The Gaiety Of Reflection
'Irony is the gaiety
of reflection
and the joy of wisdom.'
Anatole France (1844-1924)
ON that clear day
on that clear
pond
i see the face of irony
it is myself
and it is not myself
both
in the paradox
of belief and
disbelief
there is joy
in the wisdom
of acceptance
in the domain
of my own
laughter having
seen
what i am
and what i am not
what i ought to be
and what
i want to be
it makes sense
in this
loneliness.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom.
quote by Anatole France
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Irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom.
quote by Anatole France
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Justify
To add justice,
I did not scream nor cry,
I instead called,
“Irony.”
Yes,
Irony.
The strange noun that bites and slaps when least expected.
So, to justify,
I called Irony.
I would like it to be shown, to the court at least, that I did nothing wrong,
nor nothing right.
I called his name,
when he was gone from sight.
I whispered my wisdom,
to a deaf and blind old fool,
I gave my only love,
To one who would never love at all.
So,
To justify,
I believe I did not lose,
I just didn't win.
That is often the case with irony.
poem by Kaitey Cat
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Real art is without irony. Irony distances the author from his material. Irony is a product of something. It's not the reason for doing something. Irony is a cheap shot.
quote by Robert Altman
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Can't Really Get Enough Of Love Babe
once i have it, there is this irony, i give it away,
i wish, i dream, i work to have what i do not have yet
once it is in my hand, there is this irony, i throw it away.
the paradox of feelings, i had this joy, long time ago, and
i let it go, and i wish it comes back to me, like a memory of someone
too far away, i spend life like it is not life at all, i wish death, like death is life,
like it is not like, this is the irony of my life,
hating and loving and hating and loving, until, everything is gone
i have nothing and then i feel so complete.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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A Natural Reaction
A reprobate? Who, me?
What's up with that?
Don't ask me to cozy up
and be your pal, please!
If I wanted, I could wreak
havoc on the whole crew!
By the way, can you define
irony for me?
Yes, I said irony!
I don't think you understand
the uses of irony, do you?
poem by Michael Pruchnicki
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Effigy Of A Nun
Infinite gentleness, infinite irony
Are in this face with fast-sealed eyes,
And round this mouth that learned in loneliness
How useless their wisdom is to the wise.
In her nun's habit carved, carefully, lovingly,
By one who knew the ways of womenkind,
This woman's face still keeps its cold wistful calm,
All the subtle pride of her mind.
These pale curved lips of hers holding their hidden smile,
Show she had weighed the world; her will was set;
These long patrician hands clasping he crucifix
Once having made their choice, had no regret.
She was one of those who hoard their own thoughts lovingly,
Feeling them far too dear to give away,
Content to look at life with the high insolent
Air of an audience watching a play.
If she was curious, if she was passionate,
She must have told herself that love was great,
But that the lacking it might be as great a thing
If she held fast to it, challenging fate.
She who so loved herself and her own warring thoughts,
Watching their humorous, tragic rebound,
In her thick habit's fold, sleeping, sleeping,
Is she amused at dreams she has found?
Infinite tenderness, infinite irony,
Hidden forever in her closed eyes,
That must have learned too well in their long loneliness
How empty their wisdom is even to the wise.
poem by Sara Teasdale
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A taste for irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humor, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself.
quote by Jessamyn West
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In The Movie Of The Mind...
to get back the substance of
my meaning
i must learn to speak the wisdom
of nonsense
you laugh and it only in the absurdity of your
childish laughter
that you get back what is long due you
that understanding
that there is actually nothing great that
amazes us
into belief
into the appreciation of the apparel of life
its accessories
there are no earrings to the
ears of mankind
there are only ears missing what it must
rightly hear
to get back the real meaning of my existence
i must believe in nothing
i must float in air
and this is what they call as soul
ghost
winds, sighs, whispers
sweet nothings
i take back meaning and i throw away everything
that i have collected in my hands
i hold emptiness now
and so i have become so full
it is this irony
this paradox that makes reality
one is not one and earth is never earth
thoughts can never be thoughts
dog to dog, dust to dust
when we speak again try to find out what is in our mouth
i am opening my mouth now
you laugh, it is still the same tongue
same teeth
there is nothing about this philosophy
there is only this restlessness that looks for a seat
in the dark, waiting that somehow this is another movie house
and there is coming
the next show.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Irony is the form of paradox. Paradox is what is good and great at the same time.
quote by Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.
quote by Anatole France
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We are all tourists in history, and irony is what we win in wars.
quote by Anatole Broyard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wisdom From Above
The Word of God is so very clear, yet, so many men have no fear,
Within their hearts, of The Lord, and so God’s Word goes ignored;
A fear that begins wisdom for all, men everywhere great and small,
Wisdom which opens eyes to see, Truths from the Lord of Eternity.
The Lord revealed Himself to Israel, revealing His Purpose and Will,
And today the Lord’s Revelation, is available to every single nation,
For God spoke through His Son, not just to Israel, but to everyone,
God’s Son was revealed to all men, in a world that was condemned.
My friend, this day as in ages past, only Heavenly Wisdom will last,
A wisdom, which you will receive, when God’s Truth you do believe,
The Wisdom from The Lord above, greater than what men speak of,
Far surpassing the wisdom of men, that, Christ Jesus will condemn.
With this Wisdom, you will heed, the words of Truth which you read,
And as the Spirit opens your eyes, worldly wisdom you will despise,
Embracing Truths of God’s Word, over empty wisdom you’ve heard,
As The Spirit of God does impart, Truth and Wisdom into your heart.
Man’s worldly wisdom my friend, God makes foolishness in the end,
As God frustrates their empty ways, for The Lord’s Glory and Praise;
This all begins through Godly fear, of The Lord, Who is so very near,
And God’s Wisdom, you will see, leads a heart to New Life, Eternally.
(Copyright ©05/2010)
I Stop And Wait/For A Poem
I Stop And Wait/ For A Poem
I stop and wait
For a poem.
The poem does not come
The city says ‘Morning beauty’
The silence is a sadness unsayable -
Light is lovely
Isn’t it?
Irony Irony Irony-
I write these lines
As if I actually believe
I am writing poetry
And doing something.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Your Wisdom
Wisdom is taken from the learning of the religion;
When this is achieved, we strive for belief.
Then evidence resides in the head, you must be dazzled,
And you must be delighted at the news.
We are wise, separate from disbelief, the opposite
Of faith is never taken, rather the wisdom of Plato
Fails and disintegrates, compared to your beliefs;
This comparison is legitimate and praiseworthy.
Wands of magic must disintegrate and the mathematics of the nation
Must step into the room of your heart - flee from the policies of deceit!
This ruination is not to be carried, an invalid will complain,
An invalid will complain, and more disease will enter when wisdom is ignored.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Prologue
The crucified planet Earth,
should it find a voice
and a sense of irony,
might now well say
of our abuse of it.
"Forgive them, Father,
They Know not what they do."
The irony would be
that we know what
we are doing.
When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say, in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canion
"It is done."
People did not like it here.
poem by Kurt Vonnegut from A Man without a Country (2007)
Submitted by Bogdan
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My book has a very simple surface, but there are layers of irony and paradox all the way through it.
quote by Mark Haddon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Like A Hemisphere
He sees what Im lacking and he tells me without attacking my life
He sees what Im needing and he gives me love without my pleading
I see where his worries lie and I help him to decide
He sees what Im missing that sometimes I need to be alone but sometimes I need him to listen
Like a hemisphere he surrounds me with a wisdom that astounds me
Like the horizon he draws my eye to him and he makes me see just how lonely I have been
He knows what Im thinking without a sign without blinking my eyes
I know what hes asking in our love there aint no masking no disguise
I know what hes after its the truth and the laughter
Why cant we see in ourselves all the beauty we see in everybody else
Like a hemisphere he surrounds me with a wisdon that astounds me
Like the horizon he draws my eye to him and he makes me see
Like a radio he calls out to me in the middle of the night
Like a hemisphere he is perfectly clear and he makes me see just how lonely I have been
I dont wanna go through this life just getting by I want to fly
I dont wanna go through this life not asking why
I need to know why we are here we are here together now
I dont wanna go through this life just to die
Well you made me see just how lonely I have been
Like a hemisphere he surrounds me with a wisdom that astounds me
Like the horizon he draws my eye to him and makes me see
Like a radio he calls out to me in the middle of the night
Like a hemisphere he is perfectly clear and he makes me see just how lonely I have been
song performed by by Vonda Shepard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Irony of Love
Irony is a literary or rhetorical device.
The essayist Henry Watson Fowler wrote:
“any definition of irony
—though hundreds might be given,
and very few of them would be accepted—
must include this,
that the surface meaning
and the underlying meaning of
what is said are not the same.'
He left out that any definition of
Irony must include that it is cruel.
I never understood
The meaning of irony
Or how cruel it can be,
Until you told me,
That though you may love me,
You find it difficult to
Hear the words
“I love you” from me.
You see, some three years ago
You jokingly said
'I love you' to me,
And I begged you
Never to utter those words again.
Not because I did not want to hear them,
But because they were difficult for me.
They carried heart-felt consequences
That I did not want to face.
So, I shut out my heart and followed my head.
And in life filled with so many regrets,
It was the biggest mistake I ever made.
The irony,
After some thousand days have past,
You uttered the same
Imprudent sentiment to me.
This sentiment is the definition of irony –
The surface meaning
And underlying meaning are not the same.
Because although I asked you not to say
“I love you”,
It is all I wanted to hear.
The cruelty,
That now that heaven has at last
Blessed, cursed me with
Clarity of the heart,
And I want to say what I mean
With no different underlying sentiment,
You tell me you do not
Want to hear these words from me.
But the most ironic and cruelest part,
Will be,
If you make the same mistake I made
And keep from me what is within your heart.
poem by Hal Caufield
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Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos.
quote by Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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