February 26, 2005
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SATURDAY POEM I ADMIREWhen You Are Old
When you are old and grey and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
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William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) had a lifelong love affair with Maud Gonne, whom he met when he was 23. She was an Irish revolutionary, famous for her nationalist politics and her beauty. They each married someone else, but she was his Muse. He was very political too, but though his poetry became more modern in later years he never left traditional verse forms. He became a senator of the Irish Free State at 57, won the Nobel Prize at 58, and was one of the founders of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
Deep Thought: “I hope I never do anything to bring shame on myself, my family or my other family.”
Today I am grateful for: Perspective
Guess the Movie: “What do you know about stock car racing?” “Well… watched it on television, of course.” “You’ve seen it on television?” “ESPN. The coverage is excellent, you’d be surprised at how much you can pick up.” “I’m sure I would.” Answer: Days of Thunder, 1990.
For Many Vermonters, Iraq is on the Ballot
Towns to Vote on Antiwar Resolution
by Sarah Schweitzer
Vermont’s town meetings next week will offer the nation one of the first popular referendums on the Iraq war.
In one-fifth of the state’s 251 towns, residents on Tuesday will be asked to vote on a resolution that calls upon President Bush to withdraw troops from Iraq and urges the state’s elected leaders to reconsider the use of Vermont’s National Guard in the war. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:52 pm
+ = Vermont rocks!
- = Feelings hurt.
Comments (15)
way to go Vermont…the state should look to assert its rights and it is the smallest ones that get the ball rolling…
Vermont leading the way here. Of course Bush will insult them the same way he insults Massachusetts, as they demonize anyone who thinks…
It’s a beautiful poem.
That’s very romantic as is the thought of being an Irish revolutionary. The pilgirm soul in you…I can’t quite put my finger on what that says to me. How interesting that Vermont will vote on the war. I hope it’s the start of a trend.
Thanks for the Yeats! Great cats up there in your banner, too. I have only three – Edna, Stella and Mango.
I thought that poem looked familiar! I’m not a huge fan of Yates, but that’s a good one.
I’ve spent a bunch of this morning looking up Maud Gonne. I’ve gotten fascinated by “liberation connections” in history, like that between American Democrats [Jeffersonians] and the United Irishmen and French Jacobins in the 1780s, and in this case, Irish links with Alsatian Liberationists. It’s funny, it is something our current American government is completely clueless about: the fact that anti-colonialists, despite huge differences, will almost always make common cause.
Anyway, thanks for connecting me to a part of history I never knew.
She was an amazing woman – I read up on her too. And she lived through all those turbulent times to the age of 88. Wow.
I love Yeats. It was interesting learning more of the personal side. Yay Vermont! I hope other states will follow. Your feelings were hurt??
Oh not by xanga – it was a family thing.
I adore Yeats….and will be researching Gonne….great post, inspires inquisitive searching….again I’m not familiar with politice especially with the States….so I won’t comment…. hope you have a wondrous day….’til the next
I am glad you visited me so I learned of your blog. I learn things here! Thank you for posting them.
I also think that the Vermont antiwar resolutions are great. Here in San Francisco, we had an antiwar proposition on the ballot last November, and it passed overwhelmingly.
“oh joy” ?
Ah, fair enough. I enjoyed it a lot, in a “zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” kind of way, too. I like that poem by Yeats, he has some great stuff. I remember studying the political aspects of “A coat”, that is a great one as well.