Poem of the Week ~ Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIII

This week I have found myself pining for the true classics, and Shakespeare is difficult to beat in this respect.  In flipping through a newly acquired book of his complete sonnets, I found the well-known "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" and felt that it speaks to the mixed feelings that come with late summer: a wistfulness for the gentle balm of heat, the unique golden-ness of summer sunlight, and gentle breezes. . .combined with the increasing motivation for productivity, as school begins and schedules fill up far more quickly than one expects, though this happens every year.  This sonnet perfectly illustrates this time of transition with its allusion to aging and the changing of seasons, as well.  Of course this sonnet (as so many of them do) addresses a lover, giving it a purpose that infuses this description of the season with love.  A simple yet profoundly deep and beautiful truth.

"Sonnet XVIII"

William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summers lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest;

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 

Do you like Shakespearean sonnets?

Have you ever attempted to write in sonnet form?

Literary Inclinations ~ In Pursuit of Happiness: An Aristotelian Appreciation of Jane Austen

 Below is the introduction of an intriguing series I found a few months ago through a blog that I follow that focuses on Austen in relation to Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, and I found it to be both interesting and enlightening, returning to it time and again in the intervening months since discovering it.

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Jane Austen novels are full of silliness and romance. However little known the merits of these works upon a first perusal, this truth is so well fixed in the mind of the reader, that they are considered as the rightful property of young women fixated upon a bygone era of balls and dresses with hardly any serious merit to recommend them to the reader of more practical and serious taste.

While the truthiness of such a claim may, in fact, be unassailable, the truth of this statement can hardly be considered as such. When Lionel Trilling offered a seminar on the works of Jane Austen at Columbia in 1973, he had to sit through two-and-a-half days of interviews in order to whittle a field of 150 interested students down to a more manageable maximum of 40. You very well may ask how many of those prospective students were young men, but, as a professor of mine once responded to such a question, this was Columbia in the 1970s; they were, most probably, nearly all men! Trilling himself relates that the ranks of these prospective students included more than one graduate student who ardently made his case to be allowed in the class.

So, what’s the big deal about Jane Austen? Why would anyone with half a brain, let alone someone seriously dedicated to the study of divine truth, care two straws about such novels? Unlike Trilling who concluded that the moral values portrayed in Austen’s novels were invariably a product of her era, I am convinced that these values have a timeless character, just as the novels have a transcendent appeal.

As the title of this introduction and the Dominican authorship of these posts suggest, Aquinas and Aristotle play no small part in my appreciation of the works of Jane Austen. Throughout this series, I hope to illustrate how many of the values found in Austen’s works belong just as much to the medieval and classical periods as her own. By showing how the virtues espoused by Austen’s heroines conform to a much earlier tradition, I hope to lead the reader to suspect that these values are just as applicable today. These works are not simply food for romantic fantasies. They provide us with serious and thoughtful reflections on how virtue ought to be lived out, particularly in regard to our relationships with others.

Br. Aquinas Beale is originally from West Virginia, and studied Political Science at the University of Virginia, receiving a Master's degree in 2010. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2011.

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"How do I lead a good and happy life?"

Given the prominence of British authors and illustrators I have featured here thus far, it should come as no surprise that today's featured writer is Jane Austen (1775-1817).  In a time and place that largely promotes a destructive and demeaning form of feminism, I found the author's perspective on Austen heroines quite refreshing.  He emphasizes the heroine's drive to do that which is truly good, which leads them to a happiness solidly based in virtue by the conclusion of the novel.  Having taken multiple university-level classes either solely or partially focused on Jane Austen, I can attest to the rarity of of this perspective, a rarity I consider unjust to Austen, as she was a very devout Christian and seemingly deliberately infused her work with Christian themes.  

In Pursuit of Happiness: An Aristotelian Appreciation of Jane Austen

What are your thoughts on this piece?

What themes in Austen's work tend to strike you most?

Poem of the Week ~ Gerard Manley Hopkins' God's Grandeur

This week I've been thinking about my favorite Catholic poets, and my mind has repeatedly returned to Gerard Manley Hopkins, a 19th century British Jesuit.  His collection is rather extensive, but "God's Grandeur" has long stood apart as a favorite of mine.  It reminds me of the Eternity that is God and that every part of the world is infused with Him.  He will remain constant in His Love.

"God's Grandeur"

Gerard Manley Hopkins

(1844-1889)

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs--

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and ah! bright wings.

Do you have a favorite poet? 

Have you read any poems by Hopkins?

Illustrative Inspiration ~ Beatrix Potter

One of my all-time favorite authors and illustrators is Beatrix Potter.  I truly identify with her love for animals, writing, illustrating, and nature.  From the little I know about her, I tend to view her as my British counterpart (more so than Jane Austen, whose works I love, but whose wit and sarcasm I doubt I could ever live up to).  Her illustrations in particular resonate with me.  Their warmth and light comfort me, and the stories they convey more often than not make me smile.  While not in league with the famous artists about whom we learn in school, I think her artwork is just as valid, even if in a different way.  After all, one of the primary purposes of art is to elicit reactions and emotions from the viewer, yes?  Beatrix Potter's work certainly accomplishes that in my case, and I don't doubt that she will continue to do so in others' for some time to come.

Are you familiar with the works of Beatrix Potter?
Do you have a favorite illustration?  

Poem of the Week ~ Louisa May Alcott's Fairy Song

While known widely for Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was also a talented poet.  Below is one of my favorites of hers; I enjoy its whimsy and lightheartedness.  Reading it stirs the whispers of my imagination and reminds me of the importance of cultivating child-like wonder.

"Fairy Song"

Louisa May Alcott 
(1832-1888)

The moonlight fades from flower and rose

And the stars dim one by one;

The tale is told, the song is sung,

And the Fairy feast is done.

The night-wind rocks the sleeping flowers,

And sings to them, soft and low.

The early birds erelong will wake:

'Tis time for the Elves to go,

O'er the sleeping earth we silently pass,

Unseen by mortal eye,

And send sweet dreams, as we lightly float

Through the quiet moonlit sky;--

For the stars' soft eyes alone may see,

And the flowers alone may know,

The feasts we hold, the tales we tell;

So 'tis time for the Elves to go.

From bird, and blossom, and bee,

We learn the lessons they teach;

And seek, by kindly deeds, to win

A loving friend in each.

And though unseen on earth we dwell,

Sweet voices whisper low,

And gentle hearts most joyously greet

The Elves where'er they go.

When next we meet in the Fairy dell,

May the silver moon's soft light

Shine then on faces gay as now,

And Elfin hearts as light

Now spread each wing, for the eastern sky

With sunlight soon shall glow.

The morning star shall light us home:

Farewell! for the Elves must go.

                                                                                                                  1848, 1854

In what ways does this poem resonate with you? 
Do you have a favorite fairy tale?

Summer Love

 “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

-Henry James 

 

Lately I've been struggling to keep up with reading the different blogs that I follow.  When I stopped to think about why this might be, I realized that the main reason is that I don't much feel like reading about others complain about the heat that accompanies summertime.  While I continue to draw inspiration from other writers, their posts over the past two months have yet to leave out at least one complaint about the heat.  Now, I completely understand the difficulties that the heat tends to impose on people in certain situations, but I also think that to every negative there is a corresponding positive.  I have slowly learned this over the past few years, during which I've improved my ability to turn any form and degree of suffering into good.  While I can appreciate one's desire for the arrival of autumn (and with it cooler temperatures), I also find merit in being thankful for the present.  Looking forward to the future--near or far--is a natural part of being human, a natural result of our pining for God in this world, but I know that I benefit from counting the blessings I have at this moment in time, and I think others might, as well.  In regards to the seasons in particular, I have found that I don't have a favorite one, for I just begin to feel ready for the next one by the time it arrives, finding new beauty to love in each one, which speaks to God's ever-infinite wisdom in creating this beautiful cycle of nature.

If ever you feel like complaining about the heat that comes with summer, I encourage you to think about the beauty that comes with it as well, such as: gardening, warm evenings, long-lasting daylight, wildflowers, sunshine, thunderstorms, rain showers, full greenery, light clothing, dancing outside. . .and the overall magic of it all.

Feel free to take a look at my {Summer Inspiration} Pinterest board for additional visual inspiration!

 "For every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven."

-Ecclesiastes 3:1

How do you feel about summer?

Do you have a favorite season?

Poem of the Week ~ Psalm 104

During my morning prayers today, I came across a lovely compilation of verses from Psalm 104.  The verses chosen in the August edition of Magnificat come together in a beautiful weaving of images that so poignantly speak to the rich vibrancy and growth found in nature during this time of the year.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

Lord God, how great you are!

You make the grass grow for the cattle

and the plants to serve man's needs,

that he may bring forth bread from the earth

and wine to cheer man's heart;

oil, to make him glad

and bread to strengthen man's heart.

The trees of the Lord drink their fill,

the cedars he planted on Lebanon;

there the birds build their nests:

on the tree-top the stork has her home.

The goats find a home on the mountains

and rabbits hide in the rocks.

I will sing to the Lord all my life,

make music to my God while I live.

May my thoughts be pleasing to him.

I find my joy in the Lord.

Bless the Lord, my soul.

-Psalm 104: 1, 14, 18, 33-34, 35b

What do you think of this arrangement?

How does it make you feel when you read it?

Poem of the Week ~ Tir Eolas' Aida

While this week's poem is technically a song, I find that many of the qualities of each form are interchangeable.  I recently discovered the group Tir Eolas, and listening to this song in particular lifts my spirits.

What do you think of this song?
What are your thoughts on the link between song and poetry?

Happy August!