Ortygia
IN Ortygia the Dawn land the old gods dwell,
And the silver’s yet a-quiver on the old wizard well
By the milk-white walls of the Temple of the Moon,
Where the Dawn Maids hallow the red gods’ tune,
And old grey Time is a nine-year child,
Back between the rivers ere man was ever ’guiled,
Or the knelling ‘Never, never!’ by the cherubim was rung.
It was there, there, there, in Ortygia the young,—
It was there, there, there, in the meadows of the sky
That first we went a-summering, my love of loves and I.
And well I wot the pleasaunce for them that thither go
Is litten with the beacons that the Dawn Maids know,
With their vigil at end in the Temple of the Moon,
And their prayer all prayer for the waked world’s boon.
The words they speak in that land are new as the dawn;
The rills that run in that land are diamond, drawn
From the old wizard well where the red gods croon.
And walk you in Ortygia or late or soon,
It is but lovers only that ever you will see;
For every silver wood-king’s a trysting tree,
And the dream-flowers are keeping their first high May
For the glad and the glamoured who walk yon way;
And to the summit etherous the track you cannot miss,
Though the hills are dim and sheeny with the rainbow’s kiss.
O, we walked the road of iris, my love of loves and I
In Ortygia the young with the red gods by!
poem by Jessie Mackay
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Related quotes
The Last Ode
Nov. 27, 8 B.C. Horace, BK. V. Ode 31
As watchers couched beneath a Bantine oak,
Hearing the dawn-wind stir,
Know that the present strength of night is broke
Though no dawn threaten her
Till dawn's appointed hour--so Virgil died,
Aware of change at hand, and prophesied
Change upon all the Eternal Gods had made
And on the Gods alike--
Fated as dawn but, as the dawn, delayed
Till the just hour should strike--
A Star new-risen above the living and dead;
And the lost shades that were our loves restored
As lovers, and for ever. So he said;
Having received the word...
Maecenas waits me on the Esquiline:
Thither to-night go I....
And shall this dawn restore us, Virgil mine
To dawn? Beneath what sky?
poem by Rudyard Kipling
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The Rainbow
Watch the white dawn gleam,
To the thunder of hidden guns.
I hear the hot shells scream
Through skies as sweet as a dream
Where the silver dawn-break runs.
And stabbing of light
Scorches the virginal white.
But I feel in my being the old, high, sanctified thrill,
And I thank the gods that the dawn is beautiful still.
From death that hurtles by
I crouch in the trench day-long,
But up to a cloudless sky
From the ground where our dead men lie
A brown lark soars in song.
Through the tortured air,
Rent by the shrapnel's flare,
Over the troubleless dead he carols his fill,
And I thank the gods that the birds are beautiful still.
Where the parapet is low
And level with the eye
Poppies and cornflowers glow
And the corn sways to and fro
In a pattern against the sky.
The gold stalks hide
Bodies of men who died
Charging at dawn through the dew to be killed or to kill.
I thank the gods that the flowers are beautiful still.
When night falls dark we creep
In silence to our dead.
We dig a few feet deep
And leave them there to sleep -
But blood at night is red,
Yea, even at night,
And a dead man's face is white.
And I dry my hands, that are also trained to kill,
And I look at the stars - for the stars are beautiful still.
poem by Leslie Coulson
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Gods
The ivory gods,
And the ebony gods,
And the gods of diamond and jade,
Sit silently on their temple shelves
While the people
Are afraid.
Yet the ivory gods,
And the ebony gods,
And the gods of diamond-jade,
Are only silly puppet gods
That the people themselves
Have made.
poem by Langston Hughes
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Lover's Gifts XIII: Last Night in the Garden
Last night in the garden I offered you my youth's foaming wine. You
lifted the cup to your lips, you shut your eyes and smiled while
I raised your veil, unbound your tresses, drawing down upon my
breast your face sweet with its silence, last night when the moon's
dream overflowed the world of slumber.
To-day in the dew-cooled calm of the dawn you are walking to
God's temple, bathed and robed in white, with a basketful of
flowers in your hand. I stand aside in the shade under the tree,
with my head bent, in the calm of the dawn by the lonely road to
the temple.
poem by Rabindranath Tagore
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Ionic
That we've broken their statues,
that we've driven them out of their temples,
doesn't mean at all that the gods are dead.
O land of Ionia, they're still in love with you,
their souls still keep your memory.
When an August dawn wakes over you,
your atmosphere is potent with their life,
and sometimes a young ethereal figure
indistinct, in rapid flight,
wings across your hills.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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Ionic
That we've broken their statues,
that we've driven them out of their temples,
doesn't mean at all that the gods are dead.
O land of Ionia, they're still in love with you,
their souls still keep your memory.
When an August dawn wakes over you,
your atmosphere is potent with their life,
and sometimes a young ethereal figure
indistinct, in rapid flight,
wings across your hills.
poem by Gaius Valerius Catullus
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A brief tribute to George Seferis, poet
When the gods allot
a time, a place, to those so mortal
mortals whom they love to test,
is it a greater gift they give to poets,
to live in a land of honeybees
and sun and sea and heroes sung, a land
assured, content, of gods and marble,
temples, amphitheatres, history,
or in that land in times of tragedy,
starvation, misery, division,
internal war and conquered servitude?
Ultimate, the irony – how can the gods
think up such things? – to be
ambassador, to represent a land
from which to have been exiled half a life;
exiled from within and exiled from without.
The love the gods bestow (the Chorus cries)
is terrifying; strange; to be hard learned.
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Gods
Gods of the white man,
Gods of the black man,
Gods of the almond shade
all of these Gods
have done one thing,
made the people afraid.
Gods of the red man,
Gods of the brown man
Gods of the yellow hue,
all of these Gods
have done the same
divided them into
Separate people
who've been led to believe
their God is the holy one
to save their souls
and pardon them
and deliver them
from earthly sin.
How can there be
so many Gods?
Isn't there only one?
One for every single soul
born unto this earth.
He's every color that there is
since the world's begun.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Gods Coloring Book
Today as I was walking
In the fields just down the way
I sat down on a fallen log
To pass the time away
And as I looked around me
The more that I did look
The more I realize that I am viewing
Gods coloring book
I saw a golden ray of sunlight
A silver drop of dew
A soft, white floating cloud
Sailing cross the sky a blue
A yellow dandelion
Pretty evergreen
And some red and orange flowers
Growing wild along the stream
And the more I look around me
And the more that I do look
The more I realize that I am viewing
Gods coloring book
The greyness in an old mans hair
The pink in babys cheeks
The blackness in a stormy sky
The brown in fallen leaves
And the multicolored rainbow
Stretched out across the sky
And the purple haze at sunset
Just before the night
And the more I look around me
And the more that I do look
The more I realize that I am viewing
Gods coloring book
Then I turn my face toward the sky
And say a silent prayer
Though God doesnt speak to me
I see him everywhere
He is all around me
Hes everywhere I look
And each new day is but a new page
In gods coloring book
Tag:
Each new day is but a new page
In gods coloring book
Hmmmmmm
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All Gods Children
Crazy little whirlwind child
Pretty babies drive ya wild
Look like one, act like another
Every night a different lover
Get affection where you can
Try a boy then try a man
First time love is in the past
Make it young and make it fast
All gods children will have their say
All gods children
Must have their way
Its a game where you can cheat
Lovers falling at your feet
High on sensuality
A photograph for all to see
First time love is in the past
Make it young and make it fast
They can never get enough
Strong as death and sweet as love
They walk and talk like angels
They walk and talk like angels ...
song performed by by Uriah Heep
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Moon-God
Gods speak to the gods at the moon,
There is silver there, and there is soon.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Heart Of The Rose
(graham russell)
A long time ago, from the valley of the sun
Came the holy power,
When the gods were one
Searching for a new home,
Searching for this land
Guided by the stars, and a vision they had seen
The pillars of the temple,
In these hills of green
Buried deep inside for only us to find
(chorus)
It is the roar of the wind,
The power of the sun
The strength of a thousand bows
And those who near it again, will fear it again
And its here in the heart of the rose
Painted in the sky was the moment to awake
All that lay within you,
As this dawn should break
With this force awoken, none can stand before
This is the hour, now is the time
Driven by the purest love, I give you mine
All that we must be, is everything we see
(chorus)
Our love, has brought us both together
And its our love that will go on forever
There is no love that can become as one
Before its time
(chorus)
It is the trees in the earth,
It is the rivers that run
And through us this secret flows
And now our destiny calls,
Youll remember it all
Our love for the heart of the rose
song performed by by Air Supply
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Prayer On The Valley Road
I love to walk by the willows along the valley road,
Just before sparkling stars fade and night turns to dawn.
When nocturnal creatures return to their homes,
Lazy mist lifts from the stream and birds greet the morn.
This is where I spend time with my Lord,
Moreover, Addoni is there for me.
I have no wish to be elsewhere,
We speak of loves, losses and glee.
Cities that explode and cities that burn.
We speak of men who are at war.
We speak of loving wives and children,
Moreover, governments whom we implore.
Down a track, that sees a dying moon,
We speak of worldly concerns.
Beautiful creations even the amazing,
He waits for my prayers for our soldiers safe return.
El Shaddi hears me say, 'My child is ill',
And answers, I walk before you upon this track.
As I do, My Spirit is holding your dear child,
Moreover, in my time you will see her back.
So my beloved one I hear His voice,
I'm about to bring light to your day.
You have asked much of me this morn,
I love you; but my answer maybe, 'Nay'.
So He and I will track this day together as I plow and sow,
Love both neighbors and those under my roof.
Being a testimony that honors my Lord,
Being for Him a living proof.
Low point reached...message received
Low point reached
lesson taught
message received
morning after ego binge
one last remorseful purge
purifying words wash
shame residue from the skin
Rock bottom now
looking forward,
looking up
planning to layout
a new foundation
upon past ruins
A cosmic temple built for all
place for anyone to worship
infinite gods
naked eye gods
next door gods
workaday gods
everyday gods
needing to be reminded
of their own divinity.
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan
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The Autumn Morning
See! the pale autumn dawn
Is faint, upon the lawn
That lies in powdered white
Of hoar-frost dight
And now from tree to tree
The ghostly mist we see
Hung like a silver pall
To hallow all.
It wreathes the burdened air
So strangely everywhere
That I could almost fear
This silence drear
Where no one song-bird sings
And dream that wizard things
Mighty for hate or love
Were close above.
White as the fog and fair
Drifting through the middle air
In magic dances dread
Over my head.
Yet these should know me too
Lover and bondman true,
One that has honoured well
The mystic spell
Of earth’s most solemn hours
Wherein the ancient powers
Of dryad, elf, or faun
Or leprechaun
Oft have their faces shown
To me that walked alone
Seashore or haunted fen
Or mountain glen
Wherefore I will not fear
To walk the woodlands sere
Into this autumn day
Far, far away.
poem by Clive Staples Lewis
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Gods Mistake
Have a friend, calls me up
Says hello, then hangs up
He must have read my mind
These are the days of a diffrent paradigm
Maybe once, even twice
He said God does not play dice
Yet if hes everywhere
Hes in casinos with aces to spare
Oh, love is gods mistake
Oh, love is gods mistake
Ours is not to reason why
As we fall from way up high
Into the water
Like a lamb to the slaughter
Even now, gods mistake
Sets us up for one more heartbreak
God you look mighty fine
Dressed as the devil in a cosmic pantomime
Oh, love is gods mistake
Oh, love is gods mistake
Never was so much at stake
Oh, love is gods mistake
song performed by by Tears For Fears
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Love Sonnets Of Proteus. Part IV: Vita Nova: XCIX
YOUTH
Youth, ageless youth, the old gods' attribute!
--To inherit cheeks a--tingle with such blood
As wood nymphs blushed, who to the first--blown flute
Went out in endless dancing through the wood.
To live, and taste of that immortal food
After the wild day's waste prepared for us
By deathless hands, and straightway be renewed,
Like the god's entrails upon Caucasus.
To rise at dawn with eye and brain and sense
Clear as the pale green edge where dawn began,
While each bold thought full shapen should arise,
Cutting the horizon of experience,
Sharp as an obelisk.--Ah, wretched Man!
'Tis little wonder that the gods are wise.
poem by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
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Land O Free Love Goodbye
Oh the trees grow higher than the mountains
In the land of free love and goodbye
The rivers ever flowing, fishing growing
And the God I love loves me.
In the sky rides a gleam of white horses
And the glimmer clean in your eye
The bird of dawn is bringing
The simpleness of singing
And the God I love loves me.
Oh the trees grow higher than the mountains
In the land of free love and goodbye
The rivers ever flowing, fishing growing
And the God I love loves me.
And the sun lies all around
And everything is as it must be
And winter lies underground
And the God I love loves me.
song performed by by Cat Stevens
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Had I The Power That Have The Will
HAD I the power that have the will,
The enfeebled will - a modern curse -
This book of mine should blossom still
A perfect garden-ground of verse.
White placid marble gods should keep
Good watch in every shadowy lawn;
And from clean, easy-breathing sleep
The birds should waken me at dawn.
- A fairy garden; - none the less
Throughout these gracious paths of mine
All day there should be free access
For stricken hearts and lives that pine;
And by the folded lawns all day -
No idle gods for such a land -
All active Love should take its way
With active Labour hand in hand.
poem by Robert Louis Stevenson
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Gods Are Light
Gods are light, then deify them until the day
We die, in a feud with them since death like I say.
Gaunt man of lower pain is again in advantage
From a disease to complain with foreknowledge;
He must be treated with too much pleasure
Like a man who is deified, due to a measure.
Must godly men called doctors understand?
Yes, their roots are built from a land,
The land of apes and men, the land of the country
Which lent a hand to the man or woman who was a genie.
Gods are of light, gods are brains and body
To enlighten the minds of men who are doctors or somebody.
poem by Naveed Akram
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