Message Ethereal...Part 1
Note: These poem excerpts are my independent works based on the story material of the Sanskrit poetic work ‘Megha Dhootham’(Cloud Messenger) by Poet Great Kaali Daasa- 5th centuary AD
1
O worthy Cloud! I bow to thee;
Bestow your eyes on this hapless me,
On this Yaksha* unlucky;
I am standing on my weakened feet,
In front of my hermitage, down this valley
2
My master, Kubera* the lord of wealth
Has expelled me from heaven
For my accused negligence to duty;
Accused I was, I pampered my spouse
Failing to fall in time for my lord’s service;
I bear his wrath; am in exile now on earth
In this Ramgiri* for one full seasonal cycle
Unfortunate I am, left to live alone,
Separated from my beloved young wife...
3
Was it a crime? You tell me
For someone as youthful as me
If allotted his time his heart
More to his beloved new bride?
They are lords their words are rules
They enjoy all the celestial bliss,
Despite having their own Devi*
They share shamelessly the Apsaras* girls;
O virtuous Cloud! I salute thee,
Tell me who have more sinned now?
They or the poor servants like me?
4
^O Cloud, you mighty and dark,
As if a tusker in *madh,
Butting against a mountain bank,
You appear high on the *Aashaad awaiting sky,
Full of water virile, of life;
You arouse my desires my lust
You rekindle my enthusiasm the fire inside;
What if my armlets
Have slipped down my forearms
Weakened by the sustained blows of parting?
I pray to you, may you carry my message of love,
My feelings, in the distance to my grief stricken wife...
(To be continued)
1. Yakhsha- one of the working classes in the heavens...the singers
2. Kubera- The controller of heavenly wealth
3. Devi- the lawful heavenly wife
4. Ramgiri- a place in the Chitrakood mounts of central India where prince Ram and Sita stayed briefly while in exile from their kingdom of long fourteen years
4. Apsaras girls- the celestial dancer nymphs
5. Aashaad- the month beginning the winter season
6. Madh- A periodic condition in bull elephants wherein they remain sexually charged, aggressive with copious discharge of thick secretion called ‘temporin’ from the temporal ducts
7. ^ Simile original of Kaali Daasa
18 04 2009
poem by Kesav Venkat Easwaran
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Message Ethereal...Part 4
Note: These poem excerpts are my independent works based on the story material of the Sanskrit poetic work ‘Megha Dhootham’(Cloud Messenger) by Poet Great Kaali Daasa- 5th centuary AD
(Please read the previous parts before reading this)
Yaksha’s appeasing words to the cloud continue...
15
O mighty Cloud, northwards as you move
My happiness knows no bounds;
^As you stroll, like a tusker huge
Spreading on earth your shadow’s girth,
Maids who look up to watch the sky,
Might wonder if there a hill that glides...
16
The mountain kings that protect bounds
Thinking another one of seamless bounds,
Might try to stop you as them you cross;
Careful you be not to combat them;
Northwards undaunted please you move;
You would meet her soon,
Thy brothers’ spouse!
17
O friend, you merciful and kind,
Can’t you see the raving *nichula weeds?
Raving to wind they in thirsty moods
Their hopes remain high,
The earth would get drenched soon;
I plead; you could wait, do not pour out now...
18
Does she too rave out, my girl there?
A waiting maid’s heart is a soft flower!
But for hopes, that feed water,
It would wilt; my friend!
You’re the hope lone, mine and hers
Go there early to pass over
My message of love to my wife dear
(to be continued)
29th May 2009
^ Simile original of Kaali Dhaasa
* Nichula – A tall stiff perennial grass-like plant growing together in groups near water locales.
Notice the anxiety in yaksha’s words. He wants the cloud- his message- to reach its destination early; safe
poem by Kesav Venkat Easwaran
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Desire has no merits
To relish your ballet,
I need not be a poet;
To enjoy your melody,
I need not be a vocalist;
To watch your steps,
No need I am a dancer.
I go after you, Apsaras,
Though I am not an Indra.
00.12.98
IIndra is the mythological god and Apsaras, the most beautiful heavenly women, are his love mates]
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Ocean Cloud
(HogarthKellyMosleyRotheryTrewavas)
[Dedicated to Don Allum, and the Ocean Rowers]
He's seen too much of life
And there's no going back
The loneliness calls him
And the edge which must be sharpened
He's losing it. And he knows.
But there's a fighter in his mind and his body's tough
The years have been unkind but kind enough
The smell of the earth
It's his favourite smell
But he's somehow compelled to the stinging salt hell
To the place where he hurts and he's scared
And there's no one to tell
And no one who doesn't listen
"You can take all the boys and the girls in the world
And I'll trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud
I've seen too much of life
So the sea is my wife and a sweet Ocean Cloud is a mistress I'm allowed
for now."
"You can take all the boys and the girls in the world
I wouldn't trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud
I've seen too much of life
So the sea is my wife and a sweet ocean cloud is a mistress I'm allowed
for now."
"Only me and the sea
We will do as we please."
He remembers the day he was marched to the front
By the physical knuckle head teacher of games
"Look lads" he declared, "This boy's a cream puff
No guts and no muscles
No spine and no stuffing"
The whole schoolroom sniggered
And silently thanked God it wasn't them..
But time is revenge. All the bullies grow weak
And must live with faithless women who despise them
I'll be in Barbados in a couple of weeks
With a rum on the table and yarns by the yard
A story to tell and a story to save
..unless she changes her mind
I'll trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud-
song performed by by Marillion
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Why Art Thou Thus Cast Down, My Heart?
Why art thou thus cast down, my heart?
Why troubled, why dost mourn apart,
O'er nought but earthly wealth?
Trust in thy God, be not afraid,
He is thy Friend who all things made.
Dost think thy prayers He doth not heed?
He knows full well what thou dost need,
And heaven and earth are His;
My Father and my God, who still
Is with my soul in every ill.
Since Thou my God and Father art,
I know Thy faithful loving heart
Will ne'er forget Thy child;
See I am poor, I am but dust,
On earth is none whom I can trust.
The rich man in his wealth confides,
But in my God my trust abides;
Then laugh ye as ye will,
I hold this fast that He hath taught,--
Who trusts in God shall want for nought.
Yes, Lord, Thou art as rich to-day
As Thou hast been and shalt be aye,
I rest on Thee alone;
Thy riches to my soul be given,
And 't is enough for earth and heaven.
What here may shine I all resign,
If the eternal crown be mine,
That through Thy bitter death
Thou gainedst, O Lord Christ, for me--
For this, for this, I cry to Thee!
All wealth, all glories, here below,
The best that this world can bestow,
Silver or gold or lands,
But for a little time is given,
And helps us not to enter heaven.
I thank Thee, Christ, Eternal Lord,
That Thou hast taught me by Thy word
To know this truth and Thee;
O grant me also steadfastness
Thy heavenly kingdom not to miss.
Praise, honour, thanks, to Thee be brought,
For all things in and for me wrought
By Thy great mercy, Christ.
This one thing only still I pray,
Oh cast me ne'er from Thee away
poem by Hans Sachs
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The Band of Gideon
The band of Gideon roam the sky,
The howling wind is their war-cry,
The thunder roll is their trump's peal,
And the lightning flash their vengeful steel.
Each black cloud
Is a fiery steed.
And they cry aloud
With each strond deed,
"The sword of the lord and Gideon."
And men below rear temples high
And mock their God with reasons why,
And live in arrogance, sin and shame,
And rape their souls for the world's good name.
Each black cloud
Is a fiery steed.
And they cry aloud
With each strond deed,
"The sword of the lord and Gideon."
The band of Gideon roam the sky
And view the earth with baleful eye,
In holy wrath they scourge the land
With earth-quake, storm and burning brand.
Each black cloud
Is a fiery steed.
And they cry aloud
With each strond deed,
"The sword of the lord and Gideon."
The lightnings flash and the thunders roll,
And "Lord have mercy on my soul,"
Cry men as they fall on the stricken sod,
In agony searching for their God.
Each black cloud
Is a fiery steed.
And they cry aloud
With each strond deed,
"The sword of the lord and Gideon."
And men repent and then forget
That heavenly wrath they ever met,
The band of Gideon yet will come
And strike their tongues of blasphemy dumb.
Each black cloud
Is a fiery steed.
And they cry aloud
With each strond deed,
"The sword of the lord and Gideon."
poem by Joseph Seamon Cotter
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Life of a Cloud
Warming thermals whisper as they rise,
To tell us they are soon to bring to view
In cooler air aloft before your eyes:
A gentle wisp to counterpoint the blue.
Powder puffs emerge to grant her grace
That further bloom as would for stately tree, and
Yield a sight that calls for our embrace:
Another cloud anew above the lea.
Cruising forth, she yearns for ageless life.
O how her hopes will soon be dashed in vain,
For up there in the cold she courts her strife,
To fade away as drops of closing rain.
Scant and lacy speak her living span,
And fair among us could be brought to mourn,
But she was there to populate her clan:
From fallen tears, new daughters will be born.
Copyright © Mark R slaughter 2010
A cloudy sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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A Sketch
'Emelie, that fayrer was to seene
Than is the lilye on hys stalke grene.....
Uprose the sun and uprose Emelie.'
DOST thou thus love me, O thou beautiful?
So beautiful, that by thy side I seem
Like a great ducky cloud beside a star:
Yet thou creep'st o'er its edges, and it rests
On its lone path, the slow deep-hearted cloud--
Then opes a rift and lets thee enter in;
And with thy beauty shining on its breast,
Feels no more its own blackness--thou art fair.
Dost thou thus love me, O thou all beloved,
In whose large store the very meanest coin
Would out-buy my whole wealth? Yet here thou comest
Like a kind heiress from her purple and down
Uprising, who for pity cannot sleep,
But goes forth to the stranger at her gate--
The beggared stranger at her beauteous gate--
And clothes and feeds; scarce blest till she has blest.
Dost thou thus love me, O thou pure of heart,
Whose very looks are prayers? What couldst thou see
In this forsaken pool by the yew-wood's side,
To sit down at its bank, and dip thy hand,
Saying, 'it is so clear!'--And lo, erelong
Its blackness caught the shimmer of they wings,
Its slimes slid downward from thy stainless palm,
Its depths grew still that there thy form might rise.
O beautiful! O well-beloved! O rich
In all that makes my need! I lay me down
I' the shadow of thy love, and feel no pain.
The cloud floats on, thee glittering on its breast,
The beggar wears thy purple as his own:
The noisome waves, made calm, creep to thy feet
Rejoicing that they yet can image thee,
And beyond thee, God's heaven, thick-sown with stars.
poem by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
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Red Sky Warning
I saw the cloud in the morning sky
So I turned to go back inside,
And I said to my wife, ‘It’s a shepherd’s dawn,
Or the red sky early warning, torn
By the man with the evil eye.’
The silence hung in a leaden pall
As she turned her face away,
And I said: ‘I’m only the man behind,
I’m not to account for all mankind
Or a cloud at the break of day.’
She looked again and she pulled the blind
And the house was dark and still.
‘I’ve looked my last on the works of man
Through whispered tears on a trembling hand,
Or the cloud beyond the hill.’
So she sat herself where she sits today
By the glow of the ash-wood fire,
But she sees and hears and tells me nought
While the devil inside her can’t be bought,
Or ever be made to tire.
So whenever a cloud in the early dawn
Glows red in the morning sky,
I say to my wife: ‘It’s a shepherd’s dawn,
Or the red sky early warning, torn
By the man with the evil eye.’
9 June 1972
poem by David Lewis Paget
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Sonnet (II)
O
Sure Lord, there is enough in thee to dry
Oceans of Ink ; for, as the Deluge did
Cover the Earth, so doth thy Majesty :
Each Cloud distills thy praise, and doth forbid
Poets to turn it to another use.
Roses and Lillies speak thee ; and to make
A pair of Cheeks of them, is thy abuse.
Why should I Womens eyes for Chrystal take?
Such poor invention burns in their low mind,
Whose fire is wild, and doth not upward go
To praise, and on thee Lord, some Ink bestow.
Open the bones, and you shall nothing find
In the best face but filth, when Lord, in thee
The beauty lies, in the discovery
poem by George Herbert
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Genesis BK I
I
(ll. 1-28) Right is it that we praise the King of heaven, the
Lord of hosts, and love Him with all our hearts. For He is great
in power, the Source of all created things, the Lord Almighty.
Never hath He known beginning, neither cometh an end of His
eternal glory. Ever in majesty He reigneth over celestial
thrones; in righteousness and strength He keepeth the courts of
heaven which were established, broad and ample, by the might of
God, for angel dwellers, wardens of the soul. The angel legions
knew the blessedness of God, celestial joy and bliss. Great was
their glory! The mighty spirits magnified their Prince and sang
His praise with gladness, serving the Lord of life, exceeding
blessed in His splendour. They knew no sin nor any evil; but
dwelt in peace for ever with their Lord. They wrought no deed in
heaven save right and truth, until the angel prince in pride
walked in the ways of error. Then no longer would they work
their own advantage, but turned away from the love of God. They
boasted greatly, in their banded strength, that they could share
with God His glorious dwelling, spacious and heavenly bright.
(ll. 28-46) Then sorrow came upon them, envy and insolence and
pride of the angel who first began that deed of folly, to plot
and hatch it forth, and, thirsting for battle, boasted that in
the northern borders of heaven he would establish a throne and a
kingdom. Then was God angered and wrathful against that host
which He had crowned before with radiance and glory. For the
traitors, to reward their work, He shaped a house of pain and
grim affliction, and lamentations of hell. Our Lord prepared
this torture-house of exiles, deep and joyless, for the coming of
the angel hosts. Well He knew it lay enshrouded in eternal night,
and filled with woe, wrapped in fire and piercing cold,
smoke-veils and ruddy flame. And over that wretched realm He
spread the brooding terror of torment. They had wrought grievous
wrong together against God. Grim the reward they gained!
(ll. 47-77) Fierce of heart, they boasted they would take the
kingdom, and easily. But their hope failed them when the Lord,
High King of heaven, lifted His hand against their host. The
erring spirits, in their sin, might not prevail against the Lord,
but God, the Mighty, in His wrath, smote their insolence and
broke their pride, bereft these impious souls of victory and
power and dominion and glory; despoiled His foes of bliss and
peace and joy and radiant grace, and mightily avenged His wrath
upon them to their destruction. His heart was hardened against
them; with heavy hand He crushed His foes, subdued them to His
will, and, in His wrath, drove out the rebels from their ancient
home and seats of glory. Our Lord expelled and banished out of
heaven the presumptuous angel host. All-wielding God dismissed
the faithless horde, a hostile band of woeful spirits, upon a
long, long journey. Crushed was their pride, their boasting
humbled, their power broken, their glory dimmed. Thenceforth
those dusky spirits dwelt in exile. No cause had they to laugh
aloud, but, racked with pangs of hell, they suffered pain and woe
and tribulation, cloaked with darkness, knowing bitter anguish, a
grim requital, because they sought to strive with God.
(ll. 78-81) Then was there calm as formerly in heaven, the kindly
ways of peace. The Lord was dear to all, a Prince among His
thanes, and glory was renewed of angel legions knowing
blessedness with God.
Clouds By Number
Cloud Nine lived a life of fantasy,
Barely conceding the existence of Cloud Eight,
Who felt jealousy for Cloud Seven's
Silver lining,
Although it was saturnine.
Cloud Six lived a life in a daze,
Dozing in the sun's rays;
While Cloud Five held a bellyful of rain
That it wept onto
The arid plain.
Cloud Four came out of nowhere,
Hugging Cloud Three,
Making way, hurriedly, for Cloud Two,
Who shot lightning and thunder,
And like a magic trick
Became Cloud One.
The Great Funnel Cloud,
Who left nothing after its short reign
But a painful memory and a swollen path to be filled with regrets.
poem by Stan Petrovich
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There is no one like my Lord
His life fills me with such admiration
and His excellence my greatest inspiration.
For He's full of character and distinction
and beautiful beyond description.
He is the only True and Living Word
and the Altogether Lovely One is my Lord.
No one in heaven can remotely compare
to my mighty Saviour or His Glory share.
Majestic and Glorious in His Holiness.
Radiant in the splendour of His Righteousness.
Beautiful beyond human comprehension
is God's One and Only Belovèd Son.
The fairest of all men and most beautiful.
Worthy to be worshipped and adored by all.
Reigning supreme from His heavenly throne
as He claims all the victory for His own.
Without beginning and without any end.
The Son of God and the Sinners Friend.
To bear our sins up Calvary's hill He trod.
this Wonderful Saviour and Mighty God.
The Way, the Truth and the Life is He
Full of Wisdom and Power and Majesty.
The Alpha and Omega and Ancient of days
Whose Glory the whole Universe displays.
He is the King of kings and Lord of lords
and His Power and Might all heaven applauds
Shout it from the mountains and in the towns tell.
In Jesus Christ we see the fullness of God dwell.
Woes And Wonders
Show me a city full of happiness,
Then i will show you the effect of their weakness.
Show me a man who is full of himself,
Then i will show you why he's a fool to himself.
Show me your success today,
And i will show you your mistakes of yesterday.
Show me a community not far from the mountain,
Then i will show you why their security is certain.
Show me a holy man,
Then i will show you why he's called a human.
Show me a man who is not afraid of death,
Then i will show him the theory of birth.
Show me an ocean of misery,
Then i will show you how to swim in victory.
Tell me the meaning of ' STOP ',
Then i will show you the way to the top.
Show me your best friend,
Then i will show you where your dreams will end.
Show me a good and caring heart,
And i will show you why it hasn't been torn apart.
Show me your hall of pain,
Then i will show you all what u've gain.
Show me an exceptional reader,
Then i will show you a great leader.
Show me a way to financial prosperity,
Then i will show you a way to heavenly security.
Show me a great man of all time,
Then i will show you his footprint on the sand of time.
Show me a problem you can't solve,
Then i will show you why you haven't use the solution called love.
Show me a world full of fantasy,
Then i will show you the pain behind a life full of ecstasy.
Show me a kingdom built with wrath,
Then i will show you how much it is worth.
Show me a man with a problem free life,
Then i will show you why he hasn't gotten a wife.
Show me all of earth's pleasure,
Then i will show you why heaven is the place to be beyond all measure
poem by Stanley Oguh
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Cloud 8
(tony martin/byron hill)
I hear em laughing on cloud 9
In a world so happy just above mine
No ones leaving like you left me
They got each other got all they need, but
Here on cloud 8
A lotta nothings going on
Im just drifting day to day
Out here on my own
While up on cloud 9
I hear em party all the time
They dont hear my heart break
Down here on cloud 8
We almost made it up where they are
But losing your love
Brought me down hard
Now Im just hanging, just getting by
Where expectations arent that high, but
Here on cloud 8
A lotta nothings going on
Im just drifting day to day
Out here on my own
While up on cloud 9
I hear em party all the time
They dont hear my heart break
Down here on cloud 8
While up on cloud 9
I hear em party all the time
They dont hear my heart break
Down here on cloud 8
They dont hear my heart break
Down here on cloud 8
song performed by by John Michael Montgomery
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Who is the Best..?
Once there was this Rishi
Living under a banyan tree
Meditating on Him, all his life
Alone, without worries or wife..
It was a sunny day, bit hazy
Rishi was relaxed and lazy
A mouse came running and fell at his feet
A cat came chasing to eat
The mouse prayed 'Gimme shelter or u sin'
The cat said 'Protecting my food is no less a thing'
Rishi had to decide one way or other
Rishi blessed the mouse to be his daughter
The daughter grew into a beautiful woman
Time came for Rishi to think of her man.
He asked the daughter for any criteria or test
She said she wanted only the Best
Best of a man is a Rishi, said the father
Not really so, said the daughter
When Rishi said, better than a Rishi is the only Sun
No, said the daughter, not the burning hot one!
Rishi asked the Sun, if he knows anyone better
The Sun said, try the Cloud, it hides my power
When Rishi told her of the Cloud's valor
No, said the daughter, I hate the dark color
Rishi asked the Cloud, who betters it
The Cloud said, surely the Wind, it blows me out
Rishi asked the daughter, if Wind is her choice
No, said the daughter, It just makes noise.
Rishi asked the Wind, for a better person
The Wind said, It is the immovable Mountain
Rishi asked the daughter, if Mountain passes her test
No, said the daughter, full of trough and crest
Rishi asked the Mountain for the best in the land
The Mountain said, It is the Mouse that crushes it to sand
Rishi asked the daughter, if Mouse is her groom
Yes, said the daughter, I love his eyes that zoom..
Rishi made his daughter back into a mouse
They married and lived in a hole as their house
The Best for a mouse is mouse, for Rishi a Rishi, for crook a crook
It depends on what you look out for; your outlook!
poem by TheBigThinkg Human
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Let us not mind the happiness...
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way,
For they are inseparable from our life.
None can evade them, for Lord Raghunath himself has inlaid them!
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
Even an upright man like King Nala, whose wife was Queen Damayanti,
Had to roam half-naked in the forest without food or water.
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
Even the mighty brothers like the Pandavas,
Who had Queen Draupadi for a wife,
Underwent hardships for twelve long and exacting years in the forest Without even proper sleep.
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
Even a woman as chaste as Sita,
Whose husband was none other than the Lord,
Was abducted by Ravana and subjected to suffer terrible misery,
Let us not mind the happiness or the grief that come our way!
Even the King as powerful as Ravana, who had Mandodari as queen,
Had all his ten heads severed and his great Lanka ravaged!
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
Even a person so righteous as Harishchandra,
Who had Taralochana as his queen,
Had to bear immense agony and serve in a menial caste!
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
Even an ascetic as great as Shiva, who had Parvati for his wife,
Was deceived by a bhil woman and had his austerities disturbed
!Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that comes our way!
When all the gods are in distress,
They remember antaryami, the lord of their hearts,
And indeed are rescued by the Sarangdhar, the bearer of the mighty Saranga bow, the Narsaiyya's Lord!
Let us not mind the happiness and the grief that come our way!
poem by Narsinh Mehta
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Silence In The Darkness
Only silence in the darkness
I lift my voice and cry
Has thou oh Lord forgotten me
If so, then I must die
Everyday I come before thee
And shout out to thee so loud
I offer sacrifice, my very life
And still I'm covered by a cloud
Lord how long will this continue
There is no-where left that I can go
I walk through the valley of dry bones
Where is the Spirit, in the river I must flow
Oh land of milk and honey
It seems that I have lost my way
Shall I forever wander in this desert
Let it not be oh Lord I pray
I shall come to the Rock of testing
And discover the meaning of grace
I cannot attain my own righteousness
Only the waters that flow from this place
poem by Frank McEleny
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A Litany
FIRST ANTIPHONE.
ALL the bright lights of heaven
I will make dark over thee;
One night shall be as seven
That its skirts may cover thee;
I will send on thy strong men a sword,
On thy remnant a rod;
Ye shall know that I am the Lord,
Saith the Lord God.
SECOND ANTIPHONE.
All the bright lights of heaven
Thou hast made dark over us;
One night has been as seven
That its skirt might cover us;
Thou hast sent on our strong men a sword,
On our remnant a rod;
We know that thou art the Lord,
O Lord our God.
THIRD ANTIPHONE.
As the tresses and wings of the wind
Are scattered and shaken,
I will scatter all them that have sinned,
There shall none be taken;
As a sower that scattereth seed,
So will I scatter them;
As one breaketh and shattereth a reed,
I will break and shatter them.
FOURTH ANTIPHONE.
As the wings and the locks of the wind
Are scattered and shaken,
Thou hast scattered all them that have sinned,
There was no man taken;
As a sower that scattereth seed,
So hast thou scattered us;
As one breaketh and shattereth a reed,
Thou hast broken and shattered us.
FIFTH ANTIPHONE.
From all thy lovers that love thee
I God will sunder thee;
I will make darkness above thee,
And thick darkness under thee;
Before me goeth a light,
Behind me a sword;
Shall a remnant find grace in my sight?
I am the Lord.
SIXTH ANTIPHONE.
From all our lovers that love us
Thou God didst sunder us;
Thou madest darkness above us,
And thick darkness under us;
Thou hast kindled thy wrath for a light,
And made ready thy sword;
Let a remnant find grace in thy sight,
We beseech thee, O Lord.
SEVENTH ANTIPHONE.
Wilt thou bring fine gold for a payment
For sins on this wise?
For the glittering of raiment
And the shining of eyes,
For the painting of faces
And the sundering of trust,
For the sins of thine high places
And delight of thy lust?
For your high things ye shall have lowly,
Lamentation for song;
For, behold, I God am holy,
I the Lord am strong;
Ye shall seek me and shall not reach me
Till the wine-press be trod;
In that hour ye shall turn and beseech me,
Saith the Lord God.
EIGHTH ANTIPHONE.
Not with fine gold for a payment,
But with coin of sighs,
But with rending of raiment
And with weeping of eyes,
But with shame of stricken faces
And with strewing of dust,
For the sin of stately places
And lordship of lust;
With voices of men made lowly,
Made empty of song,
O Lord God most holy,
O God most strong,
We reach out hands to reach thee
Ere the wine-press be trod;
We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee,
O Lord our God.
NINTH ANTIPHONE.
In that hour thou shalt say to the night,
Come down and cover us;
To the cloud on thy left and thy right,
Be thou spread over us;
A snare shall be as thy mother,
And a curse thy bride;
Thou shalt put her away, and another
Shall lie by thy side.
Thou shalt neither rise up by day
Nor lie down by night;
Would God it were dark! thou shalt say;
Would God it were light!
And the sight of thine eyes shall be made
As the burning of fire;
And thy soul shall be sorely afraid
For thy soul’s desire.
Ye whom your lords loved well,
Putting silver and gold on you,
The inevitable hell
Shall surely take hold on you;
Your gold shall be for a token,
Your staff for a rod;
With the breaking of bands ye are broken,
Saith the Lord God.
TENTH ANTIPHONE.
In our sorrow we said to the night,
Fall down and cover us;
To the darkness at left and at right,
Be thou shed over us;
We had breaking of spirit to mother
And cursing to bride;
And one was slain, and another
Stood up at our side.
We could not arise by day,
Nor lie down by night;
Thy sword was sharp in our way,
Thy word in our sight;
The delight of our eyelids was made
As the burning of fire;
And our souls became sorely afraid
For our soul’s desire.
We whom the world loved well,
Laying silver and gold on us,
The kingdom of death and of hell
Riseth up to take hold on us;
Our gold is turned to a token,
Our staff to a rod;
Yet shalt thou bind them up that were broken,
O Lord our God.
poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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She Remembered
She looked at the rolling hills
and valley below,
at a place she once called her home
as she waited at a bus stop
to take her away anywhere
and she remembered how it started
all those long years ago.
How loved had captured her heart
and would never let her go.
She remembered with a tear
how he had got down on one knee
and proposed to her,
and how she had accepted
so freely to share his life.
Then she remembered that wonderful day
in spring when the scent of apple blossom
drifted through the air.
The day she walked up the isle
a beautiful bride that day
and all the smiles
that everyone sent her way.
She remembered those first years,
all the struggles they had
and how alive and happy
both of them had been.
She remembered the first dark cloud
that circled overhead
and all the questions that swirled around her head.
How she had accused him
of being untrue to her.
He de-neighed every word,
said she had spoken out of haste
and never let him explain.
A dark cloud of suspicions
whether they were right or wrong
clouded her true vision of what was going on.
She became quick tempered,
snapping at everything he said.
The dark clouds grew ever more darker,
until she was blinded to the truth in front of her.
He was not doing anything
that was wrong,
only working long hours
to keep his family fed.
Then she got the call everyone dread to hear,
there had been an accident
in which he was involved.
They didn’t know how serious,
only she should get to the hospital quick.
The dark clouds evaporated
as she rushed to the hospital
only to find that he was dead.
She remembered all the things
she had accused him of
and how he had strongly de-neighed
and remembered all the hurtful things
she said to him each day.
How she hadn’t even said goodbye
on the day he died.
At the inquest it came out
it was a lack of concentration
that had lead to the accident.
She could never forgive herself
for what she had done to him.
She tried to stay in the house,
the house they called their home.
Every room held a memory
of how cruel she had been to him.
How the green-eyed monster
of jealousy had crossed her path.
Day after day, she tried to cope
with all the wrong she had done.
All the walls seem to point a finger of shame at her.
No longer could she stand it,
she had to get away.
She packed everything she needed,
locked the door and walked away.
She took a long last look across the valley
at what her anger and shame
was about to take away.
As she remembered all the good times,
more tears fell from her eyes.
She turned away as the bus
came to a halt at the stop.
She paused for a moment
as she climbed aboard
and wondered if one day
she might ever return.
21 January 2008
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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To Nannette Falk-Auerbach
Oft as I hear thee, wrapt in heavenly art,
The massive message of Beethoven tell
With thy ten fingers to the people's heart
As if ten tongues told news of heaven and hell, --
Gazing on thee, I mark that not alone,
Ah, not alone, thou sittest: there, by thee,
Beethoven's self, dear living lord of tone,
Doth stand and smile upon thy mastery.
Full fain and fatherly his great eyes glow:
He says, "From Heaven, my child, I heard thee call
(For, where an artist plays, the sky is low):
Yea, since my lonesome life did lack love's all,
In death, God gives me thee: thus, quit of pain,
Daughter, Nannette! in thee I live again."
poem by Sidney Lanier
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