Monday 2 March 2009

The Soft Light of Early Spring in Venice


"Sometimes
when he dozed,
he would bask
in the hazy, soft light
of Bellosguardo
in the early spring,

"the distances all misty,
feeling the sheer pleasure
of sunlight
on his face,

"sitting in a chair,
close to the wall of the old house
with the smell of wisteria
and early roses and jasmine.

"He would hope
when he woke
that the day would be like the dream,
that traces of the ease and the color
and the light would linger
at the edge of things
until night fell again.

Colm Tóibín, "The Master: A Novel"
(c) 2004 by Colm Tóibín

Quoted from page 3 -
Chapter One, January 1895 -
First Scribner Edition
New York 2004

Photographed in Venice
February 2009

20 comments:

  1. gorgeous
    I dream of Venice

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  2. Love the quote and the soft light and flowers.

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  3. Oh,such ephemeral images, Merisi! I want to go back to Venice. These are great sketching images. ;) Hope you're enjoying my favorite places.

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  4. I just love the way you have captured the emerging gondola and the accompanying words.

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  5. These photos are fabulous.

    I am reading so much about Venezia these days, dreaming I am there, just like in your photos......

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  6. I love how you brought those photos gradually into focus....lovely!

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  7. Great poetry...very interesting photos

    Your Daily Gif Blog

    DB

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  8. LOVE the photos and the text. But I thought Vienna was in Austria. These are pictures of Venice. ??

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  9. Beautiful and peaceful. Thank you for sharing.

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  10. Beautiful photos! Thx for sharing.

    Btw, I think every hour should be Vienna Coffee Hour (pics posted Feb 26)

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  11. Jujita,
    thank you -
    I share your dream! ;-)

    Arija,
    thank you -
    Tóibín is such a wonderful writer,
    isn't he?
    These were Camelias, blooming in the gardens of Palazzo Franchetti, home of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, by the Accademia bridge.

    A Brush with Color,
    oh Sue, I enjoyed every minute of my Venetian sojourn! What are your favorite places?

    Wandring Star,
    thank you -
    when I saw the gondoliere appearing out of the morning mist at Canale Grande, my brain started searching my memory bank for words to accompany the pictures. ;-)

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  12. Britt-Arnhild,
    thank you! :-)
    I've already started dreaming of my next visit.

    The Wanderers' Daughter,
    thank you! :-)

    Doublebanker,
    thank you! :-)

    Cheffie-Mom,
    you are welcome! :-)

    The Uneasy Writer,
    you are welcome! :-)

    I agree, Vienna Coffee Hour all day long! ;-)

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  13. Yes, Leenie,
    Vienna is the capital of Austria, however, every now and then I travel and share some of the impressions along the way. I hope you enjoy these postcards too!

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  14. Lordie!
    ! ! ! !

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  15. That is so neat. The coming into focus of the gondola.

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  16. By the way, that quote from Toibin -- have you read that book, The Master?
    It is superb. Was one of my top five favorite reads of 2008. And I just recently picked up his Mothers and Sons, collection of short stories. It is on deck.
    He is an awesome writer.

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  17. Merisi,
    Thank you for your beautiful photographs...they transport me from this relentless winter and bring the hope of spring.

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  18. Thank you for giving me new visions to add to my dreams of Italy. Again, they would make good writing prompts for a writing class. The setting is a bit mysterious and could provide for lots of creative ideas. How was your trip this time?
    ~Allie

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  19. How different does Venice look in the hazy light of Spring than it does in the summer! Thanks for sharing these pics.

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