Julian and the Antiochians
Neither the letter C, they say, nor the
letter K had ever harmed the city.... We,
finding interpreters... learned that these
are the initial letters of names, the first
of Christ and the second of Konstantios.
Julian, Misopogon (The Beard-Hater)
Was it conceivable that they would ever give up
their beautiful way of life, the range
of their daily pleasures, their brilliant theatre
which consummated a union between Art
and the erotic proclivities of the flesh?
Immoral to a degree—and probably more than a degree—
they certainly were. But they had the satisfaction that their life
was the notorious life of Antioch,
delectably sensual, in absolute good taste.
To give up all this, indeed, for what?
His hot air about the false gods,
his boring self-advertisement,
his childish fear of the theatre,
his graceless prudery, his ridiculous beard.
O certainly they preferred C,
certainly they preferred K—a hundred times over.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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Related quotes
A heart-throb and the go-between
The old man dropped his precious letter
into the isolated letter box
where it stands in the gravel road.
The notorious postman who tampers letters
comes very seldom to collect.
He found only one letter in the box
but no addressee and stamps too.
He opened the letter and read loudly.
' I am an old godforsaken man
but still not senile; good for nothing my dear.
This could be a giveaway for you.
If you read this I am sure you may excuse me.
Do you know about spiritual love?
Sometimes this letter will annoy you my sweetheart!
Take it easy honey as I am a dreamer.
I am lonely and frustrated
and I need someone with a goodwill
who comes and stay with me forever.
I'll offer you my old hammock
and I know thousands of stories
which I can read for you on full moon days
until you sleep quietly my darling.
dedication to the letter box at ' home for the elders'
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga
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So?
Life is beautiful
Life is not boring
Which makes it not beautiful life
Which makes life boring
and something annoying is the human
While I would...
Life is beautiful
Life is not boring
Then I had to find a good man
While the good man is hard to find
So?
Please give me advice...
Copyright © 2012
Imenos
'... to be cherished even more
s a sensual pleasure achieved morbidly, corruptingly-
it rarely finds the body able to feel what it requires-
that morbidly, corruptingly, creates
an erotic intensity which health cannot know ....'
Extract from a letter
written by young Imenos (from a patrician family)
notorious in Syracuse for his debauchery
in the debauched times of Michael the Third.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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Degree In Life
There are some people
both old and young.
They’ve done something once
and the next minute they know all about it.
They say they have degrees in this and that.
In the biggest degree of them all
they have all fallen flat.
With the degree of life,
you first have to live it,
before you can get awarded that.
You have to suffer all
the indignations and pains
that there are there,
all the joys and the happiness,
triumphs can share.
You have to look into
the darkest soul
and know what goes on in there.
As for those who say they know it all,
those are the ones who have just stopped wetting the bed.
You’ll never have that degree
until you start living
and stop saying the world loves me.
Some say I’ve taken drugs.
What the hell has that got to do with it.
It only goes to show one thing,
how weak minded you are.
It isn’t a mark on the degree of life.
A degree of life measures
how strong you are in mind
and not how many
hallucinations you’ve had in your head.
14 December 2007
poem by David Harris
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Theatre is expensive to go to. I certainly felt when I was growing up that theatre wasn't for us. Theatre still has that stigma to it. A lot of people feel intimidated and underrepresented in theatre.
quote by Christopher Eccleston
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sonnet XXIII
Is it indeed so ? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine ?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-damps falling round my head ?
I marvelled, my Beloved, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine--
But . . . so much to thee ? Can I pour thy wine
While my hands tremble ? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love ! look on me--breathe on me !
As brighter ladies do not count it strange,
For love, to give up acres and degree,
I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange
My near sweet view of Heaven, for earth with thee !
poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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Sonnet XXIII: Is It Indeed So?
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-damps falling round my head?
I marvelled, my Belovèd, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine--
But...so much to thee? Can I pour your wine
While my hands tremble? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love! Look on me--breathe on me!
As brighter ladies do not count it strange,
For love, to give up acres and degree,
I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange
My near sweet view of Heaven, for earth with thee!
poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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Xxiii
Is it indeed so ? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine ?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-damps falling round my head ?
I marvelled, my Beloved, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine--
But . . . so much to thee ? Can I pour thy wine
While my hands tremble ? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love ! look on me--breathe on me !
As brighter ladies do not count it strange,
For love, to give up acres and degree,
I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange
My near sweet view of Heaven, for earth with thee !
poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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A Love Letter
A love letter from me,
To you;
To say something important.
A love letter from me,
To tell a love story,
About you and me.
A love letter about friendship,
To strengthen our relationship,
And express our special feelship.
A love letter about love,
Love of life partnership,
Love of life friendship.
A love letter from you,
To say that;
You always miss me.
A love letter from you,
To tell that;
You always think of me.
A love letter written
For You, my love,
On this day.
A love letter written,
Sealed With kisses, and
Hug and Smile.
A love letter sends
By hand and
with much Heartfelt.
A love letter to
Say “I love You”;
Say “ I Miss you”;
Say “I think of you”.
A Love letter seals,
With a lot of love, and
Heartfelt.
A love letter written,
About love poem written,
In Remembrance of our sweet memory.
© Lawrence Hiung, January 2012.
poem by Lawrence Hiung
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This Gift You Have Given Me
Aaaaah
Mama...my first words
Dada threw me in the air
I trusted he'll catch me
And he did
But Papa...I've never met him
Never seen him, never known him
He used bare hands to form my porcelain skin
And ingenuity to craft my genius mind
The breathed in me for so long
Then dropped precious stones in me
To help beautify the ailing earth
He hugged me and prayed I'd remember him
I didn't...Papa...
He wrote a big book of letters I found boring
But used as a bed time story
And learned that Papa's this mighty guy
Papa...
Heard he loves me crazy, unconditionally
And wants me to love others the same
But the world knows not love that's pure and bursts
But I don't know how to...love
I long for him, I leave him alone a lot
But the yearning cannot be feigned
Papa...
The best things in life are free
People say free things have no value
But your life, your sanity
Your children, your family
Your health, your mind,
Your peace, your joy
Your love, Papa's love
Compare with the things we put value on:
My flat screen, my Range
My ipad, my Gucci.
My jewelry, my clothing
My degree, my duplex.
Now you, I, we are more beautiful
Than the most perfect rose or
Most beautiful egoistic peacock
He dropped many treasures in me
I've danced, I've sang, I've led
And now I'm writing to you
This gift I've been given...
This gift we've been given...
Let's change the world...
By first finding Papa.
poem by Jenim Dibie
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Sonnet 23 - Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead
XXIII
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-damps falling round my head?
I marvelled, my Beloved, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine—
But . . . so much to thee? Can I pour thy wine
While my hands tremble ? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love! look on me—breathe on me!
As brighter ladies do not count it strange,
For love, to give up acres and degree,
I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange
My near sweet view of Heaven, for earth with thee!
poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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0099 The Reading
The EX IT sign in the Town Hall Theatre
was lit by gas. A smell you never quite forget.
It serves to pin the memories of those other times.
The sister of the junior mistress at the local school
was here to give her reading: 'Scenes from Shakespeare';
whole scenes and all the characters.
Imagine.
But she had a very special voice.
Oh who can know
the where and when
that life may give its life to life
and give it full, and give it whole?
And who may know
how many years
before the fruits
burst in the soul?
Or what the lights
and where the sounds
and what they speak,
and where the whole?
The performance ended.
As the lights came on,
the audience were still for - seconds? -
as if they had forgotten they were not already at home;
then walked out into
the rainy darkness of the seaside town,
past the gaslit EXIT sign;
the sea a distant seethe and roar
and some were changed for life.
So, poetry.
.
poem by Michael Shepherd
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I've done a lot of costume drama and theatre - the National Theatre and In fact, most of my work at the theatre, at the National Theatre anyway, was period.
quote by Brenda Blethyn
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sophist Leaving Syria
Eminent sophist, now that you are leaving Syria
with plans to write a book about Antioch,
it's worth your mentioning Mevis in your work—
the famous Mevis, unquestionably
the best looking, the most adored young man
in all Antioch. No one of the others
living his kind of life, no one of them gets paid
what he gets paid. To have Mevis
just for two or three days, they often give
as much as a hundred staters. I said in Antioch;
but in Alexandria as well, in fact in Rome even,
you can't find a young man as attractive as Mevis.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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The Key
There comes a time in one's life,
When silence becomes the preferred company.
Joined by a peace of mind invited.
Providing what has been needed,
To have gone unrecognized as if in disguise...
Fo so long.
Feeling whole and complete...
Is the key that unlocks a happiness released.
And to feel whole AND complete...
Can not be replaced by 'things' one seeks.
With a doing of what one pleases,
Feels so good.
It is nice in one's life,
When silence becomes invited.
And stays as one's preferred company.
With a peace that can not be described.
To slice with a taste of it day and night,
Feels so good.
'Excuse me.
It is time for my slice of peace.
And I can't afford to miss it.'
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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In Christ Is Life
We have peace and God’s presence, wherever The Good Lord sends us,
Even when no peace can be found, Christ sets our feet on stable ground.
God gives our feet a steadiness, through The Lord’s own Righteousness,
The Righteousness of Jesus Christ; this through His Spirit and New Life.
The Lord, who sets us on our course, will be for us, God’s faithful source,
Of His Peace and Light along the way, even in through life’s darkest day.
God’s Peace shall comfort any heart, which trusts in Christ from the start,
Anyone who calls upon Jesus Christ, to lead them through their daily life.
Daily Christ Jesus can give to you, the Grace of God to see you through,
He’ll see you through each day and hour, with His Grace and His Power.
My Friend, even in the darkest night, Christ will guide you with His Light,
In this world The Lord Jesus Christ, is for all men today, The Light of life.
Christ can guide all men my friend, from their beginning to the very end,
The Lord can guide both you and me, from earth’s beginning to Eternity.
And God above can guide everyone, through Jesus Christ His Only Son,
For His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, is the very Author of every life.
Jesus Christ is Creator and He’s God, of the very earth that all men trod,
God who placed you upon this earth, in Christ can give you a New Birth,
To be born again and live forevermore, with our God and Christ our Lord.
Today come to God through Jesus Christ, and you will have Eternal Life.
(Copyright ©01/2007)
A Big Question To Ponder!
Aim of all in the world is to win in all matters!
Is it enough if you succeed in getting a degree?
Is it enough if you work till retirement in the job?
Is it enough if you live long from birth to death?
What is the use of degree if you don’t get true knowledge?
What is the use of job if you don’t achieve anything?
What is the use of life if you don’t achieve satisfaction?
Sans knowledge, achievement and satisfaction life is vain!
Why are we caught between pleasure and pain to live so long?
What is the purpose of our creation in the world in particular?
This is the big question everyone has to ponder sooner or later;
There lies answer for all other questions to get truth to glory!
Don’t we feel it is a great waste of time not to have done so?
So, where does lie the mistake in the system we all operate so?
poem by Ramesh T A
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Good Life
The good life, 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go
2 the place in everyones future, the good life - 1 day well know
(good life)
Everyday after school, u know where 2 find this brother
Uptown at every movie show, outta my life 2 another
That was the only thing that I wanted 2 do, that was my drug of choice
Left all the funny smellin cigarettes 2 the american boys
La dolce vita was the knob that turned me on
Marcello mastroianni italian mac comin on strong
He had all the honies, the kind from the magazines
Small waist, big - right!... biggest ones uve ever seen
The good life (good life), 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go
2 the place in everyones future, the good life - 1 day well know
1 day well know
(good life)
(good life)
Mama worked all night, went 2 school by day
Wanted 2 get her master degree so she could make a better way
Set examples 4 her babies that well never forget
Thats where I guess my spirit comes from, eternally never met
Oh, the good life (good life), 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin (ooh, good life)
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go
2 the place in everyones future, (the good life)
The good life - 1 day well know
(good life)
Good life
Good life
Good life (good life)
Hey, hey, hey!
Peace 2 the mother that knows
That the babies are the key 2 the world, key 2 the world
The battles of the future will be won
By those who teach those baby boys and girls
This is our plea 2 the brothers
Who are tired of the barely gettin by, instead u should try
2 see your future map out your steps
And make sure no 1 dies
The good life (good), 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin
(1 drop of blood aint worth forsaking your dreams)
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go
(music, sports, fashion, whatever)
2 the place in everyones future, the good life - 1 day well know
(consolidate, think ahead, and cream, cream)
The good life (good life), 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin (hey yeah, good life)
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go (good life, oh)
2 the place in everyones future, the good life - 1 day well know
New power generation (good life)
Tryin 2 lead the good life (1 day well know)
Oh yeah, oh lord
Good life (good life)
The good life
Good life (good life)
The good life (good life)
Good life (good life), 1 day thats what Ill be livin
Fantasy never hurt nobody, whatever chills the illin
When the everyday gets on your last 1, give it up and go
2 the place in everyones future, the good life - 1 day well know
(good life)
Good life {x4}
Good life (good life)
Good life (good life)
The good life (good life) {x3}
1 day well know!
song performed by by Prince
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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For the rulers to note
Peace is preferred to liberty.
Safety is preferred to prosperity.
Justice is preferred to charity.
The rulers must know these.
12.08.2009
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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The truth of the matter is I stayed in L.A. raising my children, and when they went to college, I packed my bags along with them and came to New York and looked for parts in the theatre, because that's always what I preferred doing.
quote by Andrea Martin
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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