Sonnet: The World Forgets the Truly Great
Who says, ‘night is to sleep, day is for work’?
To some, there is no night or day at all;
They labor unceasingly, they nev’r shirk;
And become heroes of the fame-hall.
How persons some have sacrificed their lives,
For mankind’s sake and nation’s cause and peace!
Their work-spot and house turn to be like hives;
They slogged to put other people at ease.
Yet, does the world care for these noble souls?
Not in a big way, most times it forgets!
Their demise leaves unpluggable voids/holes;
To these great men, the world remains in debts.
Who cares about the stars when dawned has day?
Who cares about the stars tho’ night, let’s say?
9-1-2002
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Scientists
Since when a child, they toiled so hard,
In umptine fields, really starred;
Their lives passed off through night and day’
Hoping success in morrow’s way.
They spent their hours, days, weeks and years,
Struggled, becoming almost seers!
Musing sometimes in fantasy,
Alone in labs of secrecy;
Nation knew not their enterprise;
Their life was one great sacrifice;
They cared not for any glory;
For most, it was a sad story!
Working hard was their only aim,
Until their brains quite old became;
For years, their eyes ad missed the Sun!
Their kith and kin and all the fun;
Their rods and cones, sullen became,
Reading all life, though missing fame;
Unmindful of the raging wars,
The Wind and Rain, the Moon and Stars;
They slogged for more than money’s worth;
Their Nation’s need, their only oath!
Struggling to solve problems many,
Their work was Life and not funny;
While the world slept, awake they kept,
In sorrows, joys, they never wept;
They were their Nation’s real gems!
That grew like flowers atop stems;
The Sun never set in their lives;
Heroes yet, were treated like flies!
Uncaring for any returns;
Their fuels spent, were ashed in urns;
The Nation paid homage to some,
With Awards posthumous, handsome;
The rest remained like Stars unseen,
Perhaps, heaven will give them sheen!
poem by John Celes
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Let The Night Sleep
Let the night sleep
Sleep for ever deep
With the night I sleep
Beyond the world to peep
Universe will sleep
Plants and trees
Birds and bees
Stars and moon
To sleep very soon!
Fruits and flowers
Joy with showers
Will sleep with me and the night
Not to keep the life very tight!
No dawn of the day
Right upto the dooms day!
Sleep permanent
In the world impermanent
I'll sleep without light
My agonies will sleep
My worries will sleep
My pains will sleep
My sins will sleep!
While in sleep
I am pure
I am peace
I am noble!
While my body is asleep
Awake my soul I keep
Sleep akin to death
Death akin to sleep in mirth?
Let the night sleep
Sleep for ever deep
With night I sleep
Sleep to eternity
Soul to merge in Divinity!
poem by Subbaraman N V
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Work, Sleep, Work, Sleep, Work
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work:
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work, sleep, work, sleep,
Work.
Oh free me please with gentle ease
From work, sleep, work, sleep, work!
This odium, pounding tedium
Of my work, sleep, work, sleep, work.
Just whisk me off to lands afar
From work, sleep, work, sleep, work -
That grinding train of rhythmic pain
Called ‘Work, sleep, work, sleep, work.’
Poor neural circuits fizzle and pop
In work, sleep, work, sleep, work,
In trying to make some sense of all this
Work, sleep, work, sleep, work.
But Hark! I see a golden gleam -
A saving spirit of hope:
‘You’re fired! ’ He screams. What news to bear,
This wondrous hangman’s rope!
So now I’m free, released from all this
Work, sleep, work, sleep, work -
Eternal peace and rest for me, no
Work, sleep, work, sleep, work.
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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Seen in a Glass
Behind the tree, behind the house, behind the stars
In the presence that I cannot see
Otherwise than as house and stars and tree.
Tree, house and stars
Extend to infinity within themselves
Into the mystery of the world
Where whirl the wheels of power whose pulse beat
Out of nothing, out of night,
Leaves, stones and fires,
The living tree whose maypole dance
Of chromosome and nucleus
Traces the maze of boughs and leaves.
The standing house of stone that poured
In molten torrent when was hurled
Out of chaos this great world,
And suns whose kindling begins anew
Or ends the course that tree, house, world move through.
Upheld by being that I cannot know
In other form than stars and stones and trees
Assume in nature’s glass, in nature’s eyes.
poem by Kathleen Jessie Raine
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Night-Night (Children)
Night-night moon
Night-night stars
Night-night noisy
trucks and cars.
Night-night sand box
Night-night toys
Night-night other
girls and boys.
Night-night mom
Night-night dad
Night-night Boogie Man
who's not bad.
It's time to go to sleep now,
most all my night nights said.
Night-night blankie
Night-night bed.
So Much To Do
The face of the world is a homely face,
And the look of the world unkind,
When harsh on your arm a hand it lays
And bids you into the grind,
That 's little to your mind, my dear,
That 's little to your mind.
But it 's work that counts in the world, you see;
Not what we dream, but do:
For the dreamer of dreams, whatever he be,
If he 'd have his dreams come true,
Must be a workman, too, my dear,
Must be a workman, too.
So much to do; so much to know;
So much that life would shirk!
But each is one of a hive below,
The world's great Hive of Irk,
Where each must do his work, my dear,
Each one must do his work.
A song, a look, a word of cheer,
Will help more than a sigh!
For this is the law of the hive, my dear,
That every bee must try, my dear,
And all the drones must die, my dear,
That all the drones must die.
Oft-times it seems that the end is far,
And the work we do, in vain;
That night will never reveal a star,
And day bring only rain,
To trouble our hearts again, my dear,
To trouble our hearts again.
But ever the stars are shining there
With ever the old regard;
And be it foul, or be it fair,
However long debarred,
All work has its reward, my dear,
All work has its reward.
Could summer come without the rose?
Or morn without the sun?
And thus shall toil bring soul's repose
To each and every one,
Whose work at last is done, my dear,
Whose work at last is done.
For the face of the world is a homely face,
But the look in its eyes is kind
To him who sets his heart's brisk pace
To the work he has in mind,
And turns not with the wind, my dear,
And turns not with the wind.
poem by Madison Julius Cawein
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Night And peace
NIGHT in the woods,—night:
Peace, peace on the plain.
The last red sunset beam
Belts the tall beech with gold;
The quiet kine are in the fold,
And stilly flows the stream.
Soon shall we see the stars again,
For one more day down to its rest has lain,
And all its cares have taken flight,
And all its doubt and pain.
Night in the woods,—night:
Peace, peace on the plain.
poem by Edward Rowland Sill
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The Man And The Echo
Man
IN a cleft that's christened Alt
Under broken stone I halt
At the bottom of a pit
That broad noon has never lit,
And shout a secret to the stone.
All that I have said and done,
Now that I am old and ill,
Turns into a question till
I lie awake night after night
And never get the answers right.
Did that play of mine send out
Certain men the English shot?
Did words of mine put too great strain
On that woman's reeling brain?
Could my spoken words have checked
That whereby a house lay wrecked?
And all seems evil until I
Sleepless would lie down and die.
Echo
Lie down and die.
Man
That were to shirk
The spiritual intellect's great work,
And shirk it in vain. There is no release
In a bodkin or disease,
Nor can there be work so great
As that which cleans man's dirty slate.
While man can still his body keep
Wine or love drug him to sleep,
Waking he thanks the Lord that he
Has body and its stupidity,
But body gone he sleeps no more,
And till his intellect grows sure
That all's arranged in one clear view,
pursues the thoughts that I pursue,
Then stands in judgment on his soul,
And, all work done, dismisses all
Out of intellect and sight
And sinks at last into the night.
Echo
Into the night.
Man
O Rocky Voice,
Shall we in that great night rejoice?
What do we know but that we face
One another in this place?
But hush, for I have lost the theme,
Its joy or night-seem but a dream;
Up there some hawk or owl has struck,
Dropping out of sky or rock,
A stricken rabbit is crying out,
And its cry distracts my thought.
poem by William Butler Yeats
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Man And The Echo
Man. In a cleft that's christened Alt
Under broken stone I halt
At the bottom of a pit
That broad noon has never lit,
And shout a secret to the stone.
All that I have said and done,
Now that I am old and ill,
Turns into a question till
I lie awake night after night
And never get the answers right.
Did that play of mine send out
Certain men the English shot?
Did words of mine put too great strain
On that woman's reeling brain?
Could my spoken words have checked
That whereby a house lay wrecked?
And all seems evil until I
Sleepless would lie down and die.
Echo. Lie down and die.
Man. That were to shirk
The spiritual intellect's great work,
And shirk it in vain. There is no release
In a bodkin or disease,
Nor can there be work so great
As that which cleans man's dirty slate.
While man can still his body keep
Wine or love drug him to sleep,
Waking he thanks the Lord that he
Has body and its stupidity,
But body gone he sleeps no more,
And till his intellect grows sure
That all's arranged in one clear view,
pursues the thoughts that I pursue,
Then stands in judgment on his soul,
And, all work done, dismisses all
Out of intellect and sight
And sinks at last into the night.
Echo. Into the night.
Man. O Rocky Voice,
Shall we in that great night rejoice?
What do we know but that we face
One another in this place?
But hush, for I have lost the theme,
Its joy or night-seem but a dream;
Up there some hawk or owl has struck,
Dropping out of sky or rock,
A stricken rabbit is crying out,
And its cry distracts my thought.
poem by William Butler Yeats
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Falling Through Time
I can't answer the questions you ask me,
I don't know what to say.
The answers are somewhere lost in the stars
when the night has turned to day.
But I know if the silence of night could be here,
It would drift through my soul and calm all my fear
And I could reach out and draw you so near to me
Touch me and warm me and I will lie still.
And all that you ask me to give you I will
One living moment we'll have for our own.
A brief flash of time that we spent unalone.
But you ask me for nothing and give what you can
And we're wrapped in a pillow of sleep once again
And my memory drifts through the universe when we are one
Closely we're falling through time
And the earth will turn in the silence of space,
always in motion yet always in place
And all things will change yet remain what they are.
And far will be near and near will be far
And the ages will darken and blend into time
And all that is poetry will no longer rhyme
But our moment together is forever sublime
For the time has arrived when we must understand
That we're lost in a void on this sad speck of sand
And nobody knows where we are, no one cares
And the tears that we shed in the dark no one cares
And the madmen who plunder this world for their fame
Have forgotten that no one remembers their name
But time and the universe are always the same
Closely we're falling through time
song performed by by Don McLean
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Some Men
Lyrics & music: daryl hall
Some men call half way around the world if theyve got a phone game to play
Then again some men call their mom every day
Old boys drink bad beer and throw the cans out in the street
Playboys sit and sip red wine, some drink malt whiskey neat
So if you can, you talk about some men
If you can, you can talk about some men
Baby if you can, you can talk about some men
If you can, you can talk about some men
Colonels collect animal heads and hang their guns up on the wall
Corn balls watch television then pull a gun out in the hall
Crew-cut rainbows hang on streets hoping theyll find a friend
Odd balls running fast enough hope that they wont find their end
So if you can, you can talk about some men
Baby if you can, you can talk about some men
Sleep all night work all day
Work all night sleep all day
Drink all night sick all day
Sick all night drink all day
Dream all night if you can
We aint soldiers so dont generalize
No categories because it takes all kinds
You can sleep all night you can work all day
You can trip all night peak all day
If you can, you can talk about some men
song performed by by Hall & Oates
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Veneta Marina
The masts rise white to the stars,
White on the night of the sky,
Out of the water's night,
And the stars lean down to them white.
Ah! how the stars seem nigh;
How far away are the stars!
And I too under the stars,
Alone with the night again,
And the water's monotone;
I and the night alone,
And the world and the ways of men
Farther from me than the stars.
poem by Arthur Symons
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The Night Cometh
Work! for the night is coming;
Work! through the morning hours;
Work! while the dew is sparkling;
Work! 'mid the springing flowers;
Work! while the day grows brighter,
Under the glowing sun;
Work! for the night is coming,--
Night, when man's work is done.
Work! for the night is coming;
Work! through the sunny noon;
Fill the bright hours with labour,
Rest cometh sure and soon.
Give to each flying minute
Something to keep in store;
Work! for the night is coming,--
Night, when man works no more.
Work! for the night is coming;
Under the sunset skies,
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work! for the daylight flies;
Work! till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work! while the night is darkening,--
Night, when man's work is o'er.
poem by Annie Louisa Walker
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Stars In The Night
Look, look at the stars
How brilliant they are
How can they be shining now?
When hope is so far
Look, look how they shine
These cruelest of stars
What fire inspires them,
What faith is it fires them?
Darkness grows,the world turns cold
And still, there glows the light
Heaven knows what hope they hold tonight
Look,look how they shine
These stars in the night
The darker the night becomes
The brighter their light becomes
Chill winds wail
The tempest blues
and clouds asail the sky
Through the veil,
The stars refuse to die
In this world of darkest night
Where hope is hurled away
There they are
And still, there's light
Oh,so far, but will they
There they lift our hearts
As we lift our eyes
Are we fools to see
The harmony that fills the sky
Look,there's the light
Stars In The Night
The Stars In The Night
song performed by by Barry Manilow
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Where Does The World Go To Hide
Said the world to the sun, I must turn away,
cause my face is so ugly, I feel so ashamed
Tell me where does the world go to hide?
All the people down here, they fight everywhere
They destroy and they poison
They dont even care
So where does the world go to hide?
Nobody cares what will happen to me
And nobody cares if I cry
There must be a reason to carry on
But the pain is so bad I could die
Said the sun to the people, now who is to blame?
But like scared little children they all ran away
But where can the world go to hide?
Tell me where can the world go to hide?
song performed by by Utopia
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Up On The Roof
When this old world starts a getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof its peaceful as can be
And there the world below dont bother me
Oh no
So when I come home feeling tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet
And get far away from the hustling crowd
And all that rat race noise down in the street
On the roof thats the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Lets go up on the roof
At night the stars they put on a show for free
Yes they do
And darling you can share it all with me
Thats what I said I keep on telling you
That right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a paradise thats trouble free
And if this old world stars getting you down
Theres room enough for two up on the roof
At night the stars they put on a show for free yeah
And darling you can share it all with me
Thats what I said I keep on telling you
That right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a paradise thats trouble free
If this old world stars getting you down
Theres room enough for two up on the roof
Up on the roof oh yeah
Up on the roof
song performed by by Indigo Girls
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lap Of Luxury
I work all day and I work all night 4x
I work all day and I work all night
I work so my wife and kids will have a pleasant life
I work as many jobs as I can
Im proud to work I guess Im just a working man
-who am I to complain
I live in the lap of luxury
I got a car and a big tv thats so fine
I go to the pictures when I can
-the pictures take me to far-away lands
-almost makes me forget who I am
Sometimes at work Ive a fantasy
That Im a man who livesa life of mystery
(but) then the whistle brings me to
I cant forget why Im here, Ive got a job to do
-responsibility- is much more important to a man like me
I work all day and I work all night
I work all day and I work all night - etc. etc.
Guitar solo
I got a job at the factory
But I dont mind cause I know that the job is right for me
I dont complain Im satisfied
And I dont care to rub elbows with the wealthy
Theyve got their problems too, I dont envy them a bit dont ya know
Im doin what I want and it aint so bas
Ive got everything that a man could have
(Im) living in the lap of luxury - living in the lap of luxury
Work all day and I work all night
I work all day and I work all night etc. etc.
song performed by by Oingo Boingo
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Night In Tunisia
The moon is the same moon above you
Aglow with its cool evening light
But shining at night, in tunisia
Never does it shine so bright
The stars are aglow in the heavens
But only the wise understand
That shining at night in tunisia
They guide you through the desert sand
Words fail, to tell a tale
Too exotic to be told
Each nights a deeper night
In a world, ages old
The cares of the day seem to vanish
The ending of day brings release
Each wonderful night in tunisia
Where the nights are filled with peace
(bridge)
(scat)
{repeat all twice}
(scat)
Each wonderful night in tunisia
song performed by by Ella Fitzgerald
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Silent Night Medley
O holy night the stars are brightly shining
This is the night of our dear saviors birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appeared and his soul felt its worth
At thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels voices
O night divine
O night when christ was born
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels voices
O night divine
O night when christ was born
O come o ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye o come ye to bethlehem
Come and behold him, born the king of angels
O come let us adore him
O come let us adore him
O come let us adore him christ the lord.
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels voices
O night divine
O night when christ was born
Oh night divine o night o holy
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Woah
Oh holy night
When jesus was born
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Look at those stars in the sky
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Jesus was born tonight
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
Oh holy night
song performed by by Hanson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sonnet: The World’s Unfortunate
Who cares about the flowers in the wild,
That Nature brings forth, perfuming landscape?
Who cares about the orphaned and street-child,
That world won’t free nor help to just escape?
Who cares about the innocent blood spilled
By terrorist-attacks and accidents?
Who cares about the men on frontier killed,
By land-mines, blasts, mortar sounds that air rent?
Who cares about the beggar/prostitute,
Who has no other way of livelihood?
Who cares about the old-aged, destitute?
Who are dependent on others for food!
Who cares about the men unfortunate?
’Tis God who can their hardships mitigate!
6-7-2002 by Dr John Celes
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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