As you may or may not know, I enjoy the pursuit of creativity. That is not the same thing as saying that I do it well, but I am convinced that Christians must regain an appreciation for the arts in light of and for the Gospel. To that end, I take some time to highlight the pursuit of creativity here on Fridays. I link to the photography of Joe Kennedy, Will Turner, Timmy Brister, Joe Thorn and Steve McCoy, along with the Friday Flickr Group in which they participate. I also highlight a poet who may or may not be Christian, but who above all, uses words well and I also highlight a musical artist (more often than not instrumental since that’s primarily what I listen to) who makes at least one track available for free and legal download.

This week’s featured poet is William Wordsworth (1770-1850). Wordsworth, along with Samuel Taylor Colegridge is often credited with being at the fore of the Romantic period of English literature. Today’s featured poem is called “The Sun Has Long Been Set”

THE sun has long been set,
The stars are out by twos and threes,
The little birds are piping yet
Among the bushes and trees;
There’s a cuckoo, and one or two thrushes,
And a far-off wind that rushes,
And a sound of water that gushes,
And the cuckoo’s sovereign cry
Fills all the hollow of the sky.
Who would “go parading”
In London, “and masquerading,”
On such a night of June
With that beautiful soft half-moon,
And all these innocent blisses?
On such a night as this is!

• Read William Wordsworth for yourself
• Read Wikipedia’s page on William Wordsworth

This week’s featured musical artist is a 10-piece Norwegian instrumental outfit known as Jaga jazzist. Along with bands like Triosk, Jaga Jazzist combine element of jazz with electronica for a consistent sound.

• Download “Airborne”
• Download “Going Down”
• Download “Day”
• Download “Kitty Wu”
• Download “Plym”
• Visit the Jaga Jazzist official website
• Purchase the music of Jaga Jazzist

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