Thursday 7 January 2010

Leaving


Give me a golden pen, and let me lean
On heaped-up flowers, in regions clear, and far;
Bring me a tablet whiter than a star,
Or hand of hymning angel, when 'tis seen
The silver strings of heavenly harp atween:

And let there glide by many a pearly car
Pink robes, and wavy hair, and diamond jar,
And half-discovered wings, and glances keen.

The while let music wander round my ears,
And as it reaches each delicious ending,
Let me write down a line of glorious tone,
And full of many wonders of the spheres:

For what a height my spirit is contending!
'Tis not content so soon to be alone.
*
"On Leaving Some Friends At An Early Hour"
By John Keats


Image locations:
Christmas Star
Gablonz glass bead ornament
Angel
Café Mozart
Das Christkind
Christ-Child
Demel
Christmas Tree
Jodok-Fink-Platz
Maria Treu
Angel Wings
flying high above the Christmas Market
between City Hall and Burgtheater

*

All Images
© by Merisi 2010

15 comments:

  1. You are peerless at matching (beautiful, beautiful) photographs to words. I love this post.

    I'm reading Andrew Motion's biography of Keats right now, in fact.

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  2. Beautiful photos. I like the sepia tones. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  3. Bee,
    this was sheer serendipity:
    I had selected the pictures, chosen the sequence, when all of a sudden that line about "pink robes, and wavy hair, and diamond jar, and half-discovered wings" appeared.

    Somehow I never managed to read Motion's biography. I have put it on my wish list now. Thank you for reminding me of that work!

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  4. De Lly Dilettante,
    you are welcome, my pleasure!

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  5. Wonderful! -- I can see that I need to go back and reread all of Keats -- he sounds amazingly modern, somehow.

    And I love that last wistful image of the little Christmas tree.

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  6. Breath taking! Just lovely in word and photo.

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  7. Thank you, Merisi, and also Bee, for reminding me that ... should I find those needed minutes, I can have yet another way to enhance the early days of this New Year. (Day off tomorrow ... might just get to the library!)

    Merisi, every single one of your Christmas/New Year seasonal photos has been a treat to see. I do hope that there are Those in Vienna who do know what you are doing, round the world, to encourage us all to flock to Vienna.

    It is quite wonderful to see, image after image, word after word, what it just might be to live in civilization in our lifetime.

    xo

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  8. everything is so yummy over here
    i do NOT need
    a sweet before bedtime!

    :-)

    thank you, merisi.


    {{ not extra walking tomorrow
    is needed }}

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  9. Hello Merisi. How gorgeous!

    Happy weekend.

    Regina

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  10. Sigh...Love Keats! Love also the color (tone?) of the photos--so ethereal.

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  11. oh wow... it looks like your pictures were written for these words...

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  12. Such a thoughtful post with beautifully matched photographs and poetry.

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  13. Very nice. the stark whites go well with the words.

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  14. Wonderful pictures and the most perfect poem to complement them.

    Thank you Merisi.

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  15. Gorgeous! Gold is my favorite Winter/Christmas color :)

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