May-17

/ Sean Fraser

A Shropshire Lad
A. E. Housman (26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936)

IV
REVEILLE

Wake: the silver dusk returning
Up the beach of darkness brims,
And the ship of sunrise burning
Strands upon the eastern rims.

Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters,
Trampled to the floor it spanned,
And the tent of night in tatters
Straws the sky-pavilioned land.

Up, lad, up, ’tis late for lying:
Hear the drums of morning play;
Hark, the empty highways crying
“Who’ll beyond the hills away?”

Towns and countries woo together,
Forelands beacon, belfries call;
Never lad that trod on leather
Lived to feast his heart with all.

Up, lad: thews that lie and cumber
Sunlit pallets never thrive;
Morns abed and daylight slumber
Were not meant for man alive.

Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover;
Breath’s a ware that will not keep
Up, lad: when the journey’s over
There’ll be time enough to sleep

Language of Flowers
Kate Greenaway (17 March 1846 – 6 November 1901)

Hand Flower Tree Warning.
Harebell Submission. Grief.
Hawkweed Quicksightedness.
Hawthorn Hope.
Hazel Reconciliation.
Heath Solitude.
Helenium Tears.
Heliotrope Devotion. Faithfulness.
HelleboreScandal. Calumny.
Helmet Flower (Monkshood) Knight-errantry.
Hemlock You will be my death.
Hemp Fate.
Henbane Imperfection.
Hepatica Confidence.
Hibiscus Delicate beauty.
Holly Foresight.
Holly Herb Enchantment.
Hollyhock Ambition. Fecundity.
Honesty Honesty. Fascination.
Honey Flower Love sweet and secret.
Honeysuckle Generous and devoted affection.
Honeysuckle Coral The colour of my fate.
Honeysuckle (French) Rustic beauty.
Hop Injustice.
Hornbeam Ornament.
Horse Chesnut Luxury.
Hortensia You are cold.
Houseleek Vivacity. Domestic industry.
Houstonia Content.
Hoya Sculpture.
Humble Plant Despondency.
Hundred-leaved Rose Dignity of mind.
Hyacinth Sport. Game. Play.
Hyacinth, White Unobtrusive loveliness.
Hydrangea A boaster. Heartlessness.
Hyssop Cleanliness.

26 thoughts on “May-17”

  1. Love in tatters

    The blood’s alive
    Burning to the warning drums
    When sunrise brims, rims
    The sky-pavilioned land
    With the colour of my fate

    Silver strands of foresight
    Spanned the night not meant for slumber
    Wake tears that will not keep
    Cold darkness crying, of you lying
    And injustice shatters a shadow of clay

    Liked by 6 people

  4. warning

    lies my lies my lying
    my faithlessness my heartlessness my calumny
    my hemlock hand to keep you in solitude nightcrying

    there will not be luxury of hope there will not be dignity of heart
    there will be burning of imperfection and vivacity trod to the floor
    there will be sweet confidence trampled in tatters in shatters

    you will be my emptysecret my housescandal my nightsubmission
    you will be my thorndarkness my sleepweed my bloodsculpture

    you will be sport and game and ornament and shadow
    play quicksighted play unobtrusive play house

    deathdevoted heart cold beyond cold
    wake hark hear my lies
    lies beyond lies

    keep up

    Liked by 7 people

  5. Enough of Slumber

    Wake-up! Wake-up!

    enough of slumber
    the trampled darkness
    of night shatters
    to the call of sunrise
    — the language of morning

    Wake-up! Wake-up!

    hear the sunlit strands
    of burning coral
    land upon the clay
    beyond the hills and belfries
    — beyond the eastern rims

    Wake-up! Wake-up!

    feast upon the vaulted sky
    that brims with colour enchantment
    and sweet flowers’ breath
    — and hear the humble hope of drums
    wake-up my heart

    Liked by 6 people

  6. REVEILLE

    Solitude strands upon the vaulted shadow of Hope
    that lies still on the sky-pavilioned land in the colour of Faithfulness;
    Death and Fate — Enchantment and Night-errantry —
    woo devoted together that will keep darkness burning
    and delicate Beauty content will be Love returning
    when my Hundred-March Play of Sleep
    ’tis over

    Liked by 6 people

      • Thank you. A few of the previous poems selected were for their _archaic_ word use and word order which – when written – was common. (Zoë goes much further in how the order of words is used differently like when a long sentence changes from past tense to future tense by simple word order.) French, Spanish and Japanese languages are perfect for understanding how to change English syntax. Follow no assumptions.

        Liked by 2 people

  7. (pallets)

    strands of submission trampled to the floor
    a generous journey’s not meant for sleep
    for highways lived to feast on straws and clay
    the tent never burning
    imperfection – a delicate beauty

    Liked by 5 people

  8. (breath)

    the silver beach of darkness
    a ship of vaulted shadow
    you hear the drums crying
    for night to woo daylight
    a secret fascination
    with that sky highway
    aware there’ll be time enough
    to feast on his heart
    when the journey’s over
    content with imperfection
    a boaster, but a sport

    Liked by 6 people

  9. Faithfulness

    Wake: the silver dusk returning
    A holly herb enchantment
    Up, lad, up, ’tis late for lying!

    His hollyhock ambition
    Lived to feast his heart with all
    On honeysuckle affection

    Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters
    And joyous you will be my death.
    Leaving the tent of night in tatters

    And any henbane imperfection
    Strands upon the eastern rims
    Within heliotrope devotion

    Liked by 6 people

  10. Honesty

    The colour of my death is but a calumny of solitude and tears
    The luxury of daylight slumber – sunlit sky-pavilioned fascination
    Sweet secret heart enchantment – brims tatters of a lie
    A hundred-leaved rose will never thrive on cold highways of despondency
    Crying – empty loveliness a game – the journey’s over.

    Liked by 5 people

  11. “arch 1859 – 30 Ap”

    vaulted shadow shatters, / Trampled to thaway?”

    Towns and countries woo together, Warning. / Harebealumny. / Helmet Flower (Monkshood) Knight-errantry. / Hemlock You will be mrod on leather / Lived to feast his heart with all.

    Up, lad: thews thad land.

    Up, lad, up, ’tis late for lying: / Hear the drums of morning e drums of morning play; / Hark, the empty highways crying / “Wned, / And the tent of night in tatters / Straws the sky-to sleep

    Language of Flowers / Kate Greenawckle (French) Rustic beauty. / Hop Injustice. / Hornbmeant for man alive.

    Clay li / Heliotrope Devotion. Faithfulness. / HelleboreScandal. Calumny. / Helmet Flower (Monkshood) Knight-erme. Play. / Hyacinth, White Unobter, / Forelands beacon, belfries call; / Never lad that trod on leather / Lived to feast his heart wihock Ambition. Fecundity. / Honesty Honesty. Fascination. / Honey Ffection. / Honeysuckle Coral The colour of my fate.m Ornament. / Horse Chesnut Luxury. / Hortensia You are cold. / Houselelets never thrive; / Morns abed and daylight slumber / Were not mcksightedness. / Hawthorn Hope. / Hazel Reconciliacity. Domestic industry. / Houstonia Content. / oya Sculpture. / Humble Plant Despondency. / Hundred-leaved Rosise burning / Strands upon the eastern rims.

    Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters, / Trampled to the floor it spanned, / And the tent of night ind countries woo together, / Forelands beacon, belfries call; / Never lad that trod on leather / Lived to feast

    Liked by 3 people

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