Sonnet

I am no stranger in the house of pain;
I am familiar with its every part,
From the low stile, then up the crooked lane
To the dark doorway, intimate to my heart.
Here did I sit with grief and eat his bread,
Here was I welcomed as misfortune’s guest,
And there’s no room but where I’ve laid my head
On misery’s accommodating breast.
So, sorrow, does my knocking rouse you up?
Open the door, old mother; it is I.
Bring grief’s good goblet out, the sad, sweet cup;
Fill it with wine of silence, strong and dry.
   For I’ve a story to amuse your ears,
   Of youth and hope, of middle age and tears.

– Robert Nathan

Submitted by:

Nitish, who says “I read “Sonnet”, by Robert Nathan on The Daily Dish today. It was in the context of the earthquake in Japan.”

Postscript:

You can read a bit more about him here.

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Published:
March 17, 2011 – 08:00
Author:
By Madhu
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Dubious

Some men like Jack
And some like Jill
I’m glad that I like
Them both, but still

I wonder if
This freewheeling
Really is an
Enlightened thing

Or is its greater
Scope a sign
Of deviance from
Some party line?

In the strict ranks of
Gay and Straight
What is my status:
Stray? or Great?

– Vikram Seth

Submitted by:

Manu, who says “I don’t remember where I found this, but very neat. Vikram Seth, of course. ”

Postscript:

Vikram Seth is well represented here, in the main part poems about love and loneliness. This is a seemingly more light-hearted poem that addresses some very personal, and thorny questions, starting with the almost naive ‘Am I normal?’

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Published:
March 16, 2011 – 08:00
Author:
By Madhu
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Echoes

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant tide
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no-one called us to the land
And no-one knows the wheres or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun

Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
Inviting and inciting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky

– Pink Floyd

Submitted by:

Madhav, who says “Amongst the lyrically attuned bands, Pink Floyd stands ahead in the eyes of many with their clever turn of phrase and heavy usage of imagery and metaphor. “Echoes” is both a prime example of this, and a slight departure in being one of the few songs written one to one (i.e., me to you).

The lyrics are beautiful on their own, but are devastating in the context of the song itself – a haunting, ethereal opus of immense structural and harmonic complexity. It is hard to listen to the final verse – set as a melodic release to an increasingly grueling and climactic middle section – and not get goosebumps at the sheer longing expressed in the words and voices. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”

Postscript:

For those of you who haven’t heard it, here’s a link Madhav kindly sent in. And if you’ve missed out on Floyd, here’s a good start.

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Published:
March 15, 2011 – 08:00
Author:
By Madhu
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