Stanzas On Freedom by James Russell Lowell

Stanzas On Freedom
James Russell Lowell

Men! whose boast it is that ye
Come of fathers brave and free,
If there breathe on earth a slave,
Are ye truly free and brave?
If ye do not feel the chain,
When it works a brother's pain,
Are ye not base slaves indeed,
Slaves unworthy to be freed?

Women! who shall one day bear
Sons to breathe New England air,
If ye hear, without a blush,
Deeds to make the roused blood rush
Like red lava through your veins,
For your sisters now in chains,--
Answer! are ye fit to be
Mothers of the brave and free?

Is true Freedom but to break
Fetters for our own dear sake,
And, with leathern hearts, forget
That we owe mankind a debt?
No! true freedom is to share
All the chains our brothers wear
And, with heart and hand, to be
Earnest to make others free!

They are slaves who fear to speak
For the fallen and the weak;
They are slaves who will not choose
Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,
Rather than in silence shrink
From the truth they needs must think;
They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three.

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Nine steps to transform yourself into a river by Paulo Coelho

Nine steps to transform yourself into a river
by PAULO COELHO

A river never passes the same place twice,” says a philosopher. “Life is like a river,” says another philosopher, and we draw the conclusion that this is the metaphor that comes closest to the meaning of life. Consequently, it is always good to remember:

A] We are always doing things for the first time.While we move between our source (birth) to our destination (death), the landscape will always be new. We should face these novelties with joy, not with fear – because it is useless to fear what cannot be avoided. A river never stops running.

B] In a valley we walk slower. When everything around us becomes easier, the waters grow calm, we become more open, fuller and more generous.

C] Our banks are always fertile. Vegetation only grows where there is water. Whoever comes into contact with us needs to understand that we are there to give the thirsty something to drink.

D] Stones should be avoided. It is obvious that water is stronger than granite, but it takes time for this to happen. It is no good letting yourself be overcome by stronger obstacles, or trying to fight against them – that is a useless waste of energy. It is best to understand where the way out is, and then move forward.

E] Hollows call for patience. All of a sudden the river enters a sort of hole and stops running as joyfully as before. At such moments the only way out is to count on the help of time. When the right moment comes the hollow fills up and the water can flow ahead. In the place of the ugly, lifeless hole there now stands a lake that others can contemplate with joy.

F] We are one. We were born in a place that was meant for us, which will always keep us supplied with enough water so that when confronted with obstacles or depression we have the necessary patience or strength to move forward. We begin our course in a soft and fragile manner, where even a simple leaf can stop us. Nevertheless, as we respect the mystery of the source that gave us life, and trust in His eternal wisdom, little by little we gain all that we need to pursue our path.

G] Although we are one, soon we shall be many. As we travel on, the waters of other springs come closer, because that is the best path to follow. Then we are no longer just one, but many – and there comes a moment when we feel lost. However, as the Bible says, “all rivers flow to the sea.” It is impossible to remain in our solitude, no matter how romantic that may seem. When we accept the inevitable encounter with other springs, we eventually understand that this makes us much stronger, we get around obstacles or fill in the hollows in far less time and with greater ease.

H] We are a means of transportation. Of leaves, boats, ideas. May our waters always be generous, may be always be able to carry ahead everything or everyone that needs our help.

I] We are a source of inspiration. And so, let us leave the final words to the Brazilian poet, Manuel Bandeira:

“To be like a river that flows
silent through the night,
not fearing the darkness and
reflecting any stars high in the sky.

And if the sky is filled with clouds,
the clouds are water like the river, so
without remorse reflect them too”

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Love and heart quotes by Isabel Allende

Andrei Markin Art

Perhaps we are in this world to search for love, find it and lose it, again and again. With each love, we are born anew, and with each love that ends we collect a new wound. I am covered with proud scars.
Isabel Allende

When love exists, nothing else matters, not life’s predicaments, not the fury of the years, not a physical winding down or scarcity of opportunity.
Isabel Allende

Heart is what drives us and determines our fate. That is what I need for my characters in my books: a passionate heart. I need mavericks, dissidents, adventurers, outsiders and rebels, who ask questions, bend the rules and take risks.
Isabel Allende

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Le diamant de la joie de Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Le diamant de la joie
(extrait d'un texte de Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt)

C'est un diamant que nous portons en nous, une pierre brillante dont les facettes jettent leurs éclats d'arc-en-ciel sur tout ce qui l'entoure.

La joie, on la possède en soi,
un trésor au fond de la mine,
là depuis toujours ;
seulement on ne le sait pas.

La joie, je l'ai trouvée tôt en mon enfance :

je ressentais ce pur bonheur d'exister,
j'étais reconnaissant à la terre de me porter,
au soleil de m'éblouir,
aux paysages de se révéler beaux et aux humains de me passionner.

L'adolescence m'a fait égarer la joie ;
oubliant l'infini, préoccupé par moi et rien que moi,
je me voulais plus grand que je ne suis
et ne cessais de me heurter au monde et à mes limites ;
je soupirais davantage que je n'exultais.

Lors de ma jeunesse,
tout occupé à construire ma conscience intellectuelle du monde,
je ne songeais plus à privilégier une chose aussi irrationnelle
et subjective qu'un sentiment.

A cette époque-là, la joie a dû redescendre dans les couloirs de la mine.

Aujourd'hui, à quarante ans passés, un âge où
j'ai enfin le courage d'être simple,
par hasard en déambulant au fond de moi,
j'ai retrouvé le diamant :

il était recouvert de poussières, de soucis,
de chagrins, de silences douloureux,
d'interdits idéologiques.

Je l'ai nettoyé : il brillait toujours.
Mieux, il brillait davantage.

Ma joie, de par les épreuves traversées,
diffuse désormais une lumière intense.

A cause des deuils et des êtres perdus,
j'apprécie mieux ceux qui restent
en prenant le temps de leur dire mon affection.

Puisque des maladies m'ont fait tanguer,
j'aborde chaque jour comme un cadeau supplémentaire, un jour de plus.

Parce que mon esprit a échoué à expliquer de manière rationnelle
et matérialiste notre présence au monde,
j'apprécie ce mystère,
je m'en enivre, je m'en régale.

Comme la mort demeure opaque,
je privilégie la vie, je la respecte,
je la défends.

J'ai remonté ma joie de la mine.
Je la porte discrètement.
Plutôt aux lèvres - par le sourire - qu'aux doigts.

Par respect pour la douleur,
l'injustice et la tristesse,
je n'en fais jamais étal.
Mais ne me demandez pas de l'ignorer.

Et si vous avez oublié ce que c'est,
il y a un remède simple pour retrouver la mémoire :
regardez attentivement un enfant qui rit.

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God of the Open Air,love poem,love quotes by Henry Vandyke

Music;
Andre Rieu - Annie's Song

Richard johnson art

Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity.
Henry Van Dyke

Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul,
May keep the path, but will not reach the goal;
While he who walks in love may wander far,
Yet God will bring him where the blessed are.
Henry Van Dyke, The Other Wise Man

Richard Johnson Art

Love
Henry Van Dyke
Let me but love my love without disguise,
Nor wear a mask of fashion old or new,
Nor wait to speak till I can hear a clue,
Nor play a part to shine in others' eyes,

Nor bow my knees to what my heart denies;
But what I am, to that let me be true,
And let me worship where my love is due,
And so through love and worship let me rise.

For love is but the heart's immortal thirst
To be completely known and all forgiven,
Even as sinful souls that enter Heaven:
So take me, dear, and understand my worst,
And freely pardon it, because confessed,
And let me find in loving thee, my best.

Excerpts from:God of the Open Air
Henry Van Dyke

From the prison of anxious thought that greed has builded,
From the fetters that envy has wrought and pride has gilded,
From the noise of the crowded ways and the fierce confusion,
From the folly that wastes its days in a world of illusion,
(Ah, but the life is lost that frets and languishes there!)
I would escape and be free in the joy of the open air.

By the breadth of the blue that shines in silence o'er me,
By the length of the mountain-lines that stretch before me,
By the height of the cloud that sails, with rest in motion,
Over the plains and the vales to the measureless ocean,
(Oh, how the sight of the things that are
great enlarges the eyes!)
Lead me out of the narrow life, to the peace of the hills
and the skies.

While the tremulous leafy haze on the woodland is spreading,
And the bloom on the meadow betrays where
May has been treading;
While the birds on the branches above, and
the brooks flowing under,
Are singing together of love in a world full of wonder,
(Lo, in the marvel of Springtime, dreams are changed into truth!)
Quicken my heart, and restore the beautiful hopes of youth.

By the faith that the flowers show when they bloom unbidden,
By the calm of the river's flow to a goal that is hidden,
By the trust of the tree that clings to its deep foundation,
By the courage of wild birds' wings on the long migration,
(Wonderful secret of peace that abides in Nature's breast!)
Teach me how to confide, and live my life, and rest.

For the comforting warmth of the sun that my body embraces,
For the cool of the waters that run through the shadowy places,
For the balm of the breezes that brush my face with their fingers,
For the vesper-hymn of the thrush when the twilight lingers,
For the long breath, the deep breath, the breath
of a heart without care,--
I will give thanks and adore thee, God of the open air!

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Quote on life and living by Jeremy W. Hayward

So in all these little ways we spin a web, a cocoon, around ourselves. The cocoon becomes nice and snug and comfortable because it is very familiar. We know every little corner of our life; we can even write poetry about it. We may also have ideas about the great mystery which religions speak of, which gives our cocoon an especial sense of security: we can worship the great mystery outside of it and feel good about that. The cocoon is safe, bounded, claustrophobic, and a little stale. We settle into it and live our lives.
Jeremy W. Hayward

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THE FATHERLAND by James Russell Lowell

THE FATHERLAND
James Russell Lowell

Where is the true man's fatherland?
Is it where he by chance is born?
Doth not the free-winged spirit scorn
In such pent borders to be spanned?
Oh yes, his fatherland must be
As the blue heavens wide and free!

Is it alone where freedom is,
Where God is God and man is man?
Doth he not claim a broader span
For the soul's love of home than this?
Oh yes! his fatherland must be
As the blue heavens wide and free!

Where'er a human heart doth wear
Joy's myrtle wreath, or sorrow's gyves,
Where'er a human spirit strives
After a life more pure and fair,
There is the true man's birthplace grand!
His is a world-wide fatherland!

Where'er a single slave doth pine,
Where'er one man may help another--
Thank God for such a birthright, brother,--
That spot of earth is thine and mine;
There is the true man's birthplace grand!
His is a world-wide fatherland!

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