Poetry: Robert Browning

Robert Browning (1812-1889)

The poem for this week is by Robert Browning's Meeting At Night, written in 1845. I chose this one as it is not only a lovely poem, but because it is also in keeping with the sea theme that I have going through this blog (in addition to the star theme, of course!).


Meeting at Night

The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.

Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!

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Quote: Orson Welles

Today a quote from the brilliant director, and actor, Orson Welles (1915-1985)...




"A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet."

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Musica: Sigur Ros and Iceland

Icelandic band Sigur Ros held a competition for video mixing their songs with footage of Iceland they had provided. This is one I found that meshes the beauty of Iceland very nicely with Sigur Ros's song Staralfur. If you enjoy seeing Icelandic scenery as I do, I'm sure you will enjoy this one...

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The Evercool Dean Martin II

It's another Dean Martin day here... the man lays his smooth vocals down on the classic "Memories Are Made of This":

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Dance in Film: Nicholas Brothers

Fred Astaire. Gene Kelly. Everyone, classic film fan or not, knows those names. But lesser-known are the incredible dancing talents of the Nicholas Brothers, Fayard and Harold.

With no formal dance training, they learned in part by being surrounded by African American vaudeville performers, including the iconic Bill Robinson, as children.

It is a shame that the Nicholas Brothers are not more of a household name, as they should be. Obviously this has to do partly with the prevalent racial attitudes and prejudices at the time, and I suppose as well being a brother act would not have lent itself as well to higher-profile leading roles as a single dancer would, even if the prejudices had not been a factor. Regardless of either of these, Fayard and Harold should be recognized as the incomparable talents they were.

In watching the two perform, it is apparent that Harold (b. 1921) benefited from older brother Fayard's (b. 1914) experience, experimentation with different dance steps, and mentoring. Growing up, Fayard would learn or work on variations of moves, and Harold would pick them up quickly by mimicking. They formed a perfect team of athleticism, timing, and elegance, despite an age (and height!) difference of 7 years. See what you think...

They have quite a few great performances to view... Here they are performing Down Argentine Way from the 1940 film of the same name starring Betty Grable and Don Ameche - sit back and marvel:

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Classic Icon: The Owl

All right then... Most of us have heard of the famous nonsensical poem "The Owl and the Pussycat", and the fact that Winnie the Pooh insisted on having a friend named Owl, who coincidentally, was one.

So, when I came across a picture of a Little Owl coin, and as the owl is associated with the goddess Athena, who is associated with the arts, which is associated with this site, I thought it would be the subject of the day's post.

Owls, whose popularity has experienced a recent resurgence due to the success of the Harry Potter phenomenon, have long been symbols of wisdom and culture. In ancient Athens, the form of monetary exchange was a coin nicknamed the "owl". The goddess Athena was on one side, the owl, considered the mascot of the city, with olive branch and crescent moon on the opposite. These coins are quite cute as you can see, and very popular with collectors.




An interesting song re owls is the following - "The Owl with Knees" written and performed by a band called The Books. Lyrics posted below...



Eat rye straw
Leave, withdraw
Drink ink tea
Stay with me

Fame stay shy
By way of why
Wait, lie low
Old ones' odd odes

Read. Read on
Read, read on
Breathe, be calm
You're gone, gone on

It's strange to see how time agrees
To slow down for owls with knees.

Read. Read on
Read, read on
Breathe, be calm
You’re gone, gone on


Contemplation of the meaning of this song takes the place of the poem of the week, lol...

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Photography: Jupiter

This is a photograph taken by me last year of Jupiter in the night sky, hovering above a pine tree...

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Musica: Here Comes the Sun

Two classic versions of one classic song. Thoughts?

The Beatles:


Nina Simone:

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