Thursday, January 21, 2016

Poetry (part 1) - Snow

snow/everystockphoto.com

As I'm looking out my window this bright January day, I see a blanket of snow.

Thinking analytically, snow's fundamental element is the snowflake. To the eye of the beholder, snowflakes may be beautiful. But are they unique?

As seen in the clip below, science and history has much to say about snow and snowflakes.



But chance and physics do not take away the snowflake's fleeting beauty. Often it's hard to find the words that describe the wonder of nature. And that's when the arts, such as poetry, take off.

Almost thirty years ago, I wrote a poem about winter, pondering a scene, such as what I'm looking at now:

Snow

Clean and bright
The winter scene
Pearly snow 
Is everywhere seen 

Yet the snow 
Is still not pure 
Formed from dust 
Like mortals, here 

Dust is woven
Crocheted to snow
And robes the world
From heaven, below 

Frozen and still
The sleepy land
Under snowy blankets
Till Spring, again 

S. K. Smith 
(c) November 1986


So starts another thread - Poetry. 

And on this poetic note, may I leave with this thought about the Creator:

For He saith to the snow,
Be thou on earth; ...
Job 37:6 (KJV)


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Other posts on this subject:

ELM (part 3) - St. Crispin's Day Battles in English History and Literature (2013)

Touching the Face of God ... (2011) 

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photo: snow/everystockphoto.com

Monday, January 11, 2016

Music (part 1) - Winter

Northern Lights/everystock.com

Music predates history...  

One of the oldest pieces of literature is the Book of Job. Most likely the oldest book in the Bible, the back and forth dialog between Job and his miserable comforters end on this note when the Lord finally speaks:

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation
...
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
Job 38:4, 9 (NIV)

The singing stars...

Music is woven into creation before it came into our consciousness. Volumes have been written on this subject, but the clip below gives a good introduction:




As I start this new thread, it's winter... 

In the spirit of the season, Antonio Vivaldi composed Winter.

Below the piece is played in the background of beautiful winter scenes. It's where the audio and visual meet in the rhythm of life and existence.



For more information on this composer and this work, check out:

Antonio Vivaldi - BAROQUE COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS

* The  Four Seasons - Work by Vivaldi  


And on this note...

Music is a moral law.
It gives soul to the universe,
wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination,
and charm
and gaiety
to life
and to everything.

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Other posts on music:

Nostalgia (part 5) - Big Band and World War II (2015)
 
Pray4America (part 16) - God Bless America, 1938 (2014) 

 
Culture 101 (part 10) - Summertime! x 3 (2013

 
America's Story (part 5) - Amazing Grace (2012) 


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photo:  Northern Lights/everystock.com