I've not written anything in an ages! I've been mulling over several different things to talk about... I have a whopper of a post brewing about feminism which I'll make a separate post for, and there are several things I'd just like to share that I love at the moment! It's probably incredibly sycophantic of me to make a post about 'things I love' but I just feel the need to spread some things and maybe introduce them to someone else (not that anyone who doesn't know me already will be reading this but never mind!)
First up I have been listening to a lady called Agnes Obel, she's Scandinavian so an instant winner, and her music is amazing, she plays the piano so bloody well and I literally can't stop listening to her. Another artist I've been listening to is Joe Banfi who is now called Banfi Music I think...
I found a poem called The Reading Mother by Strickland Gillilan, which is just so brilliant and I really love the idea of it, I shared it with my mum and it is so true, a mother who reads to you as a child is unlike anything else. I'm so lucky to have had such an incredible mama and I don't say enough how much I appreciate that she still looks after me even at the ripe ol age of almost 22.
In the poetry vein... I discovered a love letter which John Keats wrote to a woman called Fanny Brawne, he said:
My dearest Girl,
This moment I have set myself to copy some verses out fair. I cannot proceed with any degree of content. I must write you a line or two and see if that will assist in dismissing you from my Mind for ever so short a time. Upon my Soul I can think of nothing else — The time is passed when I had power to advise and warn you against the unpromising morning of my Life — My love has made me selfish. I cannot exist without you — I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again — my Life seems to stop there — I see no further. You have absorb’d me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving—I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you. I should be afraid to separate myself far from you. My sweet Fanny, will your heart never change? My love, will it? I have no limit now to my love — Your note came in just here — I cannot be happier away from you — ’T is richer than an Argosy of Pearles. Do not threat me even in jest. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion — I have shudder’d at it — I shudder no more. I could be martyr’d for my Religion — Love is my religion — I could die for that — I could die for you. My Creed is Love and you are its only tenet — You have ravish’d me away by a Power I cannot resist; and yet I could resist till I saw you; and even since I have seen you I have endeavoured often “to reason against the reasons of my Love.” I can do that no more — the pain would be too great — My Love is selfish. I cannot breathe without you.
Yours for ever
John Keats
I can't over express how much I love these two lines, they are so beautiful:
- 'Love is my religion — I could die for that — I could die for you. My Creed is Love and you are its only tenet...'
- 'My Love is selfish. I cannot breathe without you.' I think the fact that he died before they could be married makes it all the more heartbreaking...
An article from a little while ago was retweeted onto my feed and I loved it, I thought by the title that it was going to be similar to many other rather stereotypical articles that I've read with similar names. There are so many pieces written explaining things that women wish men knew... And they more often than not, tend to be sickable, this however is funny, charming, incredibly true, and not at all done in a way to seem attractive and mysterious. It is literally twelve things that women do but won't ever tell you. It is written by Caitlin Moran and it's very witty and entertaining so enjoy! '12 Things About Being A Woman That Women Won't Tell You.'
Tomorrow it will be five months to the day that I stopped eating meat so that's a happy celebration, and today I had a buttload of blood taken from my arm after the lady couldn't take any from my hand (to check my vitamins) so I'm feeling rather sorry for myself! It's pitteling down outside so I fully intend on not moving from my bed, eating pesto pasta and watching some crappy film or another!
I can only apologise for this self absorbed style post. I felt that I needed to post something and sharing a few of these things was what sprang to mind! If nothing else I hope you enjoy the things I have shared, and have the best month ever!
"Every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name."
Liz Weir and Mark Constantine – the co-founders of LUSH. They began their journey with several small cosmetic
companies, which saw every extreme, from becoming involved with the Body Shop;
to underestimating the amount of orders they were to have – resulting in failure
to meet the public’s demands.
The co-founders are life-long friends and have always strived to use fresh and innovative ingredients in order to bring chemical free
cosmetics to the market and push against many mainstream and cheaper options. Their
business has been their life’s work and they have poured their whole souls into creating
a fair-trade, cruelty free and ethically sourced cosmetic company. LUSH appeals to everyone, not just people who choose to use animal-free ingredients. They are incredibly aesthetically pleasing and they create wonderful products that meet the needs of their market. I feel that in many places especially the UK and America there are growing concerns about how we treat our bodies and an awareness of the chemicals we consume and use in things like shampoos and body wash. LUSH has seen a great success for years, however over the last couple of years interest in the concept of the company has grown as more members of the public are drawn in by the promise not only of chemical free and ethical cosmetics, but also product quality.
Above all however, I find the relationship they built with the public fascinating, from their very first venture people have adored and supported them along their journey. In the early days many of their returning customers would say; ‘Here is £10, what do you want me to buy?’ They set the bar incredibly high by refusing to adhere to the norm - they seek options that other companies miss. To me they are an incredibly charming example that stands to prove that if you have enough inspiration, passion, kindness and determination you can achieve your ambitions while making friends along the way.
Above all however, I find the relationship they built with the public fascinating, from their very first venture people have adored and supported them along their journey. In the early days many of their returning customers would say; ‘Here is £10, what do you want me to buy?’ They set the bar incredibly high by refusing to adhere to the norm - they seek options that other companies miss. To me they are an incredibly charming example that stands to prove that if you have enough inspiration, passion, kindness and determination you can achieve your ambitions while making friends along the way.
Who knew Tolkien stole Dwarf names from the Vikings?!
So some of you may, or may not, be aware, that today is in fact national poetry day. I study English and obviously love it with all my heart, so I thought I'd compile a post with some of my favourite poems in. A few of them are really long so for some I'll just put my favourite parts in. I'm sure this post will be super boring to everyone who decides to read it as its personal to me, but its fun for me and so I'm doing it. So there.
First up (and in no particular order), drum roll please...
'In an Artist's Studio' by Christina Rossetti:
I absolutely LOVE this poem. It is about Lizzie Siddal and her husband Dante Gabriel Rossetti who was a Pre Raphaelite painter. Lizzie was his muse and her face features on nearly all of his paintings of women. I particularly love the lines 'He feeds upon her face by day and night', and 'One face looks out from all his canvases'. It really gives me an insight into their relationship and what it must have been like in the opinion of an outsider like Christina Rossetti.
Secondly...
'Daddy' by Sylvia Plath:
This is a really long poem and I was just going to put a hyperlink in to the poem online, but I just couldn't pick out my favourite bits so I'll just put it all in hehehehe:
Whew!! I know that is super long and I'm not surprised if you aren't even reading this part because in
frustration you closed the tab at the ginormous and irrelevant poem! But I do find it interesting, call
me a nerd. Here is a hyperlink in case anyone shares my interest and wants to have a look at the
footnotes (which explain some of the words and meanings of the stanzas). Voluspo.
First up (and in no particular order), drum roll please...
'In an Artist's Studio' by Christina Rossetti:
One face looks out from all his canvases,
One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans:
We found her hidden just behind those screens,
That mirror gave back all her loveliness.
A queen in opal or in ruby dress,
A nameless girl in freshest summer-greens,
A saint, an angel — every canvas means
The same one meaning, neither more or less.
He feeds upon her face by day and night,
And she with true kind eyes looks back on him,
Fair as the moon and joyful as the light:
Not wan with waiting, not with sorrow dim;
Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright;
Not as she is, but as she fills his dream.
I absolutely LOVE this poem. It is about Lizzie Siddal and her husband Dante Gabriel Rossetti who was a Pre Raphaelite painter. Lizzie was his muse and her face features on nearly all of his paintings of women. I particularly love the lines 'He feeds upon her face by day and night', and 'One face looks out from all his canvases'. It really gives me an insight into their relationship and what it must have been like in the opinion of an outsider like Christina Rossetti.
Secondly...
'Daddy' by Sylvia Plath:
This is a really long poem and I was just going to put a hyperlink in to the poem online, but I just couldn't pick out my favourite bits so I'll just put it all in hehehehe:
You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot
For thirty years, poor and white,
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.
Daddy, I have had to kill you.
You died before I had time—
Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,
Ghastly statue with one gray toe
Big as a Frisco seal
And a head in the freakish Atlantic
Where it pours bean green over blue
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.
In the German tongue, in the Polish town
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.
My Polack friend
Says there are a dozen or two.
So I never could tell where you
Put your foot, your root,
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.
It stuck in a barb wire snare.
Ich, ich, ich, ich,
I could hardly speak.
I thought every German was you.
And the language obscene
An engine, an engine
Chuffing me off like a Jew.
A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.
I began to talk like a Jew.
I think I may well be a Jew.
The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna
Are not very pure or true.
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew.
I have always been scared of you,
With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.
And your neat mustache
And your Aryan eye, bright blue.
Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You——
Not God but a swastika
So black no sky could squeak through.
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.
You stand at the blackboard, daddy,
In the picture I have of you,
A cleft in your chin instead of your foot
But no less a devil for that, no not
Any less the black man who
Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do.
But they pulled me out of the sack,
And they stuck me together with glue.
And then I knew what to do.
I made a model of you,
A man in black with a Meinkampf look
And a love of the rack and the screw.
And I said I do, I do.
So daddy, I’m finally through.
The black telephone’s off at the root,
The voices just can’t worm through.
If I’ve killed one man, I’ve killed two——
The vampire who said he was you
And drank my blood for a year,
Seven years, if you want to know.
Daddy, you can lie back now.
There’s a stake in your fat black heart
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through.
Everyone knows that Plath had a pretty miserable life, she had some super happy points but she
struggled with depression for most of her life and eventually killed herself when she was 30.
This poem clearly shows the relationship between herself and her father and although I don't know
much about this relationship, I find it a really dark poem. I find the connotations of Nazi Germany to
be so powerful, and the way the poem slides from talking about her father to referring to the man she
married who was a carbon copy of the person her father had been. I love the lines: ; 'Every woman
adores a Fascist,' and 'Bit my pretty red heard in two.' Also, 'I made a model of you, A man in black
with a Meinkampf look And a love of the rack and the screw.' Its so vicious and yet so beautiful, it
makes me want to cry, not just because of the references to the Nazi's but also because of her pure
and raw confessions.
Next is a poem that I find so interesting, it is the first poem of many in the Poetic Edda, a collection
of poems that are Old Norse, so basically Viking times. The religion at the time was that of Odin who
bargained his eye for knowledge, and Thor who we all think of today as Chris Hemsworth. However
to these people Odin and Thor were very real and their presence as Gods was felt in their everyday
lives. During these times their stories weren't recorded on paper, instead they were handed down
through generations orally in the form of one big poem. The poem describes the beginning of the
Earth which according to this religion was made from a giant called Ymir's body. It talks about their
doomsday, known as Ragnarok, and describes the various Dwarves that inhabited the Earth in the
beginning of time. Interestingly these Dwarves share their names with Tolkien's in The Hobbit! The
poem that we read today is ambiguous to say the least, because it was told orally for so many years
no one can say for sure in what order it should have been told in because, like Grimm's fairytales,
stories are told differently depending on who is telling them. In spite of this the translations we have
of these poems, and of this one in particular provide a fascinating insight into life and belief during
this time.
Anyway, the poem is called 'Voluspo', and was translated by Henry Adams Bellows. The closest
thing I can compare it to is like the Holy books that we know of today, like the Bible for example.
This poem is the Old Norse equivalent of a Holy book, it was this culture's way of passing on the
beliefs that they subscribed to. And personally I feel that of every religion I've ever learned about, t
his is the most kickass:
to these people Odin and Thor were very real and their presence as Gods was felt in their everyday
lives. During these times their stories weren't recorded on paper, instead they were handed down
through generations orally in the form of one big poem. The poem describes the beginning of the
Earth which according to this religion was made from a giant called Ymir's body. It talks about their
doomsday, known as Ragnarok, and describes the various Dwarves that inhabited the Earth in the
beginning of time. Interestingly these Dwarves share their names with Tolkien's in The Hobbit! The
poem that we read today is ambiguous to say the least, because it was told orally for so many years
no one can say for sure in what order it should have been told in because, like Grimm's fairytales,
stories are told differently depending on who is telling them. In spite of this the translations we have
of these poems, and of this one in particular provide a fascinating insight into life and belief during
this time.
Anyway, the poem is called 'Voluspo', and was translated by Henry Adams Bellows. The closest
thing I can compare it to is like the Holy books that we know of today, like the Bible for example.
This poem is the Old Norse equivalent of a Holy book, it was this culture's way of passing on the
beliefs that they subscribed to. And personally I feel that of every religion I've ever learned about, t
his is the most kickass:
1. Hearing I ask | from the holy races,
From Heimdall's sons, | both high and low;
Thou wilt, Valfather, | that well I relate
Old tales I remember | of men long ago.
2. I remember yet | the giants of yore,
Who gave me bread | in the days gone by;
Nine worlds I knew, | the nine in the tree
With mighty roots | beneath the mold.
3. Of old was the age | when Ymir lived;
Sea nor cool waves | nor sand there were;
Earth had not been, | nor heaven above,
But a yawning gap, | and grass nowhere.
4. Then Bur's sons lifted | the level land,
Mithgarth the mighty | there they made;
The sun from the south | warmed the stones of earth,
And green was the ground | with growing leeks.
5. The sun, the sister | of the moon, from the south
Her right hand cast | over heaven's rim;
No knowledge she had | where her home should be,
The moon knew not | what might was his,
The stars knew not | where their stations were.
6. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held;
Names then gave they | to noon and twilight,
Morning they named, | and the waning moon,
Night and evening, | the years to number.
7. At Ithavoll met | the mighty gods,
Shrines and temples | they timbered high;
Forges they set, and | they smithied ore,
Tongs they wrought, | and tools they fashioned.
8. In their dwellings at peace | they played at tables,
Of gold no lack | did the gods then know,--
Till thither came | up giant-maids three,
Huge of might, | out of Jotunheim.
9. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
To find who should raise | the race of dwarfs
Out of Brimir's blood | and the legs of Blain.
10. There was Motsognir | the mightiest made
Of all the dwarfs, | and Durin next;
Many a likeness | of men they made,
The dwarfs in the earth, | as Durin said.
11. Nyi and Nithi, | Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, | Althjof, Dvalin,
Nar and Nain, | Niping, Dain,
Bifur, Bofur, | Bombur, Nori,
An and Onar, | Ai, Mjothvitnir.
12. Vigg and Gandalf) | Vindalf, Thrain,
Thekk and Thorin, | Thror, Vit and Lit,
Nyr and Nyrath,-- | now have I told--
Regin and Rathsvith-- | the list aright.
13. Fili, Kili, | Fundin, Nali,
Heptifili, | Hannar, Sviur,
Frar, Hornbori, | Fræg and Loni,
Aurvang, Jari, | Eikinskjaldi.
14. The race of the dwarfs | in Dvalin's throng
Down to Lofar | the list must I tell;
The rocks they left, | and through wet lands
They sought a home | in the fields of sand.
15. There were Draupnir | and Dolgthrasir,
Hor, Haugspori, | Hlevang, Gloin,
Dori, Ori, | Duf, Andvari,
Skirfir, Virfir, | Skafith, Ai.
16. Alf and Yngvi, | Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, | Fith and Ginnar;
So for all time | shall the tale be known,
The list of all | the forbears of Lofar.
17. Then from the throng | did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, | the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate | on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, | empty of might.
18. Soul they had not, | sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, | nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, | sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur | and goodly hue.
19. An ash I know, | Yggdrasil its name,
With water white | is the great tree wet;
Thence come the dews | that fall in the dales,
Green by Urth's well | does it ever grow.
20. Thence come the maidens | mighty in wisdom,
Three from the dwelling | down 'neath the tree;
Urth is one named, | Verthandi the next,--
On the wood they scored,-- | and Skuld the third.
Laws they made there, and life allotted
To the sons of men, and set their fates.
21. The war I remember, | the first in the world,
When the gods with spears | had smitten Gollveig,
And in the hall | of Hor had burned her,
Three times burned, | and three times born,
Oft and again, | yet ever she lives.
22. Heith they named her | who sought their home,
The wide-seeing witch, | in magic wise;
Minds she bewitched | that were moved by her magic,
To evil women | a joy she was.
23. On the host his spear | did Othin hurl,
Then in the world | did war first come;
The wall that girdled | the gods was broken,
And the field by the warlike | Wanes was trodden.
24. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
Whether the gods | should tribute give,
Or to all alike | should worship belong.
25. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
To find who with venom | the air had filled,
Or had given Oth's bride | to the giants' brood.
26. In swelling rage | then rose up Thor,--
Seldom he sits | when he such things hears,--
And the oaths were broken, | the words and bonds,
The mighty pledges | between them made.
27. I know of the horn | of Heimdall, hidden
Under the high-reaching | holy tree;
On it there pours | from Valfather's pledge
A mighty stream: | would you know yet more?
28. Alone I sat | when the Old One sought me,
The terror of gods, | and gazed in mine eyes:
"What hast thou to ask? | why comest thou hither?
Othin, I know | where thine eye is hidden."
29. I know where Othin's | eye is hidden,
Deep in the wide-famed | well of Mimir;
Mead from the pledge | of Othin each mom
Does Mimir drink: | would you know yet more?
30. Necklaces had I | and rings from Heerfather,
Wise was my speech | and my magic wisdom;
Widely I saw | over all the worlds.
31. On all sides saw I | Valkyries assemble,
Ready to ride | to the ranks of the gods;
Skuld bore the shield, | and Skogul rode next,
Guth, Hild, Gondul, | and Geirskogul.
Of Herjan's maidens | the list have ye heard,
Valkyries ready | to ride o'er the earth.
32. I saw for Baldr, | the bleeding god,
The son of Othin, | his destiny set:
Famous and fair | in the lofty fields,
Full grown in strength | the mistletoe stood.
33. From the branch which seemed | so slender and fair
Came a harmful shaft | that Hoth should hurl;
But the brother of Baldr | was born ere long,
And one night old | fought Othin's son.
34. His hands he washed not, | his hair he combed not,
Till he bore to the bale-blaze | Baldr's foe.
But in Fensalir | did Frigg weep sore
For Valhall's need: | would you know yet more?
35. One did I see | in the wet woods bound,
A lover of ill, | and to Loki like;
By his side does Sigyn | sit, nor is glad
To see her mate: | would you know yet more?
36. From the east there pours | through poisoned vales
With swords and daggers | the river Slith.
37. Northward a hall | in Nithavellir
Of gold there rose | for Sindri's race;
And in Okolnir | another stood,
Where the giant Brimir | his beer-hall had.
38. A hall I saw, | far from the sun,
On Nastrond it stands, | and the doors face north,
Venom drops | through the smoke-vent down,
For around the walls | do serpents wind.
39. I saw there wading | through rivers wild
Treacherous men | and murderers too,
And workers of ill | with the wives of men;
There Nithhogg sucked | the blood of the slain,
And the wolf tore men; | would you know yet more?
40. The giantess old | in Ironwood sat,
In the east, and bore | the brood of Fenrir;
Among these one | in monster's guise
Was soon to steal | the sun from the sky.
41. There feeds he full | on the flesh of the dead,
And the home of the gods | he reddens with gore;
Dark grows the sun, | and in summer soon
Come mighty storms: | would you know yet more?
42. On a hill there sat, | and smote on his harp,
Eggther the joyous, | the giants' warder;
Above him the cock | in the bird-wood crowed,
Fair and red | did Fjalar stand.
43. Then to the gods | crowed Gollinkambi,
He wakes the heroes | in Othin's hall;
And beneath the earth | does another crow,
The rust-red bird | at the bars of Hel.
44. Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir,
The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free;
Much do I know, | and more can see
Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight.
45. Brothers shall fight | and fell each other,
And sisters' sons | shall kinship stain;
Hard is it on earth, | with mighty whoredom;
Axe-time, sword-time, | shields are sundered,
Wind-time, wolf-time, | ere the world falls;
Nor ever shall men | each other spare.
46. Fast move the sons | of Mim, and fate
Is heard in the note | of the Gjallarhorn;
Loud blows Heimdall, | the horn is aloft,
In fear quake all | who on Hel-roads are.
47. Yggdrasil shakes, | and shiver on high
The ancient limbs, | and the giant is loose;
To the head of Mim | does Othin give heed,
But the kinsman of Surt | shall slay him soon.
48. How fare the gods? | how fare the elves?
All Jotunheim groans, | the gods are at council;
Loud roar the dwarfs | by the doors of stone,
The masters of the rocks: | would you know yet more?
49. Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir,
The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free
Much do I know, | and more can see
Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight.
50. From the east comes Hrym | with shield held high;
In giant-wrath | does the serpent writhe;
O'er the waves he twists, | and the tawny eagle
Gnaws corpses screaming; | Naglfar is loose.
51. O'er the sea from the north | there sails a ship
With the people of Hel, | at the helm stands Loki;
After the wolf | do wild men follow,
And with them the brother | of Byleist goes.
52. Surt fares from the south | with the scourge of branches,
The sun of the battle-gods | shone from his sword;
The crags are sundered, | the giant-women sink,
The dead throng Hel-way, | and heaven is cloven.
53. Now comes to Hlin | yet another hurt,
When Othin fares | to fight with the wolf,
And Beli's fair slayer | seeks out Surt,
For there must fall | the joy of Frigg.
54. Then comes Sigfather's | mighty son,
Vithar, to fight | with the foaming wolf;
In the giant's son | does he thrust his sword
Full to the heart: | his father is avenged.
55. Hither there comes | the son of Hlothyn,
The bright snake gapes | to heaven above;
Against the serpent | goes Othin's son.
56. In anger smites | the warder of earth,--
Forth from their homes | must all men flee;-
Nine paces fares | the son of Fjorgyn,
And, slain by the serpent, | fearless he sinks.
57. The sun turns black, | earth sinks in the sea,
The hot stars down | from heaven are whirled;
Fierce grows the steam | and the life-feeding flame,
Till fire leaps high | about heaven itself.
58. Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir,
The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free;
Much do I know, | and more can see
Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight.
59. Now do I see | the earth anew
Rise all green | from the waves again;
The cataracts fall, | and the eagle flies,
And fish he catches | beneath the cliffs.
60. The gods in Ithavoll | meet together,
Of the terrible girdler | of earth they talk,
And the mighty past | they call to mind,
And the ancient runes | of the Ruler of Gods.
61. In wondrous beauty | once again
Shall the golden tables | stand mid the grass,
Which the gods had owned | in the days of old,
62. Then fields unsowed | bear ripened fruit,
All ills grow better, | and Baldr comes back;
Baldr and Hoth dwell | in Hropt's battle-hall,
And the mighty gods: | would you know yet more?
63. Then Hönir wins | the prophetic wand,
And the sons of the brothers | of Tveggi abide
In Vindheim now: | would you know yet more?
64. More fair than the sun, | a hall I see,
Roofed with gold, | on Gimle it stands;
There shall the righteous | rulers dwell,
And happiness ever | there shall they have.
65. There comes on high, | all power to hold,
A mighty lord, | all lands he rules.
66. From below the dragon | dark comes forth,
Nithhogg flying | from Nithafjoll;
The bodies of men on | his wings he bears,
The serpent bright: | but now must I sink.
Whew!! I know that is super long and I'm not surprised if you aren't even reading this part because in
frustration you closed the tab at the ginormous and irrelevant poem! But I do find it interesting, call
me a nerd. Here is a hyperlink in case anyone shares my interest and wants to have a look at the
footnotes (which explain some of the words and meanings of the stanzas). Voluspo.
So last but not least (there are so many more but I feel that I'd bore the internet to tears if I listed them
all) is a poem that my mum used to read to me when I was younger, and that I still absolutely love
today.
all) is a poem that my mum used to read to me when I was younger, and that I still absolutely love
today.
Its called 'The Jumblies' by Edward Lear:
I
They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they went to sea:
In spite of all their friends could say,
On a winter’s morn, on a stormy day,
In a Sieve they went to sea!
And when the Sieve turned round and round,
And every one cried, ‘You’ll all be drowned!’
They called aloud, ‘Our Sieve ain’t big,
But we don’t care a button! we don’t care a fig!
In a Sieve we’ll go to sea!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
II
They sailed away in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they sailed so fast,
With only a beautiful pea-green veil
Tied with a riband by way of a sail,
To a small tobacco-pipe mast;
And every one said, who saw them go,
‘O won’t they be soon upset, you know!
For the sky is dark, and the voyage is long,
And happen what may, it’s extremely wrong
In a Sieve to sail so fast!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
III
The water it soon came in, it did,
The water it soon came in;
So to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet
In a pinky paper all folded neat,
And they fastened it down with a pin.
And they passed the night in a crockery-jar,
And each of them said, ‘How wise we are!
Though the sky be dark, and the voyage be long,
Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong,
While round in our Sieve we spin!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
IV
And all night long they sailed away;
And when the sun went down,
They whistled and warbled a moony song
To the echoing sound of a coppery gong,
In the shade of the mountains brown.
‘O Timballo! How happy we are,
When we live in a sieve and a crockery-jar,
And all night long in the moonlight pale,
We sail away with a pea-green sail,
In the shade of the mountains brown!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
V
They sailed to the Western Sea, they did,
To a land all covered with trees,
And they bought an Owl, and a useful Cart,
And a pound of Rice, and a Cranberry Tart,
And a hive of silvery Bees.
And they bought a Pig, and some green Jack-daws,
And a lovely Monkey with lollipop paws,
And forty bottles of Ring-Bo-Ree,
And no end of Stilton Cheese.
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
VI
And in twenty years they all came back,
In twenty years or more,
And every one said, ‘How tall they’ve grown!’
For they’ve been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone,
And the hills of the Chankly Bore;
And they drank their health, and gave them a feast
Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast;
And everyone said, ‘If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,—
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
What can I say about this poem other than that I love it! I love the way it is structured to look like
waves at sea, I love the sound of it when it's read aloud, and the images it conjures up when its being
read to you. I just love this poem and I still sing it when I'm tidying up like a mentalist. There are
some beautiful illustrations to this poem as well so I'd check them out if I were you!
waves at sea, I love the sound of it when it's read aloud, and the images it conjures up when its being
read to you. I just love this poem and I still sing it when I'm tidying up like a mentalist. There are
some beautiful illustrations to this poem as well so I'd check them out if I were you!
Anyway, I could sit here all night talking about the various poems that I love and I can firmly assure
you that the list is far more extensive than that which I've listed here! Some of my other favourites are
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Mariana, quite literally ANYTHING by Dr Seuss, and so many
that Dante Gabriel Rossetti wrote. So I will leave you with these poems, and I hope you enjoy them
as much as I do! It is National Poetry Day after all, and if there is one thing that should always be
celebrated it is poetry!
you that the list is far more extensive than that which I've listed here! Some of my other favourites are
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Mariana, quite literally ANYTHING by Dr Seuss, and so many
that Dante Gabriel Rossetti wrote. So I will leave you with these poems, and I hope you enjoy them
as much as I do! It is National Poetry Day after all, and if there is one thing that should always be
celebrated it is poetry!
Peace out homes.
A Million Little Pieces...
So... It has been months, and months and months since I last wrote. Around 7 months I think. I was looking back through my blog and my second most recent post was from last New Years and was about the amazing year I'd had (2014) which at this point seems utterly ridiculous considering how much time has passed.
A fair few things have changed and at the same time not all that much has. I graduate in around three weeks, maybe less, and I got a 2:1 in my degree which I'm super proud of. I've just started my MA, which makes me chuckle often when I think about how much I complain about University and how much I swore I never wanted to write another essay ever again.
Between finishing my degree in May and starting my MA now I've been quite busy. For the first time in my life I have had an actual proper job and it was much less terrifying than I thought it would be. Throughout my entire life the prospect of working in an actual place of employment has filled me with a feeling that I can't even describe. My problem wasn't that I didn't want to work, it was just the awkwardness/working in boring jobs that filled me with terror. However for half a year I have been working and both of the jobs I have had during that time have been anything but scary. I have found that you have to grow a different type of thick skin in the work environment, but that once you have it you feel a real sense of accomplishment that's so different from the feelings that you've ever gained from education. Its a scary transition but not a wholly unpleasant one, and I can honestly say that I have grown so much and become so much more of an actual real life proper adult! (sort of) And now I am going back to University, and I'm working part time and I'm still blundering rather than sailing through life.
This past weekend Aisha and I made another Mars pilgrimage, the last one was to Switzerland which I made a post about at the time. I think I covered in that post how much Mars means to those who get it and so I'm not going to go into that whole soppy area again. However I will share a few photos and I just want to say that 30 Seconds to Mars are the best band in the whole world (in my humble opinion) and that no live show compares to theirs.
Anyway we flew to Madrid and did some sightseeing. We went into the palace which is absolutely MASSIVE, and really pretty and had a neb around there. We wondered around all over the place and discovered an entirely new, very beautiful city. It was so nice to spend time with Aisha and just chill out, it seems like forever since we did something like that and it was so much fun. On the first night we hunted down a McDonalds because it was so late, and even the memory of us trying to order food in a Spanish McDonalds makes me laugh. Literally I don't think I've ever laughed more. The concert was in a place called Getafe at a festival called Neox Rocks. I really enjoyed the festival, even though it was really small it was so hot and sunny and there was such good food and Mars were so amazing. I sang so much and danced so hard I thought several times I was going to collapse. Seeing Jared with his pink hair and white cape is always a treat, and just the sight of Tomo makes me so happy, he's such a cool cat. Shannon not being well enough to be there is a bummer, I feel so bad for the guy right now, but the show was just as amazing as it always is. If I could go to a Mars show every single night for the rest of my life I don't think I'd ever get fed up of it.
Madrid is such a nice city, there is such a chilled out atmosphere and the fact that people just hang out at night time is such a nice difference from the UK. Its so warm at night and so busy and well lit that you never feel uneasy or unsafe. Its so pretty and there is such a mixture of old and new buildings and everywhere is lined with trees. The parks are so beautiful, the type of park you could literally spend all day in by yourself and not feel like a lunatic or bored. Even though I love this time of year in England and I'm excited about my MA, I wish I'd been able to just stay on holiday there for like a year or something! Its trips like that that make me wish I could be travelling right now.
I filtered the shit out of those photos. Also Brenda is my alias in Madrid. Also words can't even express how much I thank god every day that Aisha is ma galdem. Literally like why am I so lucky to have found one of those one in a million friends?
It seems almost too predictable that the first post I would write after so many months would be about a trip to see Mars but to me that's a worthy post! I've been obsessed with several hundred things as per usual of course. But right now when I'm trying to think of them I can't... I'll get back to you on that one.
Ta ta for now home skillets! Peace and love dudes. x
P.s. I'm in love with all three of Aisha's cats and one day I'm going to sneak into her house and steal them for a week.
P.p.s. 'JUMP MOTHERFUCKER'
P.p.p.s My dream playlist
A fair few things have changed and at the same time not all that much has. I graduate in around three weeks, maybe less, and I got a 2:1 in my degree which I'm super proud of. I've just started my MA, which makes me chuckle often when I think about how much I complain about University and how much I swore I never wanted to write another essay ever again.
Between finishing my degree in May and starting my MA now I've been quite busy. For the first time in my life I have had an actual proper job and it was much less terrifying than I thought it would be. Throughout my entire life the prospect of working in an actual place of employment has filled me with a feeling that I can't even describe. My problem wasn't that I didn't want to work, it was just the awkwardness/working in boring jobs that filled me with terror. However for half a year I have been working and both of the jobs I have had during that time have been anything but scary. I have found that you have to grow a different type of thick skin in the work environment, but that once you have it you feel a real sense of accomplishment that's so different from the feelings that you've ever gained from education. Its a scary transition but not a wholly unpleasant one, and I can honestly say that I have grown so much and become so much more of an actual real life proper adult! (sort of) And now I am going back to University, and I'm working part time and I'm still blundering rather than sailing through life.
This past weekend Aisha and I made another Mars pilgrimage, the last one was to Switzerland which I made a post about at the time. I think I covered in that post how much Mars means to those who get it and so I'm not going to go into that whole soppy area again. However I will share a few photos and I just want to say that 30 Seconds to Mars are the best band in the whole world (in my humble opinion) and that no live show compares to theirs.
Anyway we flew to Madrid and did some sightseeing. We went into the palace which is absolutely MASSIVE, and really pretty and had a neb around there. We wondered around all over the place and discovered an entirely new, very beautiful city. It was so nice to spend time with Aisha and just chill out, it seems like forever since we did something like that and it was so much fun. On the first night we hunted down a McDonalds because it was so late, and even the memory of us trying to order food in a Spanish McDonalds makes me laugh. Literally I don't think I've ever laughed more. The concert was in a place called Getafe at a festival called Neox Rocks. I really enjoyed the festival, even though it was really small it was so hot and sunny and there was such good food and Mars were so amazing. I sang so much and danced so hard I thought several times I was going to collapse. Seeing Jared with his pink hair and white cape is always a treat, and just the sight of Tomo makes me so happy, he's such a cool cat. Shannon not being well enough to be there is a bummer, I feel so bad for the guy right now, but the show was just as amazing as it always is. If I could go to a Mars show every single night for the rest of my life I don't think I'd ever get fed up of it.
Madrid is such a nice city, there is such a chilled out atmosphere and the fact that people just hang out at night time is such a nice difference from the UK. Its so warm at night and so busy and well lit that you never feel uneasy or unsafe. Its so pretty and there is such a mixture of old and new buildings and everywhere is lined with trees. The parks are so beautiful, the type of park you could literally spend all day in by yourself and not feel like a lunatic or bored. Even though I love this time of year in England and I'm excited about my MA, I wish I'd been able to just stay on holiday there for like a year or something! Its trips like that that make me wish I could be travelling right now.
I filtered the shit out of those photos. Also Brenda is my alias in Madrid. Also words can't even express how much I thank god every day that Aisha is ma galdem. Literally like why am I so lucky to have found one of those one in a million friends?
It seems almost too predictable that the first post I would write after so many months would be about a trip to see Mars but to me that's a worthy post! I've been obsessed with several hundred things as per usual of course. But right now when I'm trying to think of them I can't... I'll get back to you on that one.
Ta ta for now home skillets! Peace and love dudes. x
P.s. I'm in love with all three of Aisha's cats and one day I'm going to sneak into her house and steal them for a week.
P.p.s. 'JUMP MOTHERFUCKER'
P.p.p.s My dream playlist
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