The Girdle Of Friendship
SHE gathered at her slender waist
The beauteous robe she wore;
Its folds a golden belt embraced,
One rose-hued gem it bore.
The girdle shrank; its lessening round
Still kept the shining gem,
But now her flowing locks it bound,
A lustrous diadem.
And narrower still the circlet grew;
Behold! a glittering band,
Its roseate diamond set anew,
Her neck's white column spanned.
Suns rise and set; the straining clasp
The shortened links resist,
Yet flashes in a bracelet's grasp
The diamond, on her wrist.
At length, the round of changes past
The thieving years could bring,
The jewel, glittering to the last,
Still sparkles in a ring.
So, link by link, our friendships part,
So loosen, break, and fall,
A narrowing zone; the loving heart
Lives changeless through them all.
poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes

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The Miller's Daughter
It is the miller's daughter,
And she is grown so dear, so dear,
That I would be the jewel
That trembles in her ear:
For hid in ringlets day and night,
I'd touch her neck so warm and white.
And I would be the girdle
About her dainty dainty waist,
And her heart would beat against me,
In sorrow and in rest:
And I should know if it beat right,
I'd clasp it round so close and tight.
And I would be the necklace,
And all day long to fall and rise
Upon her balmy bosom,
With her laughter or her sighs:
And I would lie so light, so light,
I scarce should be unclasp'd at night.
poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

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At A Birthday Festival
TO J. R. LOWELL
WE will not speak of years to-night,--
For what have years to bring
But larger floods of love and light,
And sweeter songs to sing?
We will not drown in wordy praise
The kindly thoughts that rise;
If Friendship own one tender phrase,
He reads it in our eyes.
We need not waste our school-boy art
To gild this notch of Time;--
Forgive me if my wayward heart
Has throbbed in artless rhyme.
Enough for him the silent grasp
That knits us hand in hand,
And he the bracelet's radiant clasp
That locks our circling band.
Strength to his hours of manly toil!
Peace to his starlit dreams!
Who loves alike the furrowed soil,
The music-haunted streams!
Sweet smiles to keep forever bright
The sunshine on his lips,
And faith that sees the ring of light
Round nature's last eclipse!
February 22, 1859.
poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes

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To Julia
How rich and pleasing thou, my Julia, art,
In each thy dainty and peculiar part!
First, for thy Queen-ship on thy head is set
Of flowers a sweet commingled coronet;
About thy neck a carkanet is bound,
Made of the Ruby, Pearl, and Diamond;
A golden ring, that shines upon thy thumb;
About thy wrist the rich Dardanium;
Between thy breasts, than down of swans more white,
There plays the Sapphire with the Chrysolite.
No part besides must of thyself be known,
But by the Topaz, Opal, Calcedon.
poem by Robert Herrick

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Sonnet XIII: Bring, Brick to Deck My Brow
Bring, bring to deck my brow, ye Sylvan girls,
A roseate wreath; nor for my waving hair
The costly band of studded gems prepare,
Of sparkling crysolite or orient pearls:
Love, o'er my head his canopy unfurls,
His purple pinions fan the whisp'ring air;
Mocking the golden sandal, rich and rare,
Beneath my feet the fragrant woodbine curls.
Bring the thin robe, to fold about my breast,
White as the downy swan; while round my waist
Let leaves of glossy myrtle bind the vest,
Not idly gay, but elegantly chaste!
Love scorns the nymph in wanton trappings drest;
And charms the most concealed, are doubly grac'd.
poem by Mary Darby Robinson

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Diamond In My Crown
(Emmylouy HarrisPaul Kennerley)
As each long day rolls by and falls behind me
In the lonely night there's a peacefulness I've found
Tho' I'm weary even then
When I rise to start again
Ther'll be a diamond, a diamond in my crown
I have wasted all that life has laid before me
I have watched as all the green fields turn to brown
But I shall not disavow
All these ties that bind me now
Ther'll be a diamond, a diamond in my crown
Shinning down some day I know
Brighter than all their streets of gold
When the burdens that I carry I will lay down
And the sorrows I have known
I'll see them all be overthrown
Ther'll be a diamond, a diamond in my crown
Through the passing of the years I will grow stronger
Just as sure as this old world keeps spinning 'round
Then the closer I will be
To my sweetest victory
Ther'll be a diamond, a diamond in my crown
song performed by by Emmylou Harris

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The Nizam’s Daughter
SHE is yet a child in years,
Twelve springs are on her face,
Yet in her slender form appears
The woman's perfect grace.
Her silken hair, that glossy black,
But only to be found
There, or upon the raven's back,
Falls sweeping to the ground.
'Tis parted in two shining braids
With silver and with gold,
And one large pearl by contrast aids
The darkness of each fold.
And for she is so young, that flowers
Seem natural to her now,
There wreaths the champac's snowy showers
Around her sculptured brow.
Close to her throat the silvery vest
By shining clasps is bound,
Scarce may her graceful shape be guest,
Mid drapery floating round.
But the small curve of that veined throat,
Like marble, but more warm,
The fairy foot and hand denote
How perfect is the form.
Upon the ankle and the wrist
There is a band of gold,
No step by Grecian fountain kiss'd,
Was of diviner mould.
In the bright girdle round her waist,
Where the red rubies shine,
The kandjar's glittering hilt is placed,
To mark her royal line.
Her face is like the moonlight pale,
Strangely and purely fair,
For never summer sun nor gale
Has touched the softness there.
There are no colours of the rose,
Alone the lip is red;
No blush disturbs the sweet repose
Which o'er that cheek is shed.
And yet the large black eyes, like night,
Have passion and have power;
Within their sleepy depths is light
For some wild wakening hour.
A world of sad and tender dreams
'Neath those long lashes sleep,
A native pensiveness that seems
Too still and sweet to weep.
Of such seclusion know we nought:
Yet surely woman here
Grows shrouded from all common thought,
More delicate and dear.
And love, thus made a thing apart,
Must seem the more divine,
When the sweet temple of the heart
Is a thrice-veiled shrine.
poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon

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Lorne
Where the road's white bracelet runs
Round the cliff 'twixt bush and sea,
Gleaming 'neath the summer's suns
There she rests delightfully
There she rests, a jewel set
In the bracelet's shining band
Far from all the stress and fret
Of the markets of the land.
Summers come and summers go:
There she beckons pleasantly
By the gentle ebb and flow
Of her blue, eternal sea.
Where the Ocean Road dips down,
There she greets, the Southern Queen,
Weary men from mart and town,
Seeking strength from her bright scene.
Wooded slope and waterfall,
Mountain path and shining sand,
Bush and beach - she offers all
Offers with a generous hand.
All the gifts for which men sigh,
Seeking ease and soft release.
And the summers, drifting by,
Bring her loveliness increase.
In the light of Loutitt Bay,
There she smiles, the Southern Queen,
Lending to a summer's day
Grateful rest and mood serene.
Lady Lorne, the lovely one,
Jewel of uncounted price
Friend of the children of the sun,
The honeymooners' paradise.
poem by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

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Harvest Of Friendship
For Carol Gall & Patti Masterman
Friendships can come
from many places near and far,
sometimes even half a world away
with faces we cannot see,
but their touch we can always feel.
Invisible hands reach out
across the miles to gently touch another’s.
Unbreakable links are forged,
bonds never to be unbroken.
Silent voices of strangers are suddenly heard,
welcomed in from the silence
to a voice never heard.
Strength is gathered in
to defeat the demons
of a sometimes lonely life
as we harvest friendships into our lives.
Friendships and distance no longer matters.
Hands now link to chain a message
that no matter who we are
a candle of hope is on the horizon
to light up many lives.
8 December 2009
poem by David Harris

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Love's Logic
And if I ask thee for a kiss,
I ask no more than this sweet breeze,
With far less title to the bliss,
Steals every minute at his ease.
And yet how placid is thy brow!
It seems to woo the bold caress,
While now he takes his kiss, and now
All sorts of freedoms with thy dress.
Or if I dare thy hand to touch,
Hath nothing pressed its palm before?
A flower, I'm sure, hath done as much,
And ah! some senseless diamond more.
It strikes me, love, the very rings,
Now sparkling on that hand of thine,
Could tell some truly startling things,
If they had tongues or touch like mine.
Indeed, indeed, I do not know
Of all that thou hast power to grant,
A boon for which I could not show
Some pretty precedent extant.
Suppose, for instance, I should clasp
Thus, -- so, -- and thus! -- thy slender waist --
I would not hold within my grasp
More than this loosened zone embraced.
Oh! put the anger from thine eyes,
Or shut them if they still must frown;
Those lids, despite yon garish skies,
Can bring a timely darkness down.
Then, if in that convenient night,
My lips should press thy dewy mouth,
The touch shall be so soft, so light,
Thou 'lt fancy me -- this gentle South.
poem by Henry Timrod

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Planets in Space
the planets in space
are realised souls
in meditation
round and round
they go counting chants
six years, ten years, a hundred years
the planets in space
if you can see
what holds them
among glittering stars
if your eyes could see
through divine fallacy
we - mere flashes of energy
to the plants, fishes
shadows to dogs
logs to ants
planets in space
they are realised souls
in meditation
each one revolves
with a sacred chant
one year, twenty years,
a hundred years
round and round
encircling divine power
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo

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Boys From Diamond City
Echoes of a million years, lie twisted in my face
In a world without no name, and a stranger human race
In the distance how it shines, sparkles in the light
Like a flower pulls you in, you lose your mind.
And it really doesnt matter if the sky should fall
Your living under ground, theres no sky at all
Nothing much changes
Were the boys of the diamond city
Were tough like diamond
Were the boys of the diamond city
So rough, like diamonds
I remember nightmare days, like packs of dogs wed roam
Through the broken city streets, through the broken citys bone
Its so hard to stand your ground, its so hard to stay alive
cos when you fight for what you keep, you know you fight for your life
And it really doesnt matter if the sky should fall
Your living under ground, theres no sky at all
Nothing much changes
Were the boys of the diamond city
Were tough like diamond
Were the boys of the diamond city
So rough, like diamonds
I remember a time
A giant skyline
And a blue, blue sky
Its almost dreamlike
Were the boys of the diamond city
Were the boys of the diamond city
Were tough like diamond
Were the boys of the diamond city
So rough, like diamonds
song performed by by Asia

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My Hope Diamond
Formulated in rough surroundings
A piece of coal that fights the storms
This is a story of a precious diamond,
Neglected and left to wither on...
I was once a diamond, tears fall as I cry
They now look like raindrops falling from the sky
We gave each other a diamond, till death do us part
Now the snow glistens like diamond, in wasteland of my heart
Buried in my closet, at times I see you there
Now just a memory as now it's lost its glare
Yet I am hopeful, for another will take its place
I hope it's the Hope Diamond where I'll find solace :)
poem by Meena Mustafa

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Blue Sunday Symphony
Today it is a beautiful day
Even thought it is
Sunday
And the sky is blue
Like a diamond ring
That I am wearing
On my finger right now
Also my diamond ring
Is not a wedding ring
It is only a diamond ring
To wish me luck
And nothing else
poem by Aldo Kraas

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Bling Bling
CHORUS
Bling,bling...yeah..aweh mi simting,
Bling,bling...emerald cut ring
Bling,bling...yeah..aweh mi simting,
Bling,bling chapparit and ting
Fifty men dead for this golden chain
Each link forged by a poor man's pain
mined from below with sweat & fear
Brought to a shine with a widow's tear
CHORUS
Fifty men dead for this diamond ring
dat takes the shine off the cheap bling thing
Kind a mek you think it no bonafide
Fi wear souvenirs from the men that died
CHORUS
If you really love me then don't buy me a ring
Diamonds & pearls they don't mean anything
All that I want is already here
Sitting by my side, you got nothing to fear
CHORUS
Fifty men dead for this golden band
Underground with a pick in their hand
Cutting dirt where the sun nuh shine
Digging to survive in the man's goldmine
How many dead for this royal crown
This holy shrine we gather round
Worship the dollar, pon your hands & knee
Humbled in the presence of your jewellery
CHORUS
If you really love me then don't buy me a ring
Diamonds & pearls they don't mean anything
All that I want is already here
Sitting by my side, you got nothing to fear
CHORUS.
song performed by by Ub40

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The Book of Urizen: Chapter VII
1. They named the child Orc, he grew
Fed with milk of Enitharmon
2. Los awoke her; O sorrow & pain!
A tight'ning girdle grew,
Around his bosom. In sobbings
He burst the girdle in twain,
But still another girdle
Opressd his bosom, In sobbings
Again he burst it. Again
Another girdle succeeds
The girdle was form'd by day;
By night was burst in twain.
3. These falling down on the rock
Into an iron Chain
In each other link by link lock'd
4. They took Orc to the top of a mountain.
O how Enitharmon wept!
They chain'd his young limbs to the rock
With the Chain of Jealousy
Beneath Urizens deathful shadow
5. The dead heard the voice of the child
And began to awake from sleep
All things. heard the voice of the child
And began to awake to life.
6. And Urizen craving with hunger
Stung with the odours of Nature
Explor'd his dens around
7. He form'd a line & a plummet
To divide the Abyss beneath.
He form'd a dividing rule:
8. He formed scales to weigh;
He formed massy weights;
He formed a brazen quadrant;
He formed golden compasses
And began to explore the Abyss
And he planted a garden of fruits
9. But Los encircled Enitharmon
With fires of Prophecy
From the sight of Urizen & Orc.
10. And she bore an enormous race
poem by William Blake

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My Father's Hand
I like to wear a band around my wrist,
an amulet of copper, links of bling,
a hippy weave of cotton or dried grass.
Reminds me of a change my father made
as I grew up from toddler to walker;
crossing the road he stops holding my hand
and wraps his finger and thumb around my wrist.
My bracelet now is like the brag of a teenager leaving home
and flashing his cell-phone where father's number sleeps.
I wear my father's hand around my wrist.
poem by Gerard Rochford

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Alpine Holiday
He took the grade in second - quite a climb,
Dizzy and dangerous, yet how sublime!
The road went up and up; it curved around
The mountain and the gorge grew more profound.
He drove serenely, with no hint of haste;
And then she felt his arm go round her waist.
She shrank: she did not know him very well,
Being like her a guest at the hotel.
Nice, but a Frenchman. On his driving hand
He wore like benedicks a golden band . . .
Well, how could she with grace refuse a drive
So grand it made glad to be alive?
Yet now she heard him whisper in her ear:
"Don't be afraid. With one hand I can steer,
With one arm hold you . . . Oh what perfect bliss!
Darling, please don't refuse me just one kiss.
Here, nigh to Heaven, let is us rest awhile . . .
Nay, don't resist - give me your lips, your smile . . ."
So there in that remote and dizzy place
He wrestled with her for a moment's space,
Hearing her cry: "Oh please, please let me go!
Let me get out . . . You brute, release me! No, no,
NO!"
. . . In that ravine was found their burnt-out car -
Their bodies trapped and crisped into a char.
poem by Robert William Service

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Chain Of Life
Every chain is made of links
just as our life befalls.
Each time we met someone
whether it is near or far
we add another link to our chain of life.
As our years, multiply
so will the links on our chain.
When we lose a link,
we find another to replace it
and our chain of life goes on.
19 May 2009
poem by David Harris

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Said The Thistle-Down
'If thou wilt hold my silver hair,
O Lady sweet and bright;
I'll bring thee, maiden darling, where
Thy lover is to-night.
Lay down thy robe of cloth of gold--
Gold, weigheth heavily,
Thy necklace wound in jewell'd fold,
And hie thee forth with me.'
'O Thistle-down, dear Thistle-down,
I've laid my robe aside;
My necklace and my jewell'd crown,
And yet I cannot glide
Along the silver crests of night
With thee, light thing, with thee.
Rain would I try the airy flight,
What sayest thou to me?'
'If thou wilt hold my silver hair,
O maiden fair and proud;
We'll float upon the purple air
High as yon lilied cloud.
There is a jewel weighs thy heart;
If thou with me wouldst glide
That cold, cold jewel place apart--
The jewel of thy pride!'
'O Thistle-down, dear Thistle-down
That jewel part I've set;
With golden robe and shining crown
And cannot follow yet!
Fain would I clasp thy silver tress
And float on high with thee;
Yet somewhat me to earth doth press--
What sayest thou to me?
'If thou wilt hold my silver hair
O lady, sweet and chaste;
We'll dance upon the sparkling air
And to thy lover haste.
A lily lies upon thy breast
Snow-white as it can be--
It holds thee strong--sweet, with the rest
Yield lilied chastity.'
'O Thistle-down, false Thistle-down
I've parted Pride and Gold;
Laid past my jewels and my crown--
My golden robings' fold.
I will not lay my lily past--
Love's light as vanity
When to the mocking wind is cast
The lily, Chastity.'
poem by Isabella Valancy Crawford

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Glittering Girl
She wasn't a fool, that glittering girl
She followed the rules, that shimmering pearl
Said the rules Mama preaches
Go down when they break
The things Mama teaches
You just gotta shake
But she wasn't a fool, that slender love figure
She followed her rule and made money bigger
She wasn't a fool, that shining young woman
She followed her rule, she's crying for no man
Said the rules Mama teaches
Go down when they're broken
She explodes into peaches
And cries when I've spoken
She wasn't a fool, that goddess of hell
There are no mother's rules, she makes them herself
If I was down upon my knees
To beg her, surrender up to me
Something inside her
Told her she shouldn't
Tried and alight her
But the girl wouldn't
She wasn't a fool but love flowed from her face
She's not scared of me, she's afraid of disgrace
She wasn't a fool that female for our world
She followed her rules, that glittering girl
That glittering girl
That glittering girl
That glittering girl
song performed by by Who

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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