In the midst of spectacular stunts and carnivorous Komodo Dragons, it was refreshing to hear poetry in a crucial scene in the new James Bond movie (Skyfall) where M quotes the inspirational last lines of Ulysses.

                              Ulysses

...Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

                                        Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
 

Goan Reverie

 

Went to Goa for a Publishing conference,

Stayed on for a vacation and had a great time,

Midst the swaying palms, sandy beaches and rolling waves;

I can’t help but celebrate it in rhyme...

It was wonderful to wake up to birds calling,

And to drive through the green countryside,

And feel the sand slip away beneath my feet,

As the waves splash and recede with the tide...

It was a delight to walk through green vistas,

Tour ancient churches and a state-of-the-art library,

Hear lilting Goan folk music on a scenic river cruise,

And watch the sunset over the ochre-tinged Arabian Sea...

Midst the sand and the sea and a shower or two,

Ate bebinca, xacuti and delicious vindaloo...

Toured a spice plantation, went on an elephant ride,

Drank cashew feni – that burned its way inside!

It was a delightful and refreshing break,

In an idyllic holiday mood,

Enhanced by the green landscape,

Friendly people and delectable food!

As I look at the seashells I gathered from the shore,

I recall the verdant land and balmy clime,

And as I listen to the susurration of a seashell,

It sounds like: ‘Thank you Goa, for a wonderful time...’

She says so much in so few words...

A Word is dead 
When it is said, 
  Some say. 
I say it just 
        Begins to live          

That day.

                                                       – Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

Another of my favourite childhood poems, particularly because it mentions the sea. Since I'm going South this week, Sea Fever's currently running through my mind...

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

                                                             - John Masefield (1878-1967)

One of my favourite nature poems which always brings a touch of sunshine to my day when I recall its seemingly effortless lines. It also features in a gem of a movie I saw recently (Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont) starring Joan Plowright.

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

                    - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Because each of us can make a difference...

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.                       
                   
             - Edward Everett Hale, author (1822-1909)

A modified version of a favourite old English folk song...

A Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl lived in an oak,

The more it saw the less it spoke;

The less it spoke the more it heard,

There's a lot we can learn from that wise old bird...

                                                                - Anonymous