Tag Archives: Literature
Child 44:
Amelia Peabody Series:
Book Recommendation: “Child 44”
30 MarChild 44:
by Tom Rob Smith
““—Isn’t this how it starts? You have a cause you believe in, a cause worth dying for. Soon, it’s a cause worth killing for. Soon, it’s a cause worth killing innocent people for.” Continue reading
” O’ Winter! Ruler of th’ Inverted Year”
6 Feb“A Winter Scene” by Renaboo
William Cowper
from his work: “The Task“
Oh Winter! ruler of th’ inverted year,
Thy scatter’d hair with sleet like ashes fill’d,
Thy breath congeal’d upon thy lips, thy cheeks
Fring’d with a beard made white with other snows
Than those of age; thy forehead wrapt in clouds,
A leafless branch thy sceptre, and thy throne
A sliding car, indebted to no wheels,
But urg’d by storms along its slipp’ry way;
I love thee, all unlovely as thou seem’st,
And dreaded as thou art! Thou hold’st the sun
A pris’ner in the yet undawning East,
Short’ning his journey between morn and noon,
And hurrying him, impatient of his stay,
Down to the rosy West; but kindly still
Compensating his loss with added hours
Of social converse and instructive ease,
And gathering at short notice, in one group,
The family dispers’d, and fixing thought,
Not less dispers’d by day-light and its cares.
I crown thee King of intimate delights,
Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness,
And all the comforts that the lowly roof
Of undisturb’d retirement, and the hours
Of long uninterrupted evening, know.
“Clearing Rain” – Poetry I Love
17 Dec“Autumn in the Big City” by Spirosart
“Clearing Rain” by Du Fu (758)
The sky’s water has fallen, and autumn clouds are thin,
The western wind has blown ten thousand li.
This morning’s scene is good and fine,
Long rain has not harmed the land.
The row of willows begins to show green,
The pear tree on the hill has little red flowers.
A hujia pipe begins to play upstairs,
One goose flies high into the sky.
雨晴（一作秋霁）
天水秋云薄
从西万里风
今朝好晴景
久雨不妨农
塞柳行疏翠
山梨结小红
胡笳楼上发
一雁入高空
yǔ qíng（yī zuò qiū jì）
tiān shuǐ qiū yún báo
cóng xī wàn lǐ fēng
jīn zhāo hǎo qíng jǐng
jiǔ yǔ bù fáng nóng
sāi liǔ háng shū cuì
shān lí jiē xiǎo hóng
hú jiā lóu shàng fā
yī yàn rù gāo kōng
tiān shuǐ qiū yún báo
cóng xī wàn lǐ fēng
jīn zhāo hǎo qíng jǐng
jiǔ yǔ bù fáng nóng
sāi liǔ háng shū cuì
shān lí jiē xiǎo hóng
hú jiā lóu shàng fā
yī yàn rù gāo kōng
The Erl-King ~ by Johanne Wolfgang Von Goethe
11 NovThe Erl King 1 by odingraphics
The Erl-King
by Johanne Wolfgang Von Goethe
WHO rides there so late through the night dark and drear?
The father it is, with his infant so dear;
He holdeth the boy tightly clasp’d in his arm,
He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm.
“My son, wherefore seek’st thou thy face thus to hide?”
“Look, father, the Erl-King is close by our side!
Dost see not the Erl-King, with crown and with train?”
“My son, ’tis the mist rising over the plain.” Continue reading
Waiting in Silence
27 JunRandom Literary Criticism Question. . . do you know what this poem is describing?
WAITING IN SILENCE
Pounding. Pounding. Pounding.
Always ever stomping, chest drum beating
Thudding up and down, up and down.
Heart forcing its way up and out.
Racing here. There. Back. There. Again.
Never closing, always opening. Wider, Wider.
Espying, Missing. Chasing, Searching, Seeking. There!
Eyes ever seeing what remains unseen.
HELP. Help. help. Shhh.
Choking. Stopping. Breath intangible, concrete.
Words Spilling Out in Air. Hanging. Fading. Gone.
Voice Screaming whispered cries falling from speechless lips.
Never Give In. Never Give Up. Never Stop Fighting.
30 MayI’m not a son, but I needed this message today 🙂
MOTHER TO SON
by LANGSTON HUGHES
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
Book Recommendation: “The Amelia Peabody Series”
4 MayAmelia Peabody Series:
by Elizabeth Peters
“A dismal silence fell. “It looks bad,” Cyrus muttered. “Now what do we do?”
Everyone looked at me. It was most gratifying.”
Elizabeth Peters’ wonderfully comedic series is one of my all-time favorite historical reads ~ I have most of the books, and I love re-reading them all. Amelia herself is a snarky, but practical feminist; she insists the men dress up for dinner, but strides through ancient tombs in her self-designed pant suits. A woman determined to survive on her own, Amelia takes off alone on an adventure round the world to the utter horror of her family members. It isn’t clear who is more surprised when she then falls in love with a determined, but surprisingly romantic Emerson–her or her disapproving brother. Continue reading
Japanese Legends: Story of the Stonecutter
30 AprJapanese Legends:
The Stonecutter
Once upon a time there lived a stonecutter, who went every day to a great rock in the side of a big mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. He understood very well the kinds of stones wanted for the different purposes, and as he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.
Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The stonecutter, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, with an unbelieving air, when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion.
One day the stonecutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: “Oh, if only I were a rich man, and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!” Continue reading
Book Disclaimers: Wheel of Time
25 AprBook Disclaimers: “Wheel of Time” will Steal Your Time
First off, I adore this series of books, or at least I did for a very long time. Many, many years ago, I picked up a friend’s copy of “The Eye of the World” and ran straight through the first six books within less than a month. I consumed them with a passion that was fierce and undying; Robert Jordan was just an amazing author.
A lot of people have a problem with the fact that much of the series seems kind of reminiscent of LOTR, and that is certainly true. There are “dark riders,” a collection of men that went terribly evil and sold their souls to the dark lord, there are trolls, and of course wizards. But Jordan’s work is also incredibly unique and wonderfully in-depth. Who can reject a fantasy series that has it’s own maps? And its own university webpage dedicated to the dozens of associated games. There is even supposedly a movie coming out before too long. To put this series into perspective for fantasy newbies, this book was more of a cult classic than GOT. It spins hundreds of little webs and tales, making it as complex (if not more) than George R. R. Martin’s series. You may be following as many as twenty side stories at any given time, all of them vital to the main theme. Combine the intricacy with the beautiful writing style, and the books are sheer magic. You get an incredibly beautiful, LONG series of books. Continue reading
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
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