you, I saw you, I see you
Without little notice, if any at all
Of you knowing me watchin you
You walking, you talking, you smiling
You styling in everything your body wears
And thats not just a point of view
Theyre painting, theyre ranting, theyre raving
About miss lovely got it going on
From head down to her toes
And no one knows better than I know
Cause Ive been listening to the spirit of
Your body, mind and soul
Its a sensuous whisper
That makes my body weak
Its that sensuous whisper
Thats sweeter than the sweetest sweet
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes my psyche say
Ooh we, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Can feel you, can smell you, can taste you
Though my senses never had the pleasure of
That lovely wonderment
But I start to shaking, I shiver, to think that little sparkle in your eye
Means you are giving me some kind of hint
Im ready, Im willing, Im able
In fact those words are at the tip of my tongue
Eagerly waiting for me to say
Then you smile and whisper how are you?
But when I move my lips and try to speak the words just go away
Its a sensuous whisper
That makes my body weak
Its that sensuous whisper
Thats sweeter than the sweetest sweet
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes my psyche say
Ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Its that sensuous whisper thats got me trippin out
Its that sensuous whisper
That I dont wanna do without
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes me want to shout
Ooh we, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
I dont even care how long it takes
As long as I have you lying next to me
Cause to wait forever and a day
Is a small price to pay if its you Im getting
If its you Im getting, Im not quitting
And that is how Im living
Im clinging, not dreaming, but scheming
With my nose against the grind and both my eyes focused upon the prize
I think it, I trust it, I know it
Your love that Ive longed for is gonna be mine
Good things do come in time
Im right on the rythm youre givin
But this is more than giving up some casual mental telepathy
The music, the candles, the champagne and all thats needed
Is one thing to give it authenticity
Its a sensuous whisper
That makes my body weak
Its that sensuous whisper thats sweeter than the sweetest sweet
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes my psyche say
Ooh wee, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Its that sensuous whisper
Thats got me trippin out
Its that sensuous whisper
That I dont wanna do without
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes me want to shout
Ooh we, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Its a sensuous whisper
That makes my body rock
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes me beg baby dont ever stop
Its that sensuous whisper
That always get me hot, baby
Ooh wee, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Its that sensuous whisper
That makes me feel alright
Its that sensuous whisper
That keep me wanting you morning, noon and every single night
Its that sensuous whisper
Dont want you out of my sight, baby
Ooh we, ooh wee, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we, ooh we
Its that sensuous whisper (repeat)
song performed by by Stevie Wonder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Devil In The Wishing Well
I met Jane at the center of the earth
It was dark there was dirt all around
But I gather you can figure that
Jane says Im youre body in the night
And Ill lead you where you might find yourself
Better if you follow
So go right youll be left at a big hotel
Youll meet the devil at the bottom of a whishing well
You know you better give him something
Give him something good
Like everybody else hes misunderstood
Jane says its a long way out
Im gonna make it out
Cause Im about her
Jane says, youre as holy as a ghost
But who loves you the most, if you offer
I might let you carry me
Jane theres nobody here but yourself
In the end its the wealth of your spirit
Now hurry up get on with it
I went left I got right at some big hotel
There was a devil at the bottom of the wishing well
He said you better give me something
Give me something good
Like everybody else Im misunderstood
Jane says its a long way out
Im gonna make it out
Cause Im about
Jane says its a long way out
Im gonna make it out
I took a guess and cut a portion out of my heart
He said thats nowhere close enough but its a dman good start
I wrote the secret that I buried on the wishing well wall
He said Ive seen oneit follows that Ive seen them all
We spoke of human destination in a perfect world
Derived the nature of the universe (found it unfulfilled)
As I took him in my arms he screamed Im not insane
Im just looking for someone to understand my pain..
Its a long way out
Im gonna make it out
song performed by by Five For Fighting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cyclops Rock
I taught you how to cyclops rock
And then you go and turn around and break my heart
And waste my cyclops time and mess up my cyclops mind
Im sick like chuckie was sick, my defeated heart keeps beating on
I wont die, like chuckie wont die, but Im not here to socialize
Gotta find a new place to hang out, because Im tired of living in hell
Im a mess since you cut me out but chuckies arm keeps me company
Im a fright with my tombstone smile
All the children run away from me
Gotta find new friends to hang with because youre all afraid of me
I taught you how to cyclops rock
And then you go and turn around and break my heart
And waste my cyclops time and mess up my cyclops mind
It was sweet like lead paint is sweet but the after effects left me paralyzed
I just stare with my one glass eye hoping you wont be back again
Theres a whole new generation waiting to be wrecked by you
I taught you how to cyclops rock
And then you go and turn around and break my heart
And waste my cyclops time and mess up my cyclops mind
I taught you how to cyclops rock
And then you go and turn around and break my heart
And waste my cyclops time and mess up my cyclops mind
song performed by by They Might Be Giants
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Will Go On
When I have set out on a journey to mysterious;
Pray that the road is long,
Full of adventure,
Full of knowledge;
And the destination a blessed one.
Why wonder?
Where I am going?
When I am going?
How I am going?
With whom I am going?
But, I am going,
And I will continue to go on.
To chart out the uncharted,
To map the unmapped;
To discover the undiscovered,
To like the unliked,
To care the uncared,
And to love the unloved.
Still I care for you,
And I shall meet you,
But not today or tomorrow,
The day when we are destined;
To meet, to share, to enjoy,
And to love each other.
Copyright © 2012 Sanjeev Kumar
poem by Sanjeev Kumar
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Summer Time Blues
Try to add perfumes to your minds to meet me there,
The summer is here and it is with the blues;
You are not alone on this hot summer night.
We havethe natural fragrant to keep us going,
The summer time blues to swing with the muse;
You are not alone without the blues.
Scents for your love,
Mid-Summer-Night blues to your taste;
Enjoy the summer with the safety of numbers.
Summer time blues,
The fragrant of love to keep you going;
Summer, summer, summer time! !
Summer time blues,
The summer of a muse;
Summer time blues,
The summer of a poem;
With relationships that moves you up.
Summer time blues,
With the heat waves to crown the day;
Perfume your body to meet up to the act.
Let us visit Copacabana and Ipanema this summer,
Of the rocky promontory at sight to give you hope;
Like the summer time blues with your lover.
It is summer time,
Visit the beaches to see things for yourselves;
Summer, summer, summer time! !
Meet me there and touch me with your heart.
A summer time love with the blues,
Like the golden grape of my soul;
Summer is the essence of a colourful life.
The sense of reality in times like this,
The heat with love to share with others;
Where the hearts of lovers do meet like,
One's love never touched before.
Summer time blues is all about this muse,
A time of love to share with your lover;
Summer, summer, summer time! !
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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All Of You
(t. renis/j. iglesias/c. weil)
I've never had this feeling before
I've never wanted anyone more
And something in your eyes tells me
You feel the way that i do
(i feel like you do)
If you would like to stay here all night
You know that i would say
It's all right
'though i'm saying yes
I confess
I've got more on my mind
'cause i want more of you
Than your time
All of you, your body and soul
Every kind of love you can express
All the secret dreams you've never told
I want everything
And i'll take nothing less
All of you as long as you live
Everything you've never shared before
I want all of you that you can give
All your joys and all your sorrows
Your todays and your tomorrows
How i long to feel the warmth of your touch
And then if i'm not asking too much
I'd like to spend my life wand'ring through
All the wonders of you
And when we're lying close in the dark
So close i feel each beat of your heart
I want you to reveal what you feel
All you hold deep inside
There is nothing i want you to hide
All of you, your body and soul
Everything you want this love to be
I want all of you
All that you can give
And in return for all your giving
Let me give you all of me
All of you, your body and soul
Every kind of love you can express
All the secret dreams you've never told
I want everything (everything) everything
All of you as long as you live
(as long as you live)
Everything you want this love to be
I want all of you
All that you can give
In return (in return) i wanna give you
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Walking through the garden of life
Walking through the garden of life
We do experience many ups and downs
Sometimes we see beautiful flowers
Sometimes we are in midst of the prickling thorns
Sometimes we are surrounded by the colorful butterflies
Sometimes we are stung by the angry bee
Walking through the garden of life
We do experience many ups and downs
Sometimes we have to walk over the smooth grass
Sometimes we find a slippery path
Sometimes we have to swim across a long river
Sometimes we find a constructed bridge
Walking through the garden of life
We do experience many ups and downs
We don't know what we might find next
But this suspense makes the journey interesting
And at last when we reach the destination
The entire journey becomes memorable
Yes, walking through the garden of life
We do experience many ups and downs
Kavitha
poem by Kavitha Krishnamurthy
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Rondel - II
(from the French of Wenceslas, Duke of Brabant and Luxembourg, who died in 1384.)
Long ago to thee I gave
Body, soul, and all I have---
Nothing in the world I keep:
All that in return I crave
Is that thou accept the slave
Long ago to thee I gave---
Body, soul, and all I have.
Had I more to share or save,
I would give as give the brave,
Stooping not to part the heap;
Long ago to thee I gave
Body, soul, and all I have---
Nothing in the world I keep.
poem by Sir Henry Newbolt
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To My Angela
An angry shout may not be heard, and
Not all good deeds are observed,
Glad is the learned, pure, heart
Ever loved, oft alone, you are
Luminous with life's energy
And part of my soul projects
In you, myself, yourself I respect.
Long days, short years, bitter true
Only one chance to know you, this
Voyage without certain destination
Embarked with unknown duration, for
You I long to know
On terms as friends
Until my journey ends.
30/4/2003-1/5/2003
(An acrostic for my eldest daughter)
poem by Danny Draper
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Peace Of Mind
You know it takes a long, long time
You know it takes a long, long time
You love her so and still you know
That you will never want to let her go
Unless you leave her first
Then you come out on top
But, still theres just one thing
You havent got.
Peace of mind
Like when you treated her kind
Its hard to face that open space.
You know it takes a long, long time
You know it takes a long, long time
When first you gave and shared your soul
Showed her all those things that take their toll
She knows your weak spot
But, she still gets you hot
So you do it again
Reveal what lies within.
And go for peace of mind
Like when you treated her kind
Its hard to face that open space.
Youre lookin for peace of mind
Anywhere you can find
Still searchin for peace of mind.
You know it takes a long, long time
You know it takes a long, long time.
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Art of Fiction
A story without a history
A good without a rule
An emotion without an act
A journey without an end
A world without a border
A love without a doubt
Futuristic SF or pure action
Witty drama or refreshing comedy
Romance story or phenomenal horror
Based on legend or fantasy adventure
Mind thriller or piece of biography
Cult or mainstream
Beloved or mocked
Best seller or unknown title
Copycat or canon
One shot or thousand long chapters
Words or motion
Light content or full of symbol
As long as human have a dream
As long as human could imagine
As long as human want to compete
As long as human need to feel
As long as human still lie
There will always bloom a fiction
poem by Maria Sudibyo
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Thoughts On Love....
the hardest thing we will ever do
is to love. for love undresses the
parts of us with which we're not
so familiar...
there is no grasping in love, no
real or implied ownership. that
which we give in time returns, but
who holds a clock to the tides?
love is itself a journey that often
takes many lifetimes... it is not
an end in itself, love is the journey.
time and experience and often tragedy
ignite the flame... but the fire burns
long and slow.
love is a way of seeing, a depth of seeing,
when the eyes touch and realize. love is
the gift of moments, and only moments are
eternal.
love hears from the heart, spoken and unspoken.
love gives, without thought or guilt.
love is the straw in the nest, the open
mouth fed, and the moment of fear when wings
first stretch in flight.
love is the gift, and the gift is journey...
for it is in the journey that we find our selves!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The long term prisoner
He got a life sentence
been in now thirty years
his once ruddy features
now grey and ashen.
His wife long gone
married his friend
hasn't heard from his
son in years.
Spent a long time
in solitary confinement,
killed another prisoner
forgot what it was about.
His mind full of knowledge
read thousands of books
the complete works of Shakespeare.
Outside he was somebody
now just another number
old before his time.
Told he will never get out
he will die in prison,
but he says he's been dead for years.
The lifer died in his sleep
as he was being buried
another lifer moved into his cell.
poem by Kevin Halls
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Wasted Years
Wasted years been brainwashed by lies
Oh yes I have
Oh wasted years
Im talking about wasted years
Oh Im not seeing eye-to-eye
I just cant see the things I should see
Wasted years, baby
I was taking the wrong advice
I know you was, I know you was
And I was too
All alone Im travelling
Travelling through these wasted years
For so long, so long, so long I was
Oh, I must have gained some wisdom
Down through the years I did
Somewhere along the way
Oh yes, I did, oh yes I did
Thets why there cant be no more
No more
No more wasted years today
I got wise, I got wise to myself
Well baby the great sadness
Oh, youve got to let it all go
Oh yeah, oh yeah van
Live in the present
Live in the future john lee, aint that so
Oh, its a sad feeling, oh yeah
Oh, youve gotta find something
To carry you through, carry you through,
Carry you through
Ive learned my lesson
I aint gonna do it no more, yeah
Now van
Now john
Ive learned my lesson
I should have a long time ago
Thats right
All these wasted years, wasted years
I finally woke up and got wise
I aint gonna be, aint gonna be no fool no more
Now van, now van
Aint gonna be nobodys bodys fool no more
Sing the song van, sing it with me
Well all alone, all alone Ive been travelling
Yeah
Travelling all along through these wasted years
Dark, dark wasted years
So dark here
Dark, dark, dark, dark wasted years
I must have gained something
Yeah
Oh travelling along the lonely way
Yeah, Ive learned a lesson
Im gonna make damn sure baby, make damn sure
Theres no more wasted years today
song performed by by Van Morrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hang In Long Enough
The signs are getting clearer, clearer than you need
The writings on the wall, for you to see
You never thought youd ever get the taste
You never thought that it could be this good
Just tell me what you want and Ill find the key
Reach out and touch its all yours.
If you hang in long enough, youll do it
Just hang in long enough
Youre down on the ground, or so you say
Youd sell the hole in your pocket, if you could find a way
Dont ask me how I know, you dont wanna hear
Its been a long hard road, and the end is getting near.
You never thought youd ever get the chance
You never thought your break would come along
If you tell me what you want, Ill find the key
Just reach out and touch its all yours
If you hang in...
They always say
The best things in life are free
But you want to have everything
Well youre going to have to beg if you want it all.
So hang in long enough, youll do it
Hang in long enough
Theyll let you out, then pull you in
Playing hell with your emotions,
Youll feel like giving in.
So just hang in long enough...
song performed by by Phil Collins
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They Ask Me
they ask me, as they have finally arrived from this long journey
they are resting and sipping tea
their feet on a stool
their fingers with cigarette in between
smoke like memories began to rise on the ceiling
the wood and the walls start to remember
there is this laughter of the intellect
there is this humiliation of base desires
they all meet here but it will not be long
their world is not us and they keep on asking
where are the good men? why have evil triumphed for that long?
they look at me again
quizzical and now seemingly angry: where are the good men?
where did the good seeds go? why do you have all the healthy weeds
in your garden?
i ask them, if they still need more tea.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Poet's Dilemma - III
The poet has a lengthy journey
His destination is set
He has to reach that shining shore
That he can call his own
There will be many obstacles
And pitfalls on the way
But he must never stop or sway
Must never lose his way
And if he weathers all the storms
His arrival will be assured
Then he can bask in all the glory
And all the publicity
But this doesn’t mean his journey’s is over
He still has a long way to go
He must be alert and attentive
And watch-full all the way
Something he must always remember
Is there is plenty in the ether
And if he is always on the alert
He can capture it on his radar
poem by Leonard Daranjo
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Love reunited
A long journey passing in this two love
individual, the essence that has been gone
for a long time to be with someone who
truly love.
The passing time moves in a different way,
the long rocky road, the wave of every journey
the process of learning of things happening around
control and uncontrol by itself. the distance,
the substance, the destiny belong by its journey
that they travel, a long experience to
determine the genuine feeling to someone
that never been change, that never been forgotten,
that never been lost in every step of the way
turning and circling of time.
Every journey it takes that gives meaning
to grow, to become, to recognize the details,
to value the implication of things in the past,
the present and in the future ahead of life.
'Till we meet again, to start a new, to live with you
in a satisfying love and meaning of a good life.
I will embrace the beauty of this journey
of a TRUE LOVE.
Copyright (c) Jocelyn Dunbar
7th of June 2009
1: 34 P.M.
poem by Jocelyn Dunbar
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