Wednesday, March 10, 2010

the six bells of spring


the first bell is silver,
and breathing darkness i think only of the long scythe of time.


edward redfield a brook in winter


the second bell is crimson,
and i think of a holiday night, with rockets
furrowing the sky with red, and a soft shatter of stars.


james ensor fireworks



the third bell is saffron and slow,
and i behold a long sunset over the sea
with wall on wall of castled cloud and glittering balustrades.


henry moore sunset coast



the fourth bell is the colour of bronze,
i walk by a frozen lake in the dun light of dusk:
muffled crackings run in the ice,
trees creak, birds fly.


j.e.h. macdonald early evening winter



the fifth bell is cold clear azure,
delicately tinged with green:
one golden star hangs melting in it,
and towards this, sleepily, i go.


childe hassam the evening star


the sixth bell is as if a pebble
had been dropped into a deep sea far above me . . .

rings of sound ebb slowly into the silence.


childe hassam detail from "the west wind, isle of shoals"

18 comments:

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

I loved those last lines where the final bell is likened to a pebble in a pond but the poet turns us on our heads and places it in the sky with rings of sound...that is very clever use of imagery and as I read it I visualized the pealing bell rings floating through the universe....a fine mix of auditory and visual prompts and imagery .... wonderful

once again, you have found very good visual partners for the verses...

Happy days

Kay said...

I am stunned by the beauty in these words....they have filled my morning up 'til I hear a little crimson bell and feel a shattering of stars around me.....thanks for sharing..xx

Jeannette StG said...

I love the Macdonald painting as well as them poem. The sky is so expressive (sorry, impressive:) )

Golden West said...

I had never heard of the Group of Seven - so much to learn and so little time!

Dan Gurney said...

Ah, steven, you're the master of this form! Such a lovely post. I had not read that poem before. The image of a pebble dropped from above resonated with me, too. Isn't that what every little meteor is? Are we not more like fish than we wish to imagine? What water is to fish, our air is to us. We're bottom dwellers in the thin skin of air that covers our home.

P.S. I want to add my compliments, too, about the header photo. I want to sit there with you and talk.

ellen abbott said...

I don't usually like minimalist paintings but I truly love 'the evening star' by childe hassam. thanks for showing it to me.

Linda Sue said...

The art and verses are brilliantly put together- LOVE this beautiful post- Spring! Has a RING to it! I hope that your spring comes more quickly than not!Everything out of step here and the bees are having to wake early- so much to be done!

Meri said...

A soft shatter of stars -- that phrase will go everywhere I go today and keep me company. Thanks for that silibant surprise!

steven said...

hello meri! it's a really beautiful phrase. sometimes poems are reduced to that one phrase that sustains your knowing of this place or opens it up. i'm glad you found one here. steven

steven said...

hi linda sue! thankyou so much. there's more melting going on - internally and externally - and there are all sorts of birds. i've seen no green growth yet but i have learned to be patient. you see there's always more snow in late march. always!!! steven

steven said...

ellen - i'm glad you appreciate it. i'm sharing more of hassam's work when it fits. steven

steven said...

dan - sitting on that bench and talking - wow! what an idea. could there be a day long enough?! steven

steven said...

golden west - dig dig dig and mine the internet for more!!! they are amazing artists!!!! check out emily carr as well. she should have been with but was born a woman......... so wrong but that's the truth. steven

steven said...

jeanette - expressively impressive! i get it. steven

steven said...

kay it's such a beautiful poem. i'm really glad you liked it. steven

steven said...

delwyn - exactly! how good is that?! the bell pealing rings of sound into the sky and then onwards into the eternity of all that is. have a lovely day. steven

Rima Staines said...

What a delightful blog to stumble across :) what beautiful words and thoughts!
Bests to you
Rima

steven said...

rima - welcome and i'm glad we finally crossed paths! your blog and website are like a home away from home!! how happymaking! thanks for your bests!! steven