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.
18 comments:
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
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
I love the Macdonald painting as well as them poem. The sky is so expressive (sorry, impressive:) )
I had never heard of the Group of Seven - so much to learn and so little time!
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.
I don't usually like minimalist paintings but I truly love 'the evening star' by childe hassam. thanks for showing it to me.
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!
A soft shatter of stars -- that phrase will go everywhere I go today and keep me company. Thanks for that silibant surprise!
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
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
ellen - i'm glad you appreciate it. i'm sharing more of hassam's work when it fits. steven
dan - sitting on that bench and talking - wow! what an idea. could there be a day long enough?! steven
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
jeanette - expressively impressive! i get it. steven
kay it's such a beautiful poem. i'm really glad you liked it. steven
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
What a delightful blog to stumble across :) what beautiful words and thoughts!
Bests to you
Rima
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
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