It’s about time I dropped the “and sometimes” isn’t it? It’s true that there are some weeks when both poetry and music don’t appear, but they’ve both become fairly regular fixtures, haven’t they? So here we are at another Friday. I devote Fridays to the “Weekly Town Crier” post which is a compilation of the things that caught my eye over the past week and this post which is dedicated to artistic endeavors. I try to regularly link to several sites featuring creative photography (Steve McCoy, Joe Thorn, Joe Kennedy, and Will Turner). I typically highlight a poet, featuring at least one poem and I also try to highlight a musical artist who makes at least one track available for free and legal download.

This week’s poet is Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672). Bradstreet lived in England and was an incredibly educated woman for her time. She wrote extensively, covering politics, history, medicine, and theology, but she is perhaps best known for her poetry. Her poetry dwells heavily on religious themes and is often broadly considered a Puritan writer. Today’s featured poem has the appropriately lengthy title: “Meditations When My Soul Hath Been Refreshed With the Consolations Which the World Knows Not” (the only versions I’ve been able to find have all lacked formatting, so here it is):

Lord, why should I doubt any more when Thou hast given me such assured pledges of Thy love? First, Thou art my Creator, I Thy creature, Thou my master, I Thy servant. But hence arises not my comfort, Thou art my Father, I Thy child; “Ye shall be My sons and daughters,” saith the Lord Almighty. Christ is my brother, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, unto my God and your God; but lest this should not be enough, thy maker is thy husband. Nay more, I am a member of His body, He my head. Such privileges had not the Word of Truth made them known, who or where is the man that durst in his heart have presumed to have thought it? So wonderful are these thoughts that my spirit fails in me at the consideration thereof. and I am confounded to think that God, who hath done so much for me, should have so little from me. But this is my comfort, when I come to Heaven, I shall understand perfectly what He hath done for me, and then shall I be able to praise Him as I ought. Lord, having this hope, let me purify myself as Thou art pure, and let me be no more afraid of death, but even desire to be dissolved and be with Thee, which is best of all.

• Purchase the works of Anne Bradstreet
• Visit Wikipedia’s page devoted to Anne Bradstreet

This week’s musical artist goes by the name Stafrænn Hakon. His real name is Olafur Josephsson and according to his website, he “has been writing music at his home studio since 1999.” Hakon plays Icelandic waves of sound similar to Sigur Ros yet without the sometimes nonsensical vocals. The music is often quite similar in feel, though he seems to incorporate acoustic elements a bit more. Moody instrumental pieces for moody people.

• Download “Kjammi”
• Download “E.K.”
• Download “Skortur”
• Download “Burr Hanski”
• Download “Holkur”
• Download “Silfurgeitungur”
• Download “Sitrongudurgurinn”
• Download “B.S.T.”
• Download “Kaefusafi”
• Download “Kerti”
• Visit Stafrænn Hakon’s official website
• Purchase Stafrænn Hakon’s music from Amazon