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Carol

(a repost. revised, and an extra stanza)

 

 

Soothed within it`s scythe of sand
The docile sea dozed at her feet,
Scarce a breeze disturbed the land
And the distance was a hush of heat.

The sun`s light, shimmering from the skies,
Lit the bay-sea green and blue
And, glimmering down her deeps of eyes,
Lit her lucent soul all through.

It seemed as if the whole world`s light
Was gathered in this tiny bay
Lending it`s radiance to the sight
- this vision - at the crest of day.

She stood where land and water meet
In all her simple charms
While Neptune gently at her feet
Laid his long salaams.

She proffered me her hand, and I
Helped her mount the grassy slope,
Where she took possession of the sky
And wore it`s azure cope.

She sat there in the hill`s green fold
And loosed her hair. Unbound,
It spilled - a crock of sunset gold-
Glistening, to the ground

Since then my heart is captive still,
And will forever ever be:
Carol`s…of the high, green hill, 
Queen of the sunlit sea.
 

◄ Gnawing at the nub

For Linda, just turned... ►

Comments

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ken eaton-dykes

Sat 4th Mar 2017 00:49

Harry. You're in depth explanation that describes this lovely piece is far too enigmatic for a numpty such as me. The beauty's superficial without digging all that deep

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Harry O'Neill

Fri 3rd Mar 2017 14:55

Thanks, Stu, Ken, and John for the comments.

Stu and Ken mention the quality of beauty (in this I was trying for the beauty of nature) but what I think is most needed in modern poetry is some kind of `terrible beauty`...by which I mean something like Shakespeare`s:

`A curse shall light upon the limbs of men
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
That women will but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered by the hand of war`

Or Yeats on the `terrible beauty` of martyrdom.

In a way I`d find it very hard to explain I think that something like a compressed determination (in both of it`s senses) expresses the the controlled beauty of both.

(just meandering between hospital visits)

Thanks again.

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Stu Buck

Thu 2nd Mar 2017 11:34

pretty staggering stuff really harry. beautiful flow throughout, i read it all then read it again and i (almost always) dislike rhymed verse. but you capture so much light and vision in the words, something you should be extremely proud of. a beautiful piece.

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ken eaton-dykes

Wed 1st Mar 2017 22:06

A beautiful poem in a skillfully rhymed rhythmic flow. Premier league stuff Harry, you've raised the bar too high for me

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John Coopey

Wed 1st Mar 2017 17:22

Whoa, Harry. You've done it again. Absolutely delightful. Poetry like this is wasted on Old Gits like us. I bet you were dynamite when you were younger.

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