Saturday, June 12, 2010

"Life In A Day"

Life in a day. 
     -- Louis MacNeice, "Les Sylphides"

Days are where we live.
     -- Philip Larkin, "Days"

We two.  And nothing in the whole world was lacking.
It is later one realizes.  I forget
the exact year or what we said.  But the place
for a lifetime glows with noon.
     -- Bernard Spencer, "On the Road"
  
The days that remain with us are rarely the planned-for days or the waited-upon days. The days that remain with us do so unaccountably, unwontedly.  Those that remain -- in, say, an angle of light or a color -- are, I think, best left wordless.

'Why, yes, -- we've pass'd a pleasant day,
While life's true joys are on their way.'
-- Ah me!  I now look back afar,
And see that one day like a star.
     -- William Allingham (1824-1889)

          The Spirit's Epochs

Not in the crises of events,
   Of compass'd hopes, or fears fulfill'd,
Or acts of grave consequence,
   Are life's delight and depth reveal'd.
The day of days was not the day;
   That went before, or was postponed;
The night Death took our lamp away
   Was not the night on which we groan'd.
I drew my bride, beneath the moon,
   Across my threshold; happy hour!
But, ah, the walk that afternoon
   We saw the water-flags in flower!
     -- Coventry Patmore (1823-1896)

                                                      Water-flags

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