Writely Applied

I’m late for my June 2009 celebratory Edgar Allan Post so I will close out the month of June with his poem, The Sleeper.

The Sleeper

At midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim,
And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Upon the quiet mountain top,
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast,
The ruin moulders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take,
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps!–and lo! where lies
(Her casement open to the skies)
Irene, with her Destinies!
Oh, lady bright! can it be right–
This window open to the night!
The wanton airs, from the tree-top,
Laughingly through the lattice-drop–
The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Flit through thy chamber in and out,
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully–so fearfully–
Above the closed and fringed lid
‘Neath which thy slumb’ring soul lies hid,
That, o’er the floor and down the wall,
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come o’er far-off seas,
A wonder to these garden trees!
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress!
Strange, above all, thy length of tress,
And this all-solemn silentness!
The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep
Which is enduring, so be deep!
Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
This chamber changed for one more holy,
This bed for one more melancholy,
I pray to God that she may lie
For ever with unopened eye,
While the dim sheeted ghosts go by!
My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
As it is lasting, so be deep;
Soft may the worms about her creep!
Far in the forest, dim and old,
For her may some tall vault unfold–
Some vault that oft hath flung its black
And winged panels fluttering back,
Triumphant, o’er the crested palls,
Of her grand family funerals–
Some sepulchre, remote, alone,
Against whose portal she hath thrown,
In childhood many an idle stone–
Some tomb from out whose sounding door
She ne’er shall force an echo more,
Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within.

Missing your copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe?
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Here is an incredible piece of animation from 1953 of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart. This UPA Production was the first adult only carton in Great Britain under the British Board of Film Censors classification system. I couldn’t tell you why really. I guess scary deserves an X rating.

The best part of this animated short of The Tell-Tale Heart, outside of the dark animation art, is that it is narrated by James Mason, you know, James Mason from the TV mini-series movie of Salem’s Lot (the head vampire’s human servant). What a voice James Mason has, perfect for this. It doesn’t compare of course to the rendering of The Tell-Tale Heart, one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short stories, that was done in the 2009 movie Poe Last Days of the Raven to celebrate the centennial of Edgar Allan Poe’s 200th birthday. That was an exceptional reading integrated into the movie making it hard to separate fact from fiction.

In keeping with our writely applied Edgar Allan Poe 200th birthday celebration, here is a YouTube of the animated Tell-Tale Heart narrated by James Mason.

Missing your copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe?
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Maya Angelou wrote a poem called Phenomenal Woman which Amy Sky set to music. It is a beautiful poem and I thought it would be nice to share for Mother’s Day. I didn’t know it was set to music and was amazed at how beautiful the poem was after being rendered to music. I like it when lyrics are poetry and when poetry is lyrics. It is a truly gifted person that can do both and Maya’s poem Phenomenal Woman is lyrical.

Phenomenal Woman is a poem about strong women. You can visit The Poetry Foundation to read a copy. However, I invite you not leave Writely Applied without having listened to Amy Sky’s song. If you visit YouTube you can read more about her quest to contact Maya Angelou to ask for permission to set Phenomenal Woman to music. Amy is a truly inspired artist and her story of their fated meeting is inspiring as well.

I’ve posted less but thought of Writely Applied often. I’m not blogging much, but I’m writely applied in my work which requires creativity in its own right. I’ve spent a few moments smelling the roses, or really smelling the spring rain that may bring roses. The sound of rain is always appealing to me; I’m a lover of all things weather as each type of weather evokes some sort of feelings or memories.

I visited YouTube to see what I could find related to the topic of April for a sweet image to leave you with and I find rare footage of the master of scat, Mel Torme, singing a pleasing version of April Showers. It brought me memories of Night Court of course as the funny judge was a huge Mel Torme fan.

And here are the lyrics to this beautiful tune…

April Showers

Life is not a highway strewn with flowers,
Still it holds a goodly share of bliss,
When the sun gives way to April showers,
Here is the point you should never miss.

Though April showers may come your way,
They bring the flowers that bloom in May.
So if it’s raining, have no regrets,
Because it isn’t raining rain, you know, (It’s raining violets,)
And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And list’ning for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.

And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And list’ning for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.

In honor of Italian scientist and senator for life, Rita Levi Montalcini, who celebrates her 100th birthday this Wednesday and claims to be sharp as ever, here is Edgar Allan Poe’s Sonnet – To Science.

Rita Levi Montalcini started celebrating her 100th birthday early this weekend when the European Brain Research Institute held a special ceremony in her honor. Some words from Rita before we lay an Edgar Allan Poe sonnet on you to celebrate his 200th birthday.

“Above all, don’t fear difficult moments. The best comes from them.”
Rita Levi Montalcini on Life

Sonnet – To Science

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies,
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car?
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

Missing your copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe?
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I’m in the mood for a POEm, are you? Here is Edgar Allan Poe’s Evening Star from 1827 influenced by Thomas Moore’s “While Gazing on the Moon’s Light”.

For reference let’s start with Thomas Moore.

While Gazing On The Moon’s Light
by Thomas Moore

While gazing on the moon’s light,
A moment from her smile I turn’d,
To look at orbs, that, more bright,
In lone and distant glory burned.
But too far
Each proud star,
For me to feel its warming flame;
Much more dear,
That mild sphere,
Which near our planet smiling came;
Thus, Mary, be but thou my own;
While brighter eyes unheeded play,
I’ll love those moonlight looks alone,
That bless my home and guide my way.

The day had sunk in dim showers,
But midnight now, with lustre meek,
Illumined all the pale flowers,
Like hope upon a mourner’s cheek.
I said (while
The moon’s smile
Play’d o’er a stream, in dimpling bliss),
The moon looks
On many brooks,
The brook can see no moon but this;
And thus, I thought, our fortunes run,
For many a lover looks to thee,
While oh! I feel there is but one,
One Mary in the world for me

*****

Evening Star
by Edgar Allan Poe

‘Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro’ the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
‘Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.
I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold- too cold for me-
There pass’d, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

Missing your copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe?
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I know it is late; we’ve had a busy snow day on the east coast so I’m just getting around to saying Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss. Aren’t they still celebrating on the west coast?

Dr. Seuss is the greatest. I can’t tell you how much he has inspired some of my fun rhymes…when you have an alligator stuck down the sink and a parrot that eats carrots in a story and it all rhymes who else could you dedicate a story to? The king of children’s rhyme, that’s who and that, would be Dr. Seuss. (I had nothing to do with the pig in the bowl…let your mind wander).

We’ve all learned from the writings of Dr. Seuss in one way or another. I remember many of the books, my one brother who came 24 years after me learned via Dr. Seuss video tapes that he loved. Is Dr. Seuss still relevant in learning how to read? If he wasn’t I don’t think we’d be celebrating this man who would be in the early hundreds if he were still alive today.

We are still finding new ways to learn with Dr. Seuss…Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
Thank you for being so writely applied.

While we spent a lot of time celebrating Edgar Allan Poe’s 200th birthday in January, we find ourselves in the midst of celebrations of Poe’s contemporaries. As fate would have it February 12th was the 200th birthday for both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Both were men of great ideas and Writely Applied in their words as was Poe.

I always watch with great interest programs related to the life of great men. One show after another has been aired on our late great President Abraham Lincoln. During this great time in our history being lead under our first black president, there is much to celebrate in the accomplishments of this great man alone. I was awe struck at the number of people that gathered to see President Lincoln’s remains during his travel across the America of his time. Over seven million people viewed the President during his funeral ride from Washington to Springfield, Illinois.

But he was one man. Rarely do we get to put into perspective a man in his time. I was reading Lincoln, Darwin, Poe – 3 giants born in 1 month by Peter Bourque and of course I got to thinking about how incredible it is. These men, whose paths perhaps never crossed, lived in an evolving period in history. Even if it was not believed so during the time, we look back and are blown away on what was going on in politics and science…and American literature.

“The true genius shudders at incompleteness - and usually prefers silence to saying something which is not everything it should be.” Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

“And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
Charles Darwin (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882)

*****

For more information on Poe’s contemporaries, visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.

Missing your copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe?
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The Lemonade Award it cometh twice in December. Both A Poet’s View and Shakespeare Mom have awarded me the Lemonade Award for which Writely Applied is most grateful, especially since these are her first two awards.

And of course…I accept, however the chain stops here. Sorry, as much as I’m honored and love the link love, the chain stops here as WritelyApplied likes to share the link love in other ways.

From this point forward Writely Applied will recognize the Awards and Awarders and I will share links with my readers, but I cannot pass it on. However, so that you all know that your recognition of WritelyApplied will not sit in the nether region of missing sock land with the chain letters requesting that I send a tea towel or a recipe to a friend, relative or who are you and how did you get my name and address…I have set a place aside so that my blog friends are recognized as blogs that recognized WritelyApplied. You’ll find them here at the WritelyApplied Awards page.

My Pretty Rose Tree
by William Blake

 A flower was offered to me:
Such a flower as May never bore.
But I said “I’ve a Pretty Rose-tree”,
And I passed the sweet flower o’er.

 Then I went to my Pretty Rose-tree:
To tend her by day and by night.
But my Rose turn’d away with jealousy:
And her thorns were my only delight.

Visit LovePoetry.com for more poems of Love!