Think I'll go out to Alberta

At the end of the rainbow is a glimmering girl

W.B. Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and Nobel Laureate for literature in 1923. This poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," was written by him. It reflects my mood. Aengus is a figure from Irish mythology, who is said to have been a god of love and youth and poetic inspiration. He had four birds symbolizing kisses hovering around him and, according to legend, those of you who put "xxxx" at the close of your letters to represent kisses are emulating those birds. When he found his true love, they flew off together as a pair of swans, singing songs that put all who listened to sleep for three days and nights. See, you learned something today.

Went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;

And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

The Song of the Wandering Aengus
By W.B. Yeats

Weather's good there in the fall

This song, "Four Strong Winds," is considered sort of an anthem by many Canadians. The melody is absolutely beautiful, and the words are as true as any ever written. It reflects my mood. It is sung here by the man who wrote it, Canadian Ian Tyson, along with his wife, Sylvia. During the concluding few seconds of the piece, they are joined on stage by Murray McLauchlin, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot and Emmylou Harris. The recording is from a 1986 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television production.