Colossians Three Sixteen » Poetry (and sometimes music) Friday

Every Friday we take some time out from the busy blog life to celebrate God through creative pursuits. Recognizing the great tapestry that is the arts, we do this through regularly linking to the photography of Alex Forrest, Joe Thorn, Steve McKoy and Joe Kennedy. I also regularly link to the history focus of Will and I also regularly highlight a poet each week, featuring at least one poem. Lastly, I try to highlight a different musical artist each week who makes at least one or two of their tracks available for free and legal download.

Today’s poet is John Keats (1795-1821). Hailed as a key poet of the Romantic movement, Keats’ short life produced some magnificent poetry. Today we’ll feature only one poem because it’s a bit long and I don’t want to stretch anyone’s attention span!

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

Nor do we merely feel these essences
For one short hour; no, even as the trees
That whisper round a temple become soon
Dear as the temple’s self, so does the moon,
The passion poesy, glories infinite,
Haunt us till they become a cheering light
Unto our souls, and bound to us so fast
That, whether there be shine or gloom o’ercast,
They always must be with us, or we die.

Therefore, ’tis with full happiness that I
Will trace the story of Endymion.
The very music of the name has gone
Into my being, and each pleasant scene
Is growing fresh before me as the green
Of our own valleys: so I will begin
Now while I cannot hear the city’s din;
Now while the early budders are just new,
And run in mazes of the youngest hue
About old forests; while the willow trails
Its delicate amber; and the dairy pails
Bring home increase of milk. And, as the year
Grows lush in juicy stalks, I’ll smoothly steer
My little boat, for many quiet hours,
With streams that deepen freshly into bowers.
Many and many a verse I hope to write,
Before the daisies, vermeil rimmed and white,
Hide in deep herbage; and ere yet the bees
Hum about globes of clover and sweet peas,
I must be near the middle of my story.
O may no wintry season, bare and hoary,
See it half finished: but let Autumn bold,
With universal tinge of sober gold,
Be all about me when I make an end!
And now at once, adventuresome, I send
My herald thought into a wilderness:
There let its trumpet blow, and quickly dress
My uncertain path with green, that I may speed
Easily onward, thorough flowers and weed.

Read Wikipedia’s entry on John Keats
Buy the complete poems of John Keats

Today’s music downloads come from another personal favorite (mostly) instrumental act. Allmusic says that they play like a “brighter, happier Mogwai” and classifies them as playing “spacey instrumentals.” Whereas many instrumental “post rock” bands have gone the way of Tortoise incorporating vibes into everything they do, The Six Parts Seven goes more the way of Japancakes, instead utilizing lap steel guitar to set them apart, and in my humble opinion, it works quite well.