on this day
everything is holding its place
under the clouds
my body turns
my mind holds still
one hand earthward
the other towards the sky
until
the entire detail
of everything
that is
floods through
the sky above the roof
so blue, so calm!
a tree, above the roof
waves its crown.
the bell in the sky we see,
gently rings.
a bird in the tree over there
sings his complaint.
words excerpted from le ciel est, par-dessus le toit by paul verlaine
32 comments:
I love this post steven
thank you
Ah the glorious sky. What would we do without such a roof?
Hi! very beautiful sky.. lights are very nice..
It is grand that you have brought Paul Verlaine here. Thank you. Good morning.
~robert
Ha. Just posted. The word "turn" is in the title of my post as well. It's Imbolc, Candlemas, Groundhog Day ... the halfway point between solstice and equinox. The light is returning! Oh yeah.
Beautiful skies - I do hope you are not in for a deluge of snow though.
such gorgeous skies - even a little bit of light is beautiful, yes?
I grew up on the flat coastal plains and it is where I still live. flat land but huge sky! when I go to the mountains, the thing I miss the most is the sky.
such an amazing sky.....xx
some things are so beautiful that you have to just stop and stare for a while!
-sy
Again: breathtaking, words and pictures.
Magnificent photos, Steven.
The poetry is beautiful, but after today, I believe the birds have reason to "complaint!"
Promise to be careful on your excursions, Steven.
Your header photo alone would have been enough to make my day - Verlaine, too - smiles all round.
That amazing sky accompanying the turning world beneath.
Qu'as-tu fait, ô toi que voilà
Pleurant sans cesse,
Dis, qu'as-tu fait, toi que voilà,
De ta jeunesse ?
Years without reading this great poet.great excerption you've done.
That sky I must hold and make my shelter, today...
Thanks Steven.
D.
liza - it's a shared pleasure! steven
elisabeth - it's our most special leaky roof - it lets everything in! steven
matias - they are good lights!!! steven
robert - i think that verlaine is so clever and masterful and because the translations are so intriguing in their sometimes literal take on his words i'm drawn to the many doors and windows that his words provide. steven
reya - i knew about the turn today and it brought me to remember the turning of the mevlevi dervishes - especially the palm opened upwards to the sky and the other palm opened earthwards . . . nice to turn alongside you reya!!! steven
weaver it's fairly deep and of course it's very cold but i'm glad everyone i know is safe! steven
pauline - so very yes. every little ray is a gift!! steven
ellen - i love the big skies of north america but i wish to see the really big skies of the west. i want to see them from my bike. that's a big wish. but i'll ask it all the same. steven
kay yes and i'm so thrilled to have this place to share it!!! steven
sy - that's exactly my experience. sometimes as i walk along i'm called back or i'm drawn to a halt and i don't know why until i look around and realize what it is that i was meant to see and would otherwise miss. steven
friko - thankyou. we're very fortunate to have this place to celebrate our beautiful home. steven
jo - yes the poor birds, the squirrels, well they're all lying low. except one group of nine canada geese who at the height of the storm in almost white out conditions came from the west honking and holding formation. grey blurs - that's what i saw. but i could hear them talking. steven
rachel thankyou. i very much like the header photo myself. verlaine is an old new friend. i hope to work alongside his words some more. steven
aguja - yes they are hand-in-hand and connected beyond even that. steven
dulce thankyou for the lovely words!
"what hast thou done, o you that here
crying incessantly,
say, what did you do, you over there,
of your youth?"
steven
The cloud pictures looks very much like those in the skies artists of the romantic period would paint.
(early 18th century). The words of Verlaine circle me and pull me into his space. I was too stormed in today to notice the turning though.
My brother and I have been out shoveling snow all day. It will probably take the whole other half of the winter to melt all of it away.
Did you get the storm? TDSB (unbelievably) actually had a snow day.
Thanks for sharing this Steven. It gives a special feeling to an otherwise very busy day. =D
hi linda, these photographs are a few days old. the little part of the world you and i inhabit comes close to sharing weather of course. steven
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