Once upon a time, in a world long ago and far away ....Here roams the (blue-eyed) wolf
Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak,
Birds, beasts of prey, and wilder men appear,
And gathering storms around convulse the closing year.
Now Harold felt himself at length alone,
And bade to Christian tongues a long adieu;
Now he adventur'd on a shore unknown,
Which all admire, but many dread to view:
His breast was arm'd 'gainst fate, his wants were few;
Peril he sought not, but ne'er shrank to meet,
The scene was savage, but the scene was new;
This made the ceaseless toil of travel sweet,
Beat back keen winter's blast, and welcom'd summer's heat.
Here in the sultriest season let him rest,
Fresh is the green beneath those aged trees;
Here winds of gentlest wing will fan his breast,
From heaven itself he may inhale the breeze:
The plain is far beneath--oh! let him seize
Pure pleasure while he can; the scorching ray
Here pierceth not, impregnate with disease:
Then let his length the loitering pilgrim lay,
And gaze, untired, the morn, the noon, the eve away.
Epirus' bounds recede, and mountains fail;
Tir'd of up-gazing still, the wearied eye
Reposes gladly on as smooth a vale
As ever Spring yclad in grassy dye:
Ev'n on a plain no humble beauties lie,
Where some bold river breaks the long expanse,
And woods along the banks are waving high,
Whose shadows in the glassy waters dance,
Or with the moon-beam sleep in midnight's solemn trance.
A few lines from
"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
By George Gordon, Lord Byron
This is largely an autobiographical, narrative poem that tells the story of a man's disillusionment with life within a self-indulgent, self-absorbed society, and his search for fulfillment as he traveled through countries foreign to his birthland exactly 200 years ago at this very moment.
2 comments:
Fram, that is one scary wolf...and he needs to have his teeth cleaned...LOL
Very cool words from Byron. They bring beautiful images into my mind. 200 years later his words still relevant and speak to many a man's heart.
I think we all feel disillusionment at times with life as we do live in an extremely self-indulgent society and it is disheartening. We make choices that sometimes work for us and sometimes not. Sometimes, like Harold, we need an adventure to remind us that life, although filled with bumps in the road, is still so worth living and truly is a very beautiful place.
Going away and being quiet helps to give us that re-set...at least it works for me :)
I love Man Behind Blue Eyes...great song! I have it on some of my playlists :)))
Love, a big Hug and two kisses, one for each cheek, Fram the Wolf :)
Kelly
PS: If you make it to Florida you will have to go see my Ex and take a cruise on his boat! He seems to do a lot of very fun things...LOL
Have a Happy Weekend :)
Lord Byron was the coolest of the cool, then and still, I think, Kelly, and his poetry markedly superior to that of his contemporaries, from my point of view. You might recall from my posts last winter, Missolonghi, in Greece, where he died, is one travel destination I have lined up in my sights.
On the subject of the coolest of the cool, The Who also belong in that realm, I think. I once attended a concert in the band's sort of early days, beginning it up front with Roger Daltry's microphone whistling over our heads as he swung it in 30-foot arcs, and ending it in the furthest reaches of the balcony in blissful near-privacy for our small group.
Watch Pete Townsend's interpretation of "Behind Blue Eyes," if you did not before. It changes the song in many ways.
Travel often improves one's perspective, which is what I need right now. In 2004-2005, I spent three weeks in Europe, then six months wandering the U.S. and then another six months in a distant state before returning to Minnesota. Time to try again, with no return to here.
Might it be your ex-husband would be interested in making a run to the coast of Europe with his boat? I would be glad to hitch along on that voyage, and save an air fare.
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