Friday 31 October 2008

Halloween Special: Lady Button-Eyes in Tuscany


When the busy day is done,
And my weary little one
Rocketh gently to and fro;
When the night winds softly blow,
And the crickets in the glen
Chirp and chirp and chirp again;
When upon the haunted green
Fairies dance around their queen -
Then from yonder misty skies
Cometh Lady Button-Eyes.


Through the murk and mist and gloam
To our quiet, cozy home,
Where to singing, sweet and low,
Rocks a cradle to and fro;
Where the clock's dull monotone
Telleth of the day that's done;
Where the moonbeams hover o'er
Playthings sleeping on the floor -
Where my weary wee one lies
Cometh Lady Button-Eyes
.

Cometh like a fleeting ghost
From some distant eerie coast;
Never footfall can you hear
As that spirit fareth near -
Never whisper, never word
From that shadow-queen is heard.
In ethereal raiment dight,
From the realm of fay and sprite
In the depth of yonder skies
Cometh Lady Button-Eyes.


Layeth she her hands upon
My dear weary little one,
And those white hands overspread
Like a veil the curly head,
Seem to fondle and caress
Every little silken tress;
Then she smooths the eyelids down
Over those two eyes of brown -
In such soothing, tender wise
Cometh Lady Button-Eyes
.

Dearest, feel upon your brow
That caressing magic now;
For the crickets in the glen
Chirp and chirp and chirp again,
While upon the haunted green
Fairies dance around their queen,
And the moonbeams hover o'er
Playthings sleeping on the floor -
Hush, my sweet! from yonder skies
Cometh Lady Button-Eyes
!

*

This is a poem by the American writer Eugene Field.
Field was born in 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Have you ever listened to or hummed
his lullaby "Little Boy Blue"?


The eyes I am showing you here
stared at me
in the hills of San Polo in Chianti,
Tuscany, Italy,
little more than a week ago.
Click on the image above,
to see the little wooden shed
where they were hiding.
If you dare! ;-)
.


19 comments:

  1. Wah! I wouldn't want to encounter those eyes in the dark!

    What an absolutely brilliantly constructed post! I loved the poems behind the pictures!

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  2. I have heard the lullaby, but my singing it would scare people. I love the poetry you choose to go with the photos...

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  3. This is so masterfully put together. The sections of the poem with the stunning "eyes" make this so fascinating.
    Perfect for Halloween.
    I have gotten some comments from my friends about the skeleton. They wonder why I posted such a scary thing. The skeleton was part of a display at the Medical Museum in Auburn, California. I thought it would be a fun, slightly off kilter post from such a conservative person. I really don't care for all the ghoulish stuff of halloween. Don't believe in it but I do like just giving love to the kids that come to my door.

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  4. Which comes first, the photos or the text? How you put the two together so brilliantly just amazes me! A perfect post for Halloween.
    ~Allie

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  5. What a magical and strange poem.
    Just the ticket for Halloween.
    Greetings from New York.

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  6. Great poem with your beautiful photography illustrating the pros!
    Happy Halloween friend!
    Love the hideout!!
    Have a wonderful day and weekend Merici!

    xox
    Constance

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  7. Fabulous sets of eyes, and how perfect for Halloween! What a fun post. Beautiful as always, and interesting. I love the accompanying poem, too...

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  8. great photos- I saw eyes staring at me from a tree in Montparnasse cemetery..then I saw a whole face in the truck of the tree!

    Wandring star- I agree with your opening comment

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  9. That's a poem I am not familiar with, but perfect for today! And what great knot-holes. I loved the close-up of the shed - it does indeed look like various pairs of eyes peering from that wood - in a fun, creepy way.

    Thanks for sharing. :-)

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  10. Perfect photos to fit the poetry's musical lines.

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  11. wandring star,
    thank you. :-)
    I imagine that, on your wandrings, you have many a close encounter.

    rambling woods,
    can you imagine at all singing a lullaby with these kind of lyrics to a child beyond the infant stage? ;-)

    photowannabe,
    oh, I found that skeleton hilarious (after all, I do live in a city which is known for the rather interesting interrelation ship cultivated here with death and humor *grin*). Like you, I quite enjoyed all those kids coming by. We used to have a "Silent Dinner" on our frontlawn, eating and drinking by candle light with our neighbors until 10pm sharp. It was always such warm fun. I miss that.

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  12. Very great shots ! the wood is BEAUTIFUL !

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  13. Allie,
    thank you. :-)

    How I put them together? Oh, there are almost as many ways as there are posts! ;-)

    In this case, the pictures came first, and I shot them with the intent of using them for Halloween.
    While loading them onto the blog yesterday, I remembered the "Cometh Lady Button-Eyes". Thanks to Google, I found the whole text. ;-)

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  14. Thank you all for your comments and greetings! I hope you all enjoyed a nice evening with the ghosts and goblins. ;-)

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  15. Very effective eyes in your photos. Came over from David's. Congratulations on POTD.

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  16. Merisi: What a fantastic Halloween post.The single eye pictures were really quite scary...couldn't stay in that cabin alone. Congratulations on your award from the NG...well deserved...and your POTD

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  17. Oh Sweetie! I saw owls and an elephant eye, I saw food for the gods and more in this post. You capture heaven with such ease! Congratulations on Post of the Day mention and for your mention in the Travel Magazine! Your talent is appreciated by all...
    hugs
    Sandi

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  18. Wow! Love the photography and what a great poem!

    Happy POTD!

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  19. Hi Merisi -
    This is the 4th time I've visited this post! Just can't get enough of it! I love the surprise of the beautifully scary cabin at the end!
    Catherine

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