Friday, July 18, 2008

Earth Voices

by: Bliss Carman (1861-1929)

I
HEARD the spring wind whisper
Above the brushwood fire,
"The world is made forever
Of transport and desire.
"I am the breath of being,
The primal urge of things;
I am the whirl of star dust,
I am the lift of wings.

"I am the splendid impulse
That comes before the thought,
The joy and exaltation
Wherein the life is caught.

"Across the sleeping furrows
I call the buried seed,
And blade and bud and blossom
Awaken at my need.

"Within the dying ashes
I blow the sacred spark,
And make the hearts of lovers
To leap against the dark."

II

I heard the spring light whisper
Above the dancing stream,
"The world is made forever
In likeness of a dream.

"I am the law of planets,
I am the guide of man;
The evening and the morning
Are fashioned to my plan.

"I tint the dawn with crimson,
I tinge the sea with blue;
My track is in the desert,
My trail is in the dew.

"I paint the hills with color,
And in my magic dome
I light the star of evening
To steer the traveller home.

"Within the house of being,
I feed the lamp of truth
With tales of ancient wisdom
And prophecies of youth."

III

I heard the spring rain murmur
Above the roadside flower,
"The world is made forever
In melody and power.
"I keep the rhythmic measure
That marks the steps of time,
And all my toil is fashioned
To symmetry and rhyme.

"I plow the untilled upland,
I ripe the seeding grass,
And fill the leafy forest
With music as I pass.

"I hew the raw, rough granite
To loveliness of line,
And when my work is finished,
Behold, it is divine!

"I am the master-builder
In whom the ages trust.
I lift the lost perfection
To blossom from the dust."

IV

Then Earth to them made answer,
As with a slow refrain
Born of the blended voices
Of wind and sun and rain,
"This is the law of being
That links the threefold chain:
The life we give to beauty
Returns to us again."

22 comments:

thailandchani said...

That is stunning!

Carla said...

Chani, He is a very good poet, isn't he?

JBelle said...

YES! the life we give to beauty DOES return to us again! over and over! and beauty, oddly, is all around us. that is odd to me because if it's so exquisite, how could beauty be so common? lovely, lovely post this morning, my friend.

Carla said...

JBelle, I do think that beauty is everywhere if we just open our eyes to it. But perhaps I'm just looking through rose coloured glasses. Truth is, I too am in awe at the exquisite beauty all around.

Envoy-ette said...

I wish I were your camera. You would take me to the most beautiful places!

Carla said...

Envoy-ette, There just isn't enough time to go all the places I would love to go.

M. Domínguez Senra said...

I don't now this poet and I think it's wonderful. In a very different way I could correspond you with a link (Jennifer López) in my last post. It's quite different but has a kind of the same joy.
Nice photos, Carla.

M. Domínguez Senra said...

I linked also your blog. Is it well?

Carla said...

Aaoiue, I am glad you like the photos. They are all wild flowers that bloom in this area at this time of year. I will definitely check out your latest post. I'm intrigued. And of course it is fine that you linked me.

Pink said...

beautiful...making me homesick...

Carla said...

Pinks, Follow your heart, happiness will surely follow.

pandave said...

carla! how you bring the poem to life. i feel as though spring has just begun.

Carla said...

Pandave, I can't take much credit for this one I'm afraid. That poem stands well on its own.

Steffi said...

Very good poem and the pictures looks really good to the poem!

NYD said...

That a good meal ought to hyave a sumptuous wine to bring out it's finest points. The poetry is well accompanied by your photography.

Carla said...

Steffi, I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. I really like the whole theme and atmosphere in it.

NYD, Indeed it should, indeed it should. How is the wine in Japan anyways?

Ed & Jeanne said...

Did you write that? You're smarter than I've been telling everyone ;) Seriously, your stuff always makes my stuff so juvinile. Oh well. Hey, stop by the blog, I've got a 'special' post...

Carla said...

VE, Of course I'm smarter and absolutely nothing wrong with being juvenile, just as long as you're not a juvie. And congrats!!! Wish you all the happiness in the world.

The Fool said...

Nice piece, Nomad. I have to say that I'm unfamiliar with Bliss Carman...but I sure enjoyed this piece. I'll have to look into what else is out there. Any recommendations? Nice accompaniment of photos, too. You're becoming a real ace with that lens.

Carla said...

Fool, Bliss Carmen (1861-1929) was in his time one of Canada's best poets and known as Canada's unofficial poet laureate. He has some absolutely lovely poems. I was going to post another, "Rivers of Canada," but need to pick out my photos first. Do a little search on the net, I'm sure you'll find some other pieces of his that you'll enjoy as well.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful poem to go along with your photos, or wonderful photos to go along with the wonderful poem, either way. I love the cadence in the poem and so many of the individual parts said so well.

Carla said...

Dawn, Isn't Carmen Bliss a wonderful poet? I really enjoy his stuff. And yes, a fabulous lilt to it all. It makes the tongue dance.