T. S. Eliot in 1920, in a photo taken by Lady Ottoline Morrell ( Lady Ottoline Violet Anne Morrell : 16 June 1873 – 21 April 1938 was an English aristocrat and society hostess. Her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles, where she befriended writers including Aldous Huxley, Siegfried Sassoon, T. S. Eliot and D. H. Lawrence, and artists including Mark Gertler, Dora Carrington and Gilbert Spencer. ) : :
T S Eliot : The Journey Of The Magi : : A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.’ And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death
From allpoetry.com : : For Educational Purposes only. : :
“Journey of the Magi” , Written in the year 1927, in the form of ‘dramatic Monologue’to become 43 lines of ‘A Christmas Poem’ By T S Eliot ( 1888 – 1965 ), isabout thestory of the ‘biblical Magi’ who travelled to Palestine to visit the infant Jesus according to the Gospel of Matthew. It is a narrative, told from the point of view of one of the magi, that expresses THEMES of ‘alienation’ and a ‘feeling of powerlessness’ in a world that has changed. : : : :
It is one of five poems that Eliot contributed for a series of 38 pamphlets by several authors collectively titled the Ariel Poems and released by the British publishing house Faber and Gwyer (later Faber and Faber). Published in August 1927, “Journey of the Magi” was the eighth in the series and was accompanied by illustrations drawn by American-born avant garde artist Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954).[1] The poems, including “Journey of the Magi”, were later published in both editions of Eliot’s collected poems in 1936 and 1963 : : : :
In the previous year, Eliot had converted to Anglo-Catholicism and his poetry, starting with the Ariel Poems (1927–1931) and Ash Wednesday (1930), took on a decidedly religious character. The poem’s dramatic monologue incorporates quotations and literary allusions to works by earlier writers Lancelot Andrewes and Matthew Arnold. : :::
The speaker laments outliving his world : largely a complaint about a journey that was painful and tedious. It begins with five lines adapted from a passage in the “Nativity Sermon”, preached by Lancelot Andrewes, the Bishop of Winchester, before James I on Christmas Day 1622. Andrewes’ original text reads “A cold coming they had of it at this time of the year, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey. The ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in solsitio brumali, the very dead of winter.” ( “Sermons of the Nativity. Preached upon Christmas-Day, 1622”. Project Canterbury Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology. Retrieved 8 April 2014. Eliot changes the first person to the third person, and omits the Latin. ) : : This opening represents a recollection by the magus which sets off the reflections which follow. The speaker says that a voice was always whispering in their ears as they went that “this was all folly”. The magus seems generally unimpressed by the infant, and yet realizes that the Incarnation has changed everything. He asks,
“. . . were we led all that way for Birth or Death?” The birth of the Christ was the death of the world of magic, astrology, and paganism (cf Colossians 2:20). The elderly , sad and fatigued Speaker in an agitation, recalling his journey in old age, says that after that birth his world had died, and he had little left to do but wait forhis own end. The image of the “three trees against a low sky”in the journey; implies the historical future ( the crucifixion ) and the spiritual truth of the future ( the skies loweredandheaven opened ),
The poem maintains Eliot’s long habit of using the dramatic monologue – a form he inherited and adapted from Robert Browning. : : : :
Notes for each of the 43 lines pending visit this post again later on to enjoy the appreciation of the poem. : : V Jayaraj Pune India December 26 , 2022 : : : : : : : :
I syng of a mayden That is makeles, 2 king of alle kinges to here sone che chees. 4
He cam also stille Ther his moder was 6 As dew in Aprylle, That fallyt on the gras. 8
He cam also stille To his modres bowr 10 As dew in Aprylle, That falleth on the flowr. 12
He cam also stille Ther his moder lay 14 As dew in Aprylle, That falleth on the spray. 16
Moder & mayden Was nevere noon but she: 18 Well may swich a lady Godes moder be.20
“I syng of a mayde”, in Middle English,a vernacular which thrived before the birth of the printed book,before Chancer, is in the form of a song , much like a Christmas Carol.
The Song conveys that , “A song of a maiden who is matchless; she chose, for her son, the king of all kings. He came, as still as dew in April that falls on the grass, to where his mother was. He came, as still as dew in April that falls on the flower, to his mother’s bower. He came, as still as dew in April that falls on the spray, to where is mother lay. Mother and maiden, there was never one as great as she; well may such a ladybe God’smother.” : : : :
The Virgin Mary being free from original sin thanks to the Immaculate Conception; that is without a maculum / blemish. The line, “Was nevere noon but she” ( line 18 In Final Stanza ) Meaning, ‘there never was no one but she’, in a nice double negative sense. The word , “makeles” ( in line 2 , In The 1 St Stanza ) should mean matchless / peerless.
Carol Rumens, interpreted the poem as an erotic celebration of the conception of Christ ; the images of new life are abound in the poem, which suggest fertility and flowerings: the flowers, the dew, the spray : are Nature imagery which attribute the inevitability of the birth of Christ,and it is part of the natural cycle.The song of 600 years ago is an entertaining song even today. CLICK HERE In BELOW to enjoy the following composition set to the music : : : :
” I Syng of a mayden” : : A Christmas Carol Song / of 15 Th Century : Sung in some Church , during the years C. 1400 : Say of 600Years Ago : CLICK HERE In ABOVE To enjoy Singing a Carol Alongside King’s College , Cambridge, 2012 Recording : : Composition /Music : Patrick Hadley Aschenberg Hopwood & Crew. : : : :
In the Bleak Midwinter Song by Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst
In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan Earth stood hard as iron Water like a stone Snow had fallen Snow on snow on snow In the bleak midwinter Long, long ago Angels and Arc Angels May have traveled there Cherubim and Seraphim Thronged the air But only his Mother In her maiden bliss Worshiped the beloved With a kiss What can I give him? Poor as I am If I were a shepherd I would give a lamb If I were a wise man I would do my part But what I can I give him Give him my heart Give him my heart Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Gustav Holst / Christina Georgina Rossetti / Anna Rice : : : :
Released 2 Days Ago , On December 23, 2022 : @ St. LawrencesChurchChorley : : A brand new arrangement for 2023 : : Vocals : Rebecca Feeney : Original Composition : Gustav Holst : : Produced Arranged & Recorded By Justin Stretch : : CLICK HERE In ABOVE To enjoy the Christmas Carol Song By Christina Rossetti : : : :
“In the Bleak Midwinter” by Christina Rossetti describes the birth of the Christ child on a “bleak midwinter” day and the worship of those who came to see him. The poem begins with the speaker describing the state of a specific evening. The most memorable Lines in the Poem / Carol / Song is : : “What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yetwhat I can I give Him: give my heart.”: : If you’ve watched Peaky Blinders, you probably Googled “in the bleak midwinter” when it was first uttered by Tommy Shelby. It references a person’s second chance at life coming to an end, and was the name of a Christmas carol. : : ( What is the famous saying of Peaky Blinders? May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you’re dead. ) : : “In the Bleak Midwinter” is a Christmas carol based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti. The poem was published, under the title “A Christmas Carol”, in the January 1872 issue of Scribner’s Monthly.Rossetti reportedly earned £10 for the poem – not a bad sum in those days for a single poem.
The poem first appeared set to music in The English Hymnal in 1906 with a setting by Gustav Holst.
the images and icons we associate with the nativity story: the manger, the hay, the oxen and other animals, the Wise Men. But for Rossetti chief among all of these figures – after Christ himself – is the Virgin Mary, singled out in that fourth stanza: And just as the Virgin Mary’s simple ‘gift’ of a kiss outstrips all the gold and frankincense the Wise Men may have to offer, so the speaker’s own humble offering of ‘my heart’ is a purer and more valuable gift than any riches. This is apt because Jesus is depicted as being content with simple comforts:
“Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day, Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him, whom angels fall before, The ox and ass and camel which adore.” : : : :
The word ‘snow’ (five times), ‘snow on snow’, and of the vowel sounds (the ‘o’ of ‘snow’ in ‘moan’, ‘stone’, ‘ago’: a fine example of assonance). This reinforces the musicality of thepoem. And the interplay of these cold elements: wind, water hardened into ice, snow. That’s why it is most memorable Christmas Carol Song with poetic as well as musical beauty. : : : :
Two Christmas Carol Songs SUNG As The Oldest of c.1400 & Newest December 23, 2022 : “I Syng of A Mayden”By Anonymous & ” In The Bleak MidWinter” By Christina Rossetti ( 1872 ) : : Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 25 , 2022 : ; : : : : : :
Will you please join me ? Let us Pray , Today ismy Happy Birthday.Two smiling Sisters at the chamomile Flowers Fie: Both wearing Flower Rings in the hair , little one carried out by elder sister.
જન્મદિવસે અનેક શુભ ભાવનાઓ, ઋણસ્વીકાર અને કૃતજ્ઞતાના ભાવથી હૃદય ભરાય : : પરમ સમીપે માં , કુંદનિકા કાપડીયાએ લખેલી જન્મદિવસની પ્રાર્થના વાંચો , એમાં સુંદર ભાવ આપને પણ ગમશે : : : :
આમ તો દરેક દિવસ એ, ભગવાન! તમે આપેલી તાજી ભેટ છે. જાગ્રત માણસ માટે દરેક દિવસ નવી શરૂઆત બની શકે પણ ભગવાન, આજે મારો જન્મદિવસ છે. અને એટલે આજનો દીવસ વિશેષ પ્રાર્થનાઓ, વિશેષ જાગૃતિ, વિશેષ સંકલ્પનો દિવસ છે.
આજના દીવસે, ભગવાન! હું ધન, માન, કિર્તિ અને આરોગ્ય નથી માગતો પણ આ બધું મને મળે તો એનો ઉપયોગ હું સહુના કલ્યાણ અર્થે કરી શકું એવો સર્વ પ્રત્યેનો મૈત્રીભાવ માગું છું.
આજના દીવસે, ભગવાન! હું એમ નથી માગતો કે મારો રસ્તો સરળ બને, મારાં કાર્યો નિર્વિઘ્ને પાર પડે પણ એમ બને, તો એ સફળતા મને કૃતજ્ઞ બનાવે અને એમ ન બને, તો એ નિષ્ફળતા મને નમ્ર બનાવે એ હું માગું છું.
દરેક દિવસે હું એક પગથિયું ઊંચો ચડું દરેક પગલે હું થોડોક વધુ તમારી નિકટ આવું રોજ રોજ, કોઈક સત્કર્મથી મારા હ્રદયમાં રહેલા તમને વ્યક્ત કરું દુનિયાને મારા થકી થોડી વધુ સુંદર બનાવું દરેક વર્ષે આજનો દિવસ આવે ત્યારે આગલા વર્ષ કરતાં મારું જીવન વધુ કૃતાર્થ બન્યું છે એમ કહી શકું – એ હું માગું છું.
આ દુનિયામાં તમે મને જન્મ આપ્યો છે તે માટે હું તમારો આભાર માનું છું. હું એવું હ્રદય માગું છું, જે આ દુનિયાને તમારે માટે ચાહી શકે. આ સૃષ્ટિ તમે આનંદ વડે આનંદ માટે સર્જી છે એને હું મારા સ્વાર્થ અને બેકાળજીથી ક્ષતિ ન પહોંચાડું મૂંગાં પ્રાણિઓ અને મધુર વનસ્પતિ – સૃષ્ટિને ચાહું હવા, પાણી અને ભૂમિને દૂષિત ન કરું
એક એક જન્મદિવસ આવે છે, એક એક વર્ષ જીવનમાં ઉમેરાય છે એ મને યાદ આવે છે કે સમય કેટલી ઝડપથી વહી રહ્યો છે. દરેક ક્ષણ મુલ્યવાન છે, અંત ક્યારે આવશે તેની ખબર નથી આવતી કાલે કદાચ હું ન પણ હોઉં તેથી આજનો દિવસ હું સંપૂર્ણ રીતે જીવવાનો પ્રયત્ન કરું દરેક દિવસે મારો નવો જન્મ થાય છે તેમ માનું અને પ્રત્યેક દિવસે વિદાય લેવા મારા જીવનની ચાદર ઉજળી રાખીને તમને ધરી દેવા તત્પર રહું આજે, મારા જન્મદિવસે, ભગવાન! એ હું તમારી પાસે માગું છું.
હોય એક સુંદર ચોકલેટ નો બંગલો : : સ્વર : દ્રવિતા ચોકસી : : સ્વરાંકન : રુપાંગ ખાન સાહેબ : : સંગીત નિયોજન : મેહુલ સુરતી : : આલ્બમ : હસતાં રમતાં ( Red Ribbon ) 🎀 🎀 અહીં ક્લિક કરીને સાંભળીએ : : : : 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 https://youtu.be/l89ov_w_5q4?feature=shared 🍫🍫🍫🍫 થાય મને હોય જો ચોકલેટ નો બંગલો : : નેરેટીવ વિડિયો: : અહીં ક્લિક કરી સાંભળીએ : : https://youtu.be/IQ8jUimXR8A?feature=shared
Rotella, Italy – October 20, 2013: Logo of Google Android 4.4 operating system called Kit Kat built with the Nestle Kit Kat chocolate snacks. અહીં ક્લિક કરીને સાંભળીએ : : થાય મને હોય જો ચોકલેટ નો બંગલો : : બાળ ગીત : : ( 97,823 Views) 🍫🍫🍫🍫 Neha ben standing in front of gate and looking out for flowers.. . Smiling girl wearing a straw boater hat with blue band and leaning on a white wooden gate “ફૂલ નેહાને એકલી મૂકી ક્યાંય હવે ના જાય ! ફોરમ એની લટમાં રમે હરખ ક્યાંય ના માય !” : : : : : : smiling girl lying on grass in spring with daisies on hair : :
પરીઓની રાજકુમારી : દીકરી નું ગીત : જયશ્રી વિનુ મરચન્ટ :: પરીઓની એ રાજકુમારી તે દિ’ આવી મારે દ્વાર મધમીઠી રેશમી ચાંદની તે દિ’ આવી મારે દ્વાર!
રાતરાણી ખીલી’તી તે દિ’ કે ખીલ્યાં’તા પારિજાત? મોગરાનાં પગલાંની તે દિ’ પડી’તી હવામાંયે ભાત ચમેલી ચંપાના અમૃતમાં જૂઈનો ઘૂંટાયો પમરાટ મધમીઠી…
જન્મદિવસે : બાળગીત : : બર્થડે સોંગ : : પ્રસ્તુતિ વિ જયરાજ પૂના , ઈન્ડિયા : : ડિસેમ્બર ૨૪/૨૫, ૨૦૨૨ : ઈસુ ખ્રિસ્ત ના જન્મદિવસ ની રાત્રે : : To be updated with New additions , Every Year. : : Visit this post again Next Year too.
Some people love them; Some of them celebrate , Happy Birthday ! Some do not . Others do not tell even that it is his / her Birthday.
A BIRTHDAY BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI Excerpt:
My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water’d shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea; My heart is gladder than all these Because my love is come to me.
BIRTH-DAY BY LUCILLE CLIFTON Excerpt:
today we are possible.
the morning, green and laundry-sweet, Opens itself and we enter blind and mewling.
BIRTHDAY LIGHTS BY CALEF BROWN Excerpt:
Light bulbs on a birthday cake. What a difference that would make! Plug it in and make a wish, then relax and flip a switch!
WE ARE ALL THE SAME BY JALĀL AD-DĪN MUHAMMAD RŪMĪ Excerpt:
We are all the same Listen to the reeds as they sway apart Hear them speak of lost friends
NINON DE LENCLOS, ON HER LAST BIRTHDAY BY DOROTHY PARKER Excerpt:
So let me have the rouge again, And comb my hair the curly way. The poor young men, the dear young men They’ll all be here by noon today.
Another Year
I’m wishing you another year Of laughter, joy and fun, Surprises, love and happiness, And when your birthday’s done,
I hope you feel deep in your heart, As your birthdays come and go, How very much you mean to me, More than you can know.
By Joanna Fuchs
Every One of Your Birthdays
Every one of your birthdays is a gift to the rest of us who have had the pleasure of having you in our lives for another year. Every one of your birthdays brings joyful memories of your bright smile and your love of life. Every one of your birthdays reminds us of your sensitivity and service to others, and other delights too numerous to name that we are gifted with just by knowing you. Happy Birthday to one in a million. May you, and we enjoy many more.
By Joanna Fuchs
On your birthday I wish you much pleasure and joy; I hope all of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, And your birthday be perfect for you!
By Joanna Fuchs
Do you know a really special person who warms your heart and lights up your life? This birthday poem in free verse is for that person.
Every One of Your Birthdays
Every one of your birthdays is a gift to the rest of us who have had the pleasure of having you in our lives for another year. Every one of your birthdays brings joyful memories of your bright smile and your love of life. Every one of your birthdays reminds us of your sensitivity and service to others, and other delights too numerous to name that we are gifted with just by knowing you. Happy Birthday to one in a million. May you, and we enjoy many more.
By Joanna Fuchs
To view ALL our poem pages, see our SITE MAP
Here’s a birthday wish with wide application. It’s a birthday wish that will fit neatly on a card, and you can send it to just about anyone.
Birthday balloons background for Unforgettable Birthday poem. Birthday poems should make the birthday person feel appreciated.
Unforgettable Birthday
I’m wishing you a birthday You never will forget, A day packed full of pleasure, Your very best birthday yet.
And when your birthday’s over, I’m wishing quite sincerely That happiness and joy and fun Will fill your birthdays yearly!
By Joanna Fuchs
Birthday poetry should be positive so it can be used for greeting card verse. This upbeat birthday verse is great for anyone, especially those who are concerned about getting older. You could title this birthday message, “For (name) on his/her (number of years) birthday. Attach this rhyming poem to the birthday gift to make it extra special.
Birthday Blessings
Instead of counting candles, Or tallying the years, Contemplate your blessings now, As your birthday nears.
Consider special people Who love you, and who care, And others who’ve enriched your life Just by being there.
Think about the memories Passing years can never mar, Experiences great and small That have made you who you are.
Another year is a happy gift, So cut your cake, and say, “Instead of counting birthdays, I count blessings every day!”
By Joanna Fuchs
Birthday Reflections
Your birthday’s a time for careful reflection About your life, and its future direction. You see where you’ve been when you look at the past; Most of it’s great; you had quite a blast!
You wonder what’s coming, what life has in store; Will it be just the same? Will there be a new door? Remember this, as you blow out the last candle: Life holds no challenge that you cannot handle.
By Joanna Fuchs
Friendship Birthday Wish
Some things get better with time so they say; You follow that rule, as my friend, day by day. So whenever your birthday, each year, comes around, I’m reminded of joys in our friendship I’ve found.
Because of the great friend you happen to be, I hope you’ll be sharing more birthdays with me!
By Karl and Joanna Fuchs
The Birthday Child Everything’s been different; All the day long, Lovely things have happenend, Nothing has gone wrong.
Nobody has scolded me, Everyone has smiled, Isn’t it delicious to be the birthday child.
Author: Rose Fyleman
Birthday Blessings Poem by Howard The Motivational Poet Simon :
The sun got out of bed Swam across the ocean Just to shine on you today
The wind climbed mountains Endured dusty deserts Just to blow on you today
The birds organized their orchestra Traveled to nearby trees Just to serenade you today
The rain descended high heavens Bowed at your feet Just to refresh you today
I join all of nature in wishing you A blessed birthday today
Howard The Motivational Poet Simon
For My 4 Year Old On His Birthday! Poem by Ashika Murali Acharya
Three to four, In just an year. Time knows to fly, Always, in here. My precious joy.. You turned four, I thank my stars, As I watch you grow, Running and laughing, Jumping and bumping, Cuddling and messing, Hugging and kissing, Driving me crazy, With no fear nor doubt, I thank my stars, For this cosmic bliss. I Pray to the grace, To keep you pure, Naive and clever, Healthy and happy, Today and forever.
Children for generations have enjoyed their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles singing nursery rhymes to them. The easy recurring sequence and musical beats with stressed pattern at particular timingof the speech/verses recognised by babies give theNursery Rhymes a very happy learning time and forerunner of the further education process as a well known start. : : Familiarity with the English Language alongside this education grasped by the children in the Nursery Classes , and Kinder Garden years is the most important achievement , where the meanings and abilities of the Rhymester Poets should not count. : We , however attempt to set the fitted words of appreciation to some of the most popular Nursery Rhymes ( With Illustration / Narrative Musical Videos ) the school kids sing along with their first few friends whose names go in their memories , becoming sharp with the words in the Rhyming rhythms too, remembered for all the comingyears in the school. : : Nursery rhymes set to music aid in a child’s development. The experience is a pleasurable one of care and support, which over time the child comes to command for itself. Research also supports the assertion that music and rhyme increase a child’s ability in spatial reasoning, which aid mathematics skills. Associated Press, “Study says preschool music lessons may aid math skills”, Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1994. : : : :
Twinkle, twinkle little star. I’m a Little Tea Pot. London Bridge is Falling Down. Mary Had a Little Lamb. … Humpty Dumpty. … Hey diddle diddle, Mother Goose. … Baa baa black sheep. … One, two, three, four
Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Old MacDonald Had a Farm. The Grand Old Duke of York. Pat-a-Cake. Two Little Dickie Birds. If You’re Happy and You Know It. The Bottom Line.
Illustration of “Hey Diddle Diddle”, a well-known nursery rhyme. “This Little Piggy” illustration by Beatrix Potter. “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep”, from a 1901 illustration by William Wallace Denslow. 1901 illustration by William Wallace Denslow. For “Little Tommy Tucker” ( c. 1744 ) Little Tommy Tucker Sings for his supper. What shall we give him? White bread and butter. How shall he cut it Without a knife? How will he be married Without a wife? “Little Boy Blue.” ( c. 1744 ) : Traditional Rhyme : 1901 illustration by William Wallace Denslow. “Little Jack Horner” William Wallace Denslow’s illustration of the rhyme, 1902. Little Jack Horner Sat in the corner, Eating his Christmas pie; He put in his thumb, And pulled out a plum, And said, “What a good boy am I!” “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” ( c.1744 ) : The rhyme as illustrated by Dorothy M. Wheeler. : Bah, Bah, a black Sheep, Have you any Wool? Yes merry have I, Three bags full, One for my Master, One for my Dame, One for my little boy That lives in the lane : ( Original version ) Modern Version : : : : Baa, baa, black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, Three bags full; One for my master, One for my dame, And one for the little boy Who lives down thelane.“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” ( c. 1806 ) is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early-19th-century English poem written by Jane Taylor, “The Star”. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann. : : : : : : : : Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveller in the dark, Thanks you for your tiny spark, He could not see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep, And often thro’ my curtains peep, For you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky.
‘Tis your bright and tiny spark, Lights the trav’ller in the dark, Tho’ I know not what you are, Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Nursery Rhyme is A Tale Rhymed in Verses For Children. It’s a traditional poem in U. K. and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes . From the mid-16th century nursery rhymes begin to be recorded in English plays, and most popular rhymes date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first English collections, Tommy Thumb’s Song Book and a sequel, Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, were published by Mary Cooper in 1744. Thomas Carnan, was the first to use the term Mother Goose for nursery rhymes when he published a compilation of English rhymes, Mother Goose’s Melody, or, Sonnets for the Cradle (London, 1780). Many of the ideas about the links between rhymes and historical persons, or events, can be traced back to Katherine Elwes’s book The Real Personages of Mother Goose (1930), in which she linked famous nursery-rhyme characters with real people, on little or no evidence. She posited that children’s songs were a peculiar form of coded historical narrative, propaganda or covert protest, and did not believe that they were written simply for entertainment.
lullabies, intended to help a child fall asleep. Lullabies can be found in every human culture. The English term lullaby is thought to come from “lu, lu” or “la la” sounds made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and “by by” or “bye bye”, either another lulling sound or a term for good night. A well known lullaby such as “Rock-a-bye, baby on a tree top”, cannot be found in records until the late-18th century when it was printed by John Newbery (c. 1765). Nursery rhymes with 17th century origins include, “Jack Sprat” (1639), “The Grand Old Duke of York” (1642), “Lavender’s Blue” (1672) and “Rain Rain Go Away” (1687). These rhymes seem to have come from a variety of sources, including traditional riddles, proverbs, ballads, lines of Mummers’ plays, drinking songs, historical events, and, it has been suggested, ancient pagan rituals. The first English collections, Tommy Thumb’s Song Book and a sequel, Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, were published by Mary Cooper in London in 1744, with such songs becoming known as ‘Tommy Thumb’s songs’. A copy of the latter is held in the British Library.About half of the currently recognised “traditional” English rhymes were known by the mid-18th century. More English rhymes were collected by Joseph Ritson in Gammer Gurton’s Garland or The Nursery Parnassus (1784), published in London by Joseph Johnson. By the time of Sabine Baring-Gould’s A Book of Nursery Songs (1895), folklore was an academic study, full of comments and footnotes. A professional anthropologist, Andrew Lang (1844–1912) produced The Nursery Rhyme Book in 1897. The illustrations to children’s books including Randolph Caldecott’s Hey Diddle Diddle Picture Book (1909) and Arthur Rackham’s Mother Goose (1913). The children’s writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter also provided two collections, Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes (1917) and Cecily Parsley’s Nursery Rhymes (1922). The only known full set of Potter’s four original watercolour illustrations to “This Little Piggy” sold for £60,000 in 2012. The definitive study of English rhymes remains the work of Iona and Peter Opie .
There have been several attempts, across the world, to revise nursery rhymes (along with fairy tales and popular songs). In the late 19th century the major concern seems to have been violence and crime, which led some children’s publishers in the United States like Jacob Abbot and Samuel Goodrich to change Mother Goose rhymes. In the early and mid-20th centuries this was a form of bowdlerisation, concerned with some of the more violent elements of nursery rhymes and led to the formation of organisations like the British ‘Society for Nursery Rhyme Reform’. it has been argued that revised versions may not perform the functions of catharsis for children, or allow them to imaginatively deal with violence and danger. In the late 20th century revisionism of nursery rhymes became associated with the idea of political correctness. Felix Dennis’s When Jack Sued Jill – Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times (2006), or satires written as if in order to condemn reform. The controversy in Britain in 1986 over changing the language of “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” because, it was alleged in the popular press, it was seen as racially dubious, was apparently based only on a rewriting of the rhyme in one private nursery, as an exercise for the children. R. Bayley, Foundations of Literacy: A Balanced Approach to Language, Listening and Literacy Skills in the Early Years, 2004 argued that nursery rhymes set to music aid in a child’s development. In the German Kniereitvers, the child is put in mock peril, but the experience is a pleasurable one of care and support, which over time the child comes to command for itself. Research also supports the assertion that music and rhyme increase a child’s ability in spatial reasoning, which aid mathematics skills. Associated Press, “Study says preschool music lessons may aid math skills”, Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1994.
A hand illustrated version of “The School Boy” from Copy B of Songs of Experience currently held at the Library of Congress. Look at the picture and note : ( 1) At the bottom of the print, there are three human figures sitting down examining either the ground or something upon the ground. This indicates an interest in nature. ( 2 ) Around the border of the print is a weaving of intertwined vines , inside of which are foliage such as leaves and flowers-nature within nature. A human figure perched near the base of the vines with her arms extended, reaching up into the climbing flora. Further up the vines, there are two human figures sitting in the crook of two separate vines, each one is reading. This indicates that , the farther one travels into nature, the more one will learn. This, based on Blake’s emphasis on a “Natural” education. ( 3 ) Among the leaves and fruit of the vines, on the left of the print is a bird about to take flight. “Both victory and liberty”associated with ” Bird’s Wings : Birds symbolize Nature & Knowledge. This indicates that, the freedom and learning part of education from nature rather than the formal classroom. : :
The Schoolboy : : By William Blake : : : :
I love to rise in a summer morn When the birds sing on every tree; The distant huntsman winds his horn, And the skylark sings with me. O! what sweet company!
But to go to school on a summer morn, O! it drives all joy away; Under a cruel eye outworn, The little ones spend the day In sighing and dismay.
Ah! then at times I drooping sit, And spend many an anxious hour, Nor in my book can I take delight, Nor sit in learning’s bower, Worn thro’ with the dreary shower.
How can the bird that is born for joy Sit in a cage and sing? How can a child, when fears annoy, But droop his tender wing, And forget his youthful spring?
O! father and mother, if buds are nipped And blossoms blown away, And if the tender plants are stripped Of their joy in the springing day, By sorrow and care’s dismay,
How shall the summer arise in joy, Or the summer’s fruits appear? Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, Or bless the mellowing year, When the blasts of winter appear?
“The School Boy” is a 1789 poem by William Blake and published as a part of his poetry collection entitled Songs of Experience. These poems were later added with Blake’s Songs of Innocence to create the entire collection entitled “Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul”. These poems are illustrated with colorful artwork created by Blake first in 1789. The first printing in 1789 consisted of sixteen copies. : :
“The School Boy” is a poem written in the pastoral tradition that focuses on the downsides of formal learning. It considers how going to school on a summer day “drives all joy away”. ( Blake, William ). The Poetical Works of William Blake, ed. by John Sampson. London: Oxford University Press / 31 March 2015 ) The boy in this poem is more interested in escaping his classroom than he is with anything his teacher is trying to teach. In lines 16–20, a child in school is compared to a bird in a cage. Meaning something that was born to be free and in nature, is instead trapped inside and made to be obedient. ( John Samson writes. )
In 6 Stanzas with 5 lines each, this poem written in a patterned structure , contains a rhyme scheme of ABABB. : : The Main Theme of the poem is , Creativity flourishing With the spontaneous and natural education. Blake seems to believe that the schooroom education weakens the students who will then get poor learning. removing oneself from the classroom ( a metaphor for the society ) and returning to Nature with a view to uplifting the Soul and the imagination from the overused outworn tenacity persistent in the societal system. : : Anthony Ashley Cooper ( 1671 – 1713 ) English politician, philosopher, and writer; the 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury’s idea was for the only relief from the worn down soul by returning to Nature , to redevelopcommunity and benevolence ( disposition to do good To Society ) which was liked by Romanticism poet of the 18 Th Century ,William Blake. : : ” summer, wind, blossoms, rain showers, birds and spring”are the allusive references to Nature found in this poem. The seasons of the Earth are matched with the seasons of the boy’s life who is like a “Caged Bird”,unable to sing and finds it difficult attaining free place in nature. : : To quote John Sampson again , ” The Schoolboy” continually brings up how being in a traditional school setting is draining, and will make a boy “forget his youthful spring”. : : : :
Stanza 1 : : “I love to rise in a summer morn1 When the birds sing on every tree; 2 The distant huntsman winds his horn,3 And the skylark sings with me. 4 O! what sweet company! 5 : : lines ( 1 To 5 ): : Stanza 2 : : ………………………………………………… But to go to school on a summer morn, 6 O! it drives all joyaway; 7 Under a cruel eye outworn, 8 The little ones spend the day 9 In sighing and dismay.” : : lines ( 6 To 10) : :
Stanza 1 is about a School boy’s love to rise listening to the horns blown by the Huntsman and in the sweet pleasant company of the birds singing on every treeand the Skylark singing with him.: : : :
Stanza 2 is about a little school boy’s spending a day in “sighing and dismay” : that is in ‘sad suspiration and despair or disheartening’ “driving all joy away”, “under a cruel outworn eye”, that is under a good full view of the Teacher in the classroom of the school. : : : :
Stanza 3 :”Ah! then at times I drooping sit,11 And spend many an anxious hour, 12 Nor in my book can I take delight, 13 Nor sit in learning’s bower,14 Worn thro’ with the dreary shower. 15 lines 11 To 15 : : : : …………………………………………….. Stanza 4 : : lines ( 11 To 15 ) : : How can the bird that is born for joy 16 Sit in a cage and sing? 17 How can a child, when fears annoy, 18 But droop his tender wing,19 And forget his youthful spring?20 lines 16 To 20 ) : : : :
Stanza 3 is about the description of a classroom sitting ,: “drooping sit”( line 11 ) , Meaning , there is a sag or a sink in the chair / seat at the desk – it’s descending level up to the student’s knee that can cause a condition of tightness which is Not ‘comfortable’, Not enjoyable, for learning. Alternately, the sitting under a “worn” out“bower” is also not comfortable or enjoyable. This is because the “bower”is dry “under the dreary shower” ( lines 14 & 15 ) : Meaning the shower has no water in its pipe that could have kept the climbing plant of “bowervine” lively , leafy , shady bower, sitting under whichforreading ofbook is neither enjoyable nor satisfactory : : Thus sitting in classroomor in bower vine is Not “delight(ful)” The Schoolboy is “anxious for many hours” ( line 12 ) , unhappy and unable to learn at The School. : : The dreariness indicates dullness and boringness as the child is lacking in spirit or interest in his learnings. The school appears an arid place of humdrum. : : : :
Stanza 4 is about a good boy in the school, who is comparedto a “Caged Bird”: A bird can’t sit and sing in acage , because “it is born for a joy”( lines 16 & 17 ) : Similarly , the school is not enjoyable to a child because he is anxious, for many hours there as irritations in sitting in, at the classroom desk or even under the bower vine annoy him. His fears annoy him. ( line 18 ) His “tender wings droop”( line 19 ) that is , sink ,or settle from , or as if from pressure. It istense and taut and so unableto controlthe movement. “How can he forget his youthful spring ? ” A child asks this question. : : : :
Stanza 5 : : “O! father and mother, if buds are nipped 21 And blossoms blown away, 22 And if the tender plants are stripped23 Of their joy in the springing day, 24 By sorrow and care’s dismay,25 : : lines 21 To 25 : : : :
Stanza 5 is about how “the Schoolboys” are downhearted: ” dismayed” ( line 25 ) ; the school has filled them with apprehension and fear and so they are shocked and demoralised , “By sorrow and care’s dismay” ( line 25 ) : : A plea to “father and mother”is earnestly made with an extended Metaphor of the natural cycles of life. If the buds are nipped” ( line 21 ) , “And blossoms blown away,”( line 22 ) ; That is cut or severed/ pruned , the possibility of growing up in to a blossoming flower ,and further, to turning in to a fruit on its maturity comes to an end. And “If the tender plants are stripped” ( line 23 ) , that is , On such removal , Only minimal features remain and its functionality on attaining a maturity after the week’s of sprouting and growingare taken away. As a result , it is deprived of its meaningful existence, continuance and even of its title ; ” Of their joy in the springing day,” ( line 24 ) : A deprival “By sorrows and care’s dismay.” ( line 25 ) In this way , the Schoolboys are stripped off their joy at the School. : : : :
Stanza 6 : : “How shall the summer arise in joy, 26 Or the summer’s fruits appear? 27 Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, 28 Or bless the mellowing year, 29 When the blasts of winter appear?” 30 : : : : lines ( 26 To 30 ) : : : :
Stanza 6 is about description of how school can never be enjoyable, but it is like a winter’s day blowing a strong draft and cold air through the warm summer. : ” “When the blasts of winter appear?” : ( line 30 ) : : How “the summer’s fruits appear? ( line 27 ) and that way, “the summer arise in joy,” ( line 26 ) : : The questions are asked how the Schoolboys can be expected to grow into fulfilling adults if they are put into such an unpromising environment as the school. Such a “springing day”( line 25 ) – a time of potential is restrained and is not getting developed into a “summer in Joy” ( line 26 ) in such conditions. It should have to be so attained to the “appearance of summer fruits”( line 27 ) : : Otherwise , ” how shall we gather what griefs destroy,” ( line 28 ) “Or bless the mellowing year ?” ( line 29 ) , that is whole time of “year” for making them or growing more mellow : ( softened , easygoing and more genial ) is attained. : : Because, further to this , more adversaries in the form of “blasts ofwinter (close to) appear.” ( line 30 ) : :
The summer’s fruits and an Autumn harvest keeps up life through the rough , tough and unkind Winter. The same way, with happy childhood , learning in the natural world will reap the benefits of a wise and fruitful time of fulfillment. Sending children to school interferes with this natural cycle and results in a lifetimeof unhappiness with no possibility of learnedwisdom. : : : :
“The Schoolboy” , A School Poem By William Blake, Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 20 , 2022 : : : : : : : :
Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 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 summer’s 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 ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. — William Shakespeare : : Sonnet 18 : :
“Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day”, Sonnet 18 , By William Shakespeare is about “Fair Youth” comparable to “A Summer’s Day — its qualities. : : There is an irony being expressed in this sonnet : it is not the actual young man who will be eternalized, but the description of him contained in the poem, and the poem contains no description of the young man, but instead contains vivid and lasting descriptions of a summer day, which the young man is supposed to outlive. : This Shakespearean “sonnet18 is having 14 lines of iambic pentameter: three quatrains followed by a couplet. It also has the characteristic rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCDEFEF GG.: Being an Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet. Petrarchan sonnets typically discussed the love and beauty of a beloved, often an unattainable love, but not always. It also contains a “volta”, or ‘shift’ in the poem’s subject matter, beginning with the third quatrain. : The poem is part of the Fair Youth sequence (which comprises sonnets 1–126 in the accepted numbering stemming from the first edition in 1609). It is also the first of the cycle after the opening sequence now described as the procreation sonnets. Some scholars, however, contend that it is part of the procreation sonnets, as it addresses the idea of reaching eternal life through the written word, a theme they find in sonnets 15–17. In this view, it can be seen as part of a transition to sonnet 20’s time theme. :
“Complexion” in line six, can have two meanings:
(1)The outward appearance of the face as compared with the sun (“the eye of heaven”) in the previous line, or (2)The older sense of the word in relation to the four humours. In Shakespeare’s time “complexion” carried both outward and inward meanings, as did the word “temperate” (externally, a weather condition; internally, a balance of humours). The second meaning of “complexion” would communicate that the beloved’s inner, cheerful, and temperate disposition is constant, unlike the sun, which may be blotted out on a cloudy day. The first meaning is more obvious: a negative change in his outward appearance. : : : :
The word, “untrimmed” in line eight, can be taken two ways: First, in the sense of loss of decoration and frills, and second, in the sense of untrimmed sails on a ship. In the first interpretation, the poem reads that beautiful things naturally lose their fanciness over time. In the second, it reads that nature is a ship with sails not adjusted to wind changes in order to correct course. This, in combination with the words “nature’s changing course”, creates an oxymoron: the unchanging change of nature, or the fact that the only thing that does not change is change. This line in the poem creates a shift from the mutability of the first eight lines, into the eternity of the last six. Both change and eternity are then acknowledged and challenged by the final line. : :
“Ow’st” in line ten can carry two meanings, each common at the time: “ownest” and “owest”. “Owe”, in Shakespeare’s day, was sometimes used as a synonym for “own”. However, “owest” conveys the idea that beauty is something borrowed from nature—that it must be paid back. In this interpretation, “fair” can be a pun on “fare”, or the fare required by nature for life’s journey. Other scholars have pointed out that this borrowing and lending theme within the poem is true of both nature and humanity. Summer, for example, is said to have a “lease” with “all too short a date”. This monetary theme is common in many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, as it was an everyday theme in his budding capitalistic society. : : ::
The Discussion as aforesaid is based on Wikipedia’s Article : : The Sonnet is having Recordings : :
Paul Kelly, for the 2016 album, Seven Sonnets & a Song Chuck Liddell Video on YouTube David Gilmour Video on YouTube Bryan Ferry, for the 1997 album Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute : : : :
“Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day” , Sonnet 18 , A School Poem By William Shakespeare : : Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 19 , 2022 : : : : : : : :
Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson 13 November 1850 Edinburgh, Scotland Died 3 December 1894 (aged 44) Vailima, Samoa Occupation Novelist poet travel writer Alma mater University of Edinburgh Period Victorian era : : : : Notable works : : : : : Treasure Island A Child’s Garden of Verses Kidnapped Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde : Spouse : : : : : Fanny Van De Grift Osborne ( 1880 – 1894
My Shadow BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow— Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see; I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. Source: The Golden Book of Poetry (1947)
“My Shadow”, A School Poem By Robert Louis Stevenson, is about how one’s shadow follows one everywhere, with its Speaker , himself a young child describing his shadow in a Humourous Way. : : The poem begins with the speaker describing how there is another child who follows him everywhere. His shadow has an affiliations with him ; remains close to him when he is playing, so much it is unpleasant for them both. He also has the strange ability to shrink and grow quickly, not at all like a normal boy. He also notices the similarities between the shadow and himself. This way, trying to understand his own shadow shows child’s enthusiasm and innocence. Without access to or understanding of Science, ( he is yet to grow ) he has to come to his own conclusions. The Speaker child gets thrilled by his own shadow and his curiosity keeps him to notice everything about the shadow. And he does this cleverly. The speaker calls his shadow as a “he,” as if it is another boy accompanying him everywhere he goes. How amusing !? The shadow jumps , when he jumps ; and when , in to the bed , before him ( only this time , this way going for a sleep ) ; runs , when he runs. Always behind him, and never comes in front before him. The size of the shadow doesn’t grow. Sometimes, it becomes as large as Indian bouncing ball and shorter as no body likes him. The kids grow “very slow”, but this improper child — the shadow, is a ‘strange child’ compared to real children in the way of growing. This strange child does not understand how to play, a critical part of childhood. : During a day, this strange child is always there, acting like a “coward,”:”He stays so close beside him ,”as if a very young child would cling to his “nursie.”: ( nourishing at the breast of a mother ) which he finds awkward. : ” can only make a fool of me in every sort of way”: When he got up early before the sunrise , he saw moisture : “shinning dew” on yellow flowers , but couldn’t find a shadow with him.”. .. : “and found the shining dew on every buttercup;” : He thought that the shadow was still sleeping and was lazy . But , he wondered whether the shadow had gone to bed beforehim and missed to see the beautiful experience of getting up early before sunrise with the yellow buttercupflower with shinning dew on it.The last image of the shadow having a ‘lazy lie-in’ while the boy rises early, shows the ‘dissimilarity’ and is not matching with our Speaker – child’s initial observation , his playful taunting to his shadow , and the shadow’s failure to go matching with him ! The witty but Sarcastic mocking smile for a reader, Stevenson sometimes employed in his poems for children.: “My Shadow”, is an 1885 poem , 137 years ago, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Among his most famous poems for children, it appeared in A Child’s Garden of Verses in 1885. Because it is written in iambs that contain seven syllables per line, it is written in iambic heptameter, and can be considered a fourteener. The words such as notion ( whimsy belief ) , arrant ( complete / thoroughgoing fool ) , ought ( likely / better ) and nursie ( nourishing at the breast of a mother ) ( tell us that this poem is old as these words aren’t used very much today.: : : :
The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung first coined the term “Shadow” to refer to the hidden, dark side of the human psyche : an archetypal ( original the First Pattern ) that lives in the unconscious mind and stores the unwanted, unprocessed qualities of the Self, including the life experiences we ignore in order to survive ( later as an adult ) : : : : : : : : Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Garden : A Child’sGarden of Verses”first published in 1885) includes 66 poems arranged in 4 Sequences : 1) “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” 2) “The Child Alone,” 3) “Garden Days”, and 4) “Envoys,” preceded by a poem in which the book is dedicated to Stevenson’s Nanny Alison Cunningham. : : This “much-loved collection” is considered a Classic Piece Of English-language Literature for children. it exhibits a dualism ( two opposing elements : mind & body / matter ,Or Good & Evil ) of address ( location access / attention place ) . It presents a sign or symptoms on ‘Childhood’. And on the necessity of growing up from an adult perspective, a feature which, makes books for children also ‘inspiring’, & encouraging curiosity and enthusiastic search with imagination , but ‘intriguing’ for adult readers. : There is also a dualism in the speaking persona : Main strategy is “to relive childhood from an adult perspective” which makes the child voice. : Some of the poems speak with “a depth of thought usually absent from the average child” ( 2013 Lawrence Adams contends ) : : The voice in some other poems, especially in the last sequence “Envoys,” seems to be that of an adult. This ambivalence ( mixed feelings / emotions ) is also stressed by authors like Fielding, who finds it unclear “whether the speakers of the poems are children rehearsing for adulthood, or the adult poet ( here Robert Louis Stevenson , himself ) ventriloquising his lost past” ( Practising an art of projecting your voice so that it seems coming from another source : : : :
The unifying idea is recurring in the childhood poems in “Child’s Garden Of Verses” and is interesting to seein thefamous “School Poem” “My Shadow,” As Lawrence Adams, ( Lawrence, Adam. 2013. “‘Playing among the graves’ in Colinton Manse: Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Scottish Gothic’ Garden of Verses.” Journal of Stevenson Studies 10:161–185 ) Pg. 176 ) argues, “the speaker playfullyattempts to distinguish ‘the shadow’ from himself but the association becomes clear : metaphorically the shadow is the child, or what the child becomes when sick-ness takes control of his body” : : : : : : : : In stanza 4 the child is dissociated from his shadow, which may be a representation of a split self or of the body parting with the soul, i.e. death. The idea of losing one’s shadow was frequently explored in19th Century Literature as symbolic of one’s losing a part of one’s personality or of the dark side of psyche taking control over a human being. : : : :
“My Shadow” A School Poem By Robert Louis Stevenson : Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 18 , 2022 : : : : : : : :
Kipling If (Doubleday 1910) A Doubleday, Page & Co. edition from 1910 : First published inRewards and Fairies , 112 years ago. In his posthumously published autobiography, Something of Myself (1937), Kipling said that in writing the poem, he was inspired by the character of Leander Starr Jameson,: : leader of the failed Jameson Raid against the South African Republic to overthrow the Boer government of Paul Kruger. The failure of that mercenary coup d’état aggravated the political tensions between Great Britain and the Boers, which led to the Second Boer War (1899–1902). : : “If—” remains a cultural touchstone.[6] The British cultural-artifact status of the poem is evidenced by the parodies of the poem, and by its popularity among Britons. : :
If— BY RUDYARD KIPLING (‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Source: A Choice of Kipling’s Verse (1943)
“If” , Written circa 1895 as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson, ( leader of the failed Jameson Raid against the South African Republic to overthrow the Boer government of Paul Kruger ) , A School Poem , By Rudyard Kipling ( 1865 – 1935 ) is about Masculinity, andSuccess &Defeat. : : The speaker of “If—” champions a morality built on moderation. In this poem, he advises his son to move through life with composure, and to always exercise self-control, integrity, and humility. This means never letting “Triumph” nor “Disaster”—events either good or bad—go to one’s head. : : A conclusion paragraph. In the poem “If—” Kipling tells his reader that success comes from not taking things too seriously. His advice includes to be true to yourself, take chances, and to not let emotions rule you. In short, Kipling advises his son to have enough faith and confidence to remain true to himself. : : The overarching theme of the poem ‘If’ is successful, virtuous living based on values about integrity, rightful behavior, and self-development. The poem speaks to every reader about what it means to become a complete man and how he operates through the thick and thins of life. : : THE MAIN IDEA OF THE POEM IF WRITTEN BY RUDYARD KIPLING IS THAT THE MAIN KEY TO LED A SATISFACTORY LIFE IS TO REMAIN BALANCED. WE SHOULD DEAL WITH THE UPS AND DOWNS IN LIFE WITH AN UNDISTURBED MIND. WE SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE AND PATIENCE TO HANDLE ANY SITUATION. WE SHOULD BE EVEN MINDED IN SUCCESS AND FAILURE. : : : : : : : :
T. S. Eliot included the poem in his 1941 collection A Choice of Kipling’s Verse. The Indian writer Khushwant Singh considered the poem “the essence of the message of The Gita in English.” : : In Britain, the first verse is set, in granite setts, into the pavement of the promenade in Westward Ho! in Devon. The third and fourth lines of the second stanza of the poem: “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / and treat those two impostors just the same” are written on the wall of the players’ entrance to the Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, where the Wimbledon Championships are held. These same lines appear at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York City, where the US Open was played until 1977 : In India, a framed copy of the poem was affixed to the wall before the study desk in the cabins of the officer cadets at the National Defence Academy at Pune and the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala. : :
Charles McGrath, a former deputy editor of The New Yorker and a former editor of the New York Times Book Review, wrote that when he was in school, “they had to recite Kipling’s ‘If—’ every day, right after the Pledge of Allegiance: ‘If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, / Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, / And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!'”
Pablo Neruda—like Kipling, a Nobel laureate—found a framed ornamental copy of the poem near the Duke of Alba’s bedside in the Palacio de Liria. However, his view was not favourable, and he referred to it as “that pedestrian and sanctimonious poetry, precursor of the Reader’s Digest, whose intellectual level seems to me no higher than that of the Duke of Alba’s boots”.
In the BBC’s 1996 nationwide poll, “If—” was voted the UK’s favourite poem, gaining twice as many votes as the runner-up.
Notes for each of the 4 Stanzas Pending visit this post again later on to enjoy the appreciation of the poem V Jayaraj Pune India December 17 , 2022 : : : :
MADHU MALTI 