Thursday 9 October 2008

Some poetry...

Today is, apparently, National Poetry Day (so I have gathered from another blog). Doubtless we'll have the clergy muscling in on it at evensong, so before they go and spoil it (they are such an illiterate lot!) I thought I'd offer my own choice of verse to mark the day. Here it is...


Lorenzo:
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony
Sit, Jessica: Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:
There's not the smallest orb that thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.
Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn!
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,
And draw her home with music.
Jessica:
I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
Lorenzo:
The reason is, your spirits are attentive...
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.
***
Act V, scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice

11 comments:

ChickPea said...

As ever, CB1 - Forefinger On The Pulse of Life's Rich Tapestry. I salute you, and hope Evensong holds
unexpected delights and delicacies.

Kitty said...

For reasons I won't go into, this play is known as 'The Merchant of Dennis' in our house.

You chose some lovely lines. Thank you.

x

Hadriana's Treasures said...

"Mark the music." Beautiful.

Kevin Musgrove said...

Splendid.

Liz Hinds said...

A poem wot I rote

I have a little Beetle,
Betty is her name.
She likes to toot her horn at will;
She's driving me insane.

Gadjo Dilo said...

Ah, National Poetry Day, if only I'd known. Lovely bit of Shakespeare that, thanks.

Deeoshaythree said...

Mr Can Bass, I wonder if you've heard how that section of "The Merchant" is used by proponents of the Shakspere-was-a-secret-Catholic theory. If you read into the dialogue between Lorenzo and Jessica you'll discover that it bears a structural resemblance to the Exsultet or Easter Proclamation. "Rejoice, Heavenly Powers, sing choirs of angels..."

Anonymous said...

A certain Cantoris Bass 1
Posts blogs that are witty and fun.
This shy Alto 2
Reads each of them through:
None better, when all's said and done.

Rob Clack said...

Apologies, musicmiss....

Cantoris Bass 1
Posts blogs both witty and fun.
Old son of a gun!

Joanna Cake said...

I didnt know either! Id have marked the occasion with a ditty of my own. Loved your MoV tho :)

Old Fogey said...

This is in VW's Serenade to Music isn't it? One of my all time favourites.
OF