"Ah gentle pair, yee little think how nigh your change approaches..."

Ah gentle pair, yee little think how nigh
Your change approaches, when all these delights
Will vanish and deliver ye to woe,
More woe, the more your taste is now of joy;
Happie, but for so happie ill secur'd
Long to continue, and this high seat your Heav'n
Ill fenc't for Heav'n to keep out such a foe
As now is enterd; yet no purpos'd foe
To you whom I could pittie thus forlorne
Though I unpittied: League with you I seek,
And mutual amitie so streight, so close,
That I with you must dwell, or you with me
Henceforth; my dwelling haply may not please
Like this fair Paradise, your sense, yet such
Accept your Makers work; he gave it me,
Which I as freely give; Hell shall unfold,
To entertain you two, her widest Gates,
And send forth all her Kings; there will be room,
Not like these narrow limits, to receive
Your numerous ofspring; if no better place,
Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge
On you who wrong me not for him who wrongd.
And should I at your harmless innocence
Melt, as I doe, yet public reason just,
Honour and Empire with revenge enlarg'd,
By conquering this new World, compels me now
To do what else though damnd I should abhorre.


From Paradise Lost, Book 4


Satan Watching the Caresses of Adam and Eve (illus. for Paradise Lost), William Blake, 1808.

"On the other side of a mirror..."

On the other side of a mirror there’s an inverse world, where the insane go sane; where bones climb out of the earth and recede to the first slime of love.

And in the evening the sun is just rising.


From "Antimatter" by Russell Edson. The complete poem is at Poetry Foundation. You can hear Edson read it on Youtube.

Nimm dich selbst bei der Nase, 17th century. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The paradox of tolerance

I posted this article from The Independent on my Facebook page yesterday, primarily for its considerable freak value, but I've found myself thinking about its observation that "the espousal of unusual beliefs should not be interpreted as proof of mental illness." I'm not sure that assertion really applies to Mr. Shayler. Believing you are Jesus, that he was a "tranny," and that hemp will save the Earth is a trifecta of wackiness that strains the psychologist's theory, to put it mildly. Nevertheless, I think it's generally worth remembering that a person's ideology is not only a poor indicator of his mental health, it actually tells you almost nothing else of importance about him.

I look around at my circle of friends and acquaintances, and I marvel at the variety of odd beliefs we hold. Our politics range from the edge of fascism to way left of Moonbatville. Religious weirdness is rife among us. We include all varieties of Christian, a few Buddhists, Hindus, devout atheists, an ex-Moonie, and of course, my own cohort of tree-hugging Pagans. All these traditions are equally strange, if you consider them objectively. But somehow, happily, all these troublesome beliefs never get in the way of our human connection. One of the smartest, best people I know believes that the earth is 6,000 years old. I think that belief is completely irrational, but I know my friend well enough to understand that it would be a terrible mistake to confuse the person with the tenet. That said, there's no denying that this dubious belief is part of my friend's chosen identity, and I am compelled to respect that if I hope to honor our relationship. This is the paradox of tolerance; of all love, really. We have to acknowledge our deep differences without letting them divide us.


A Protestant Allegory, Girolamo da Treviso, 1538-44. (Read an account of this work here.)

For more pretty fungi...

...go to Turn Outward.

One Sentence Perfume Review: Prowl, Neil Morris Vault Parfums

Prowl is a Siamese cat: seductively elegant, but noisy and inclined to play rough.


Notes per NMF website: Black pepper, Honeysuckle, Jasmine Sambac, Tuberose, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Amber, Civet


Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

"The flush of the known universe is in him"

The male is not less the soul nor more, he too is in his place,
He too is all qualities, he is action and power,
The flush of the known universe is in him,
Scorn becomes him well, and appetite and defiance become him well,
The wildest largest passions, bliss that is utmost, sorrow that is utmost become him well, pride is for him,
The full-spread pride of man is calming and excellent to the soul...

From "I Sing the Body Electric" by Walt Whitman. Text from Poetry Foundation,


Male Nude, Jean-Baptiste Wicar (1762-1834)

"We wear the mask that grins and lies"

We Wear the Mask

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!


Text from Poetry Foundation.

Image from the Ex Libris collection at A World History of Art.

You'll find today's post...

...at Turn Outward.

Martha Graham's Night Journey

I was prowling the Web today, looking for clips of the ballet "Appalachian Spring." There are countless clips of orchestras and schoolchildren playing the score, but precious few of the ballet itself. Someone has put up an intriguing clip with the original cast, including Graham (see it here), but unfortunately it's quite glitchy and annoying to sit through.

I was lucky enough to come across the partial video of "Night Journey" below, however, which plays beautifully. I'm not the greatest Graham fan--the prowling was research for a writing gig--but I was riveted by this piece. Granted, I can't help seeing it as a tad comic. Portions of it bear an uncomfortable resemblance to one of the pantomime fight scenes in the original Star Trek (curse my low culture frame of reference), but the technique of the dancers is just amazing, and the set and costumes are perfect.

BitterGrace is busy

She's watching the mockingbird wars, admiring the phoebe outside her window, and trying to get some work done. She'll be back to the blog shortly.

Eastern Phoebe photo from Wikimedia Commons.