WS Merwin - Worn Words

The late poems are the ones
I turn to first now
following a hope that keeps
beckoning me
waiting somewhere in the lines
almost in plain sight.

it is the late poems
that are made of words
that have come the whole way
they have been there.

WS Merwin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WS_Merwin


 

WS Merwin - The Pinnacle

Both of us understood
what a privilege it was
to be out for a walk
with each other
we could tell from our different
heights that this
kind of thing happened
so rarely that it might
not come round again
for me to be allowed
even before I
had started school
to go out for a walk
with Miss Giles
who had just retired
from being a teacher all her life.

she was beautiful
in her camel hair coat
that seemed like the autumn leaves
our walk was her idea
we liked listening to each other
her voice was soft and sure
and we went our favorite way
the first time just in case
it was the only time
even though it might be too far
we went all the way
up the Palisades to the place
we called the pinnacle
with its park at the cliff's edge
overlooking the river
it was already a secret
the pinnacle
as we were walking back
when the time was later
than we had realized
and in fact no one
seemed to know where we had been
even when she told them
no one had heard of the pinnacle.

and then where did she go.

by WS Merwin
from The Shadow of Sirius
Copper Canyon Press, 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WS_Merwin


 

Ralph Waldo Emerson - Concord Hymn

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument, April 19th, 1836

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord_Hymn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_North_Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson


By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream that seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.


Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key early American philospher, poet and writer, particularly known for his appreciation of individualism, self-reliance and intuition. He wrote this poem, which was sung as a hymn at a July 4, 1837 ceremony to mark the completion of the Concord Monument, to immortalize the resistance of American Minutemen to British forces on April 19, 1775. The poem's phrase "shot heard round the world" is now internationally famous for its description of the philosphical importance of the American revolution.

The North Bridge, often colloquially called the Old North Bridge, across the Concord River in Concord, Massachusetts, is a historical site in the Battle of Concord, the first day of battle in the Revolutionary War. The bridge is located off Monument Street in Concord. It spans the Concord River.

Farewell Sonnet

Sonnet II: Farewell Song

by Sukasah Syahdan

Let me for somewhere I should stroll
Bid thee farewell. You, eternal wonder
that enthralls my soul, will always tolls
like a muezzin’s serene call yonder.
Who can really reckon the lines on the palm?
But I must believe in voices that compel
That at the end of the tunnel, a day will come
When I know: this farewell fares us well.
The ominous hands of Time and Distance
(That once taught us to paint desire)
Shall make us yearn at each other's absence
Yet they'll see how immortal we are.
Our moments together have tuned a song
A sacred one for each of us to sing alone.

This is my prayer...

Hillsong United - Desert Song 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgUUeQh0CQ

Desert Song Lyrics 

by Hillsong

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides.

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames.

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand.

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship.

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow.