On belonging and seeking connection

 

 

Like classical music I also love literature. The last time I read Mary W. Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein was many moons ago. Earlier today I found in my FB feed the same quote I've loved, back in my youthful years:

 

"I was benevolent and good; 

misery made me a fiend. 

Make me happy, 

and I shall again be virtuous." 

 

~ Mary W. Shelley, 'Frankenstein' ~

 

The monster justifies his actions. He was benevolent and giving, gentle. He needed acceptance, love, a feeling of belonging, but instead, he continuously got no support but an irresponsible creator who abandoned and rejected him. 

 

Sometimes in life we give our best in many ways to a group or friends we believe we belong or believe we can belong, but somehow it's not good enough. We are never really accepted, rather, we are rejected and treated with indifference often in a subtle way. Eventually, we back off as we realise we've been pushed too hard… and somehow, we wonder why it has taken too long to get it, that we never really belong.

Photo credit:

I picked it up from a Facebook few years back. Sorry, artist is unknown. 

(c) 30 July 2022. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

My pen breaks my silence

 

 

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by series of small things brought together." - Vincent van Gogh 

similarly,

"Great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm." - Thomas J. Watson.

It's now mid-afternoon. My fourth cup of green tea. 

Could it be because it's Tuesday? A beautiful day. Outside beckons. I don't need essentials, and with statewide lockdown, we are empathically ordered by our state health officer to stay home. Fine.   

This thought came to mind. I have no idea who said it but I'm quoting it any way: "Unlike city buildings, bridges always retain evidence of the structure. We can still feel the tensions, the pressures."    

Since this morning and until my pen broke my silence a moment ago - it's now mid-afternoon - I've felt empty and silent. My silence at last was broken as my pen quieted the unexplained whisperings in my heart.  

So this entry. 

There is a time of silence before anything creative is born.  There is silence in the mind before we discover an idea, distracted or not. We need a home, a nest of silence - where we can be quiet, at peace with ourselves.  

I don't know with you, but my best ideas come out of these quiet moments. Most of the time. Something I call my "stillness nest".   

Tomorrow, a new beginning.

 

(c) 17 August 2021. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Musings whilst in lockdown, 10 Aug 2021

 

It's not the things we do. It's the things we have left undone that give us the stress. 

Fill the freedom of the breeze and the music of the green-needled trees. 

Silence. Sometimes there's no need for words nor melodies to hear our searching selves.  

Your songs shall fill me with strength. Your beauty shall fill me with greatness.

Because you're not an enemy, that doesn't make you a friend. 

We experience natural beauty with our senses... and not those preconceived by magazines, catalogues or TV.    

If we have to maintain our integrity,  our true character is not polluted by politics, money, and similar worldly distractions. 

We are very busy building our tomorrows, we forget about today. Life is here! Let's take it... let's think of our dreams and make them happen.   

It's always nice when benevolent acts are also pleasurable. 

 (c) Aug 10, 2021. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Solitary Woman

Time just flies - and suddenly you look up and realise you're married to yourself.  

It's fun in the follies of youth, the freedom is liberating. Years pass unnoticed.

Now self-actualised, retired, in the autumn of your life, perhaps late autumn, you find yourself not only alone, but having difficulty meeting-up with a friend or two. Not even before lockdown from Covid-19. Most of the time, you hardly hear from anyone unless you keep in touch first. Why? Not their fault. Friends are busy with their own families, with their jobs (some opt to hang on to jobs beyond retirement age from lack of financial instability). Even so, loved ones and good friends gone one by one - either separated by physical distance, divorce, or death. You find yourself alone, none available over a cuppa for that needed unwinding. 

One day, you feel unwell, you writhe in pain in the middle of the night - you don't know who to call for help. The same scene happens few times. Now that is pitting you against the wall. You've gone too far of your singledom. 

You've been single a long time, solitary woman. 

All your adultlife, you love the independence, the freedom not to worry about stifling relationships, focus on career, your identity intact. One day, you realise you've become "too single". You socialise, join interest groups, hoping to find someone with common interests, not necessarily in mind to start any serious relationship but for good friendships. It's never the same. 

At this point in time, the autumn of your life, most people you meet have their own established social groups, close-knit family circles. You join them for awhile, few weeks, few months. Inevitably, you yearn for the old freedoms. You either feel out of place -  circles with partners, with children, or hordes of relatives in tow. Topics of discussion not really your interest.  You realise you're better off alone, despite your desperation not to be alone.    

The time has come. It's getting late in the autumn of your life. Time to stop wearing blinders, to consider other possibilities. But what? Only time will tell.   

Listening pleasure: 

"Solitary Woman", composed by Ralph Towner, played by Francois Drouin.  YouTube, Accessed July 11, 2021.     

(c) July 2021. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

A moment of random thoughts

Random thoughts whilst resting from a day's practice of minimalism...

Sometimes silence can speak louder than words.

If you want to know the person, read what the person says themselves ...

When you have many ideas, writings go all over the place.

"Simplicity" is the secret of the success that everyone can understand.

Be forewarned. It's definitely not for those who cling to certain sacred cows --- Sorry, I can't pull off such premise.

"Anyone who hasn't really loved hasn't lived. ~ Agatha Christie, Sad Cypress.

If God exists, why does he allow human sufferings?

Seascape / Ocean.
The enthralling thing about the ocean is it chanages everyday, and much bigger than we are --- such magnificent creation of the Almighty.

Writers.
Some writers are just good at honeying their analysis with fantastic storytelling.

Starting Over.
It's never too late to start over. If you weren't happy with yesterday, try something different today. Don't stay stuck. Do better." 

If I had words

When I heard Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (Finale) played over at ABC Classics this morning, I found myself filled with emotions, further aggravated by a chilly winter morning and a bit downcast from some unwelcome body aches.

For a long time I've loved Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Symphony with Organ", written in 1886. Then came the film Babe, with its theme song, "If I had words", a short but with beautiful heartwarming lyrics. It became even more significant when my memory drifted to one of my recent years' concert with  Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, "Music from the Movies", conducted by our warm-hearted conductor Liz Scott. Babe's song was included.

Brief history of the song: "If I had words" was first recorded in 1978, sung by Scott Fitzgerald as a duet with Yvonne Keeley. The lyrics and arrangement were by Jonathan Hodge, a prolific writer of TV jingles and movie themes, who also produced the single. The backing was by the St Thomas More Roman Catholic School Choir in Chelsea, London. I have no idea, but wonderfully strange enough, the music was adapted from the finale movement of Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor.

The lyrics are indeed too short and simple, but my God, they're deeply profound to me, alongside Saint-Saëns's "organ symphony" music.

Link: "If I had Words" - Here. Sung by Yvonne Keeley and Scott Fitzgerald.

If I Had Words

If I had words
To make a day for you
I sing you a morning golden and new
I would make this day

Last for all time
Give you a night
Deep in moonshine.

If I Had Words lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Music & Media Int'l, Inc

Video:  
Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ Symphony” (Finale), performed by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Thomas, with Timothy Noon on the Organ. From the concert "Organ Symphony" recorded November 2012 at the Auckland Town Hall. YouTube, accessed July 5, 2020.





Resource:

If I Had Words. en.wikipedia.org. 


(c) July 5, 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Silence is not an absence of sound

"Silence is not an absence of sound 

but rather a shifting of attention 

toward sounds that speak to the soul."  

- Thomas Moore -

Today is the birthday of Thomas Moore, Irish poet, singer and songwriter, and famous for that poignant song "The Last Rose of Summer". He was also a good friend of Lord Byron and Shelley. Sir John Stevenson set the poem to its widely known melody, which was published in December 1813.

"The Last Rose of Summer" is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'. The poem is set to a traditional tune called "Aislean an Oigfear", or "The Young Man's Dream", which was transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792, based on a performance by harper Denis Hempson (Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh) at the Belfast Harp Festival. The poem and the tune together were published in December 1813 in volume 5 of Thomas Moore's A Selection of Irish Melodies. The original piano accompaniment was written by John Andrew Stevenson, several other arrangements followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. [Wiki]

The lyrics of the poem compares the last rose of summer of our twilight years... a poignant  reminder of the passing of time.   

The Last Rose of Summer

'Tis the last rose of summer,
    Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
    Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
    No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes
    To give sigh for sigh!

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one.
    To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
    Go, sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
    Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
    Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
    When friendships decay,
And from love's shining circle
    The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie wither'd,
    And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
    This bleak world alone?

(c) April 2020. Tel.  Autumn Reflections. All rights reserved. 

Enjoy open-handed blessings

I hear it. I read it all over the written forms. Lots in social media too. This comparison of anything, or of some celebrities. Who is better. Who is best.

Let's enjoy benevolent blessings instead of comparing them unnecessarily - be it songs, poems, inventions, composers, musicians, writers... you know what I mean. Okay, I confess I'm a die-hard Mozartian, but this doesn't necessarily mean I don't love Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn or Bach. And many more...  


Franz Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3 ("Dream of Love")



There's hardly any day I'm not in YouTube searching for a video that I can feature in my blogs.

These strong comments relating disagreements about different renditions! We are fortunate in having so many fantastic pianist, cellist and violinists, to name few talents, and brilliantly playing the same sonata in different ways. And they're free. As to performances, for example, a Mahler symphony to that of Haydn's. Or a Chopin to that of Liszt. Or in conducting, Bernstein to that of Karajan. In a way, it's what makes a composer brilliant - when their work is subject to many views or interpretation.


Frederic Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu (Op. 66)



It's likely that even the composer himself might not have played his work the same way every time. We have heard of great composers revising their work few times. 

All great musicians are good and listening to them and their versions is certainly a pleasure.  Let's enjoy and savour each note that vibrates into the air!  




Video Credit: 

Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu (Op.66). Uploaded by Rousseau. Accessed May 30, 2020.

Franz Liszt's Liebestraum ("Dream of Love"). Uploaded by Rousseau. Accessed May 30, 2020. 




(c) April 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.   

Sniffed out from my past journals (2)

Something worthwhile I've done, and still doing, whilst in social distancing due to COVID-19. I've managed to clean-up and re-organise my 21 journals, including to-dos, rumblings, quotes, moment-outburst, raw notes, all sorts... nota bene. This will be an on-going activity, but hereon, better organised. In this post, I have sniffed them out from these past journals as a process of re-organising - my own thoughts, and quotes from my readings, from watching TV or from listening to a favourite radio program.

There's nothing satisfying hearing someone say something exactly what we want to say, or reading the right words that reinforces what we believe in. Or letting out pent-up sentiments. Liberating. Healing.


Continued from 'Sniffed out from my past journals, Part 1'

When you read a line that is so well-written, you just close the book and stare at the wall for a minute... I don't know with you, my mind occasionally go wild with fantasies, other times, I'm stilled, quieted at the thought of what becomes of the character I so relate to.

Nowadays, I find life getting more complicated. We can only hope for the best. I'm rapt listening to one of my favourite Tchaikovsky music Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique". This particular music is sad, melancholy. It makes me think about life, myself, what I've done... where I am going. In musical  terms, thank God for the beautiful adagio in the first movement that brings gentle harmony to the chaos of living represented by molto allegro and more turbulent allegro vivace in the succeeding movements. When my emotions overwhelms, I rumble a lot, and takes a while to quiet down. Like Tchaikovsky's music, I look forward  relishing the Finale's 'adagio lamentoso', mournful, yes, but still a beautiful adagio.     

Some music touch us in powerful ways and leave an impression that makes us change our outlook in life. The various musical movements goad me to rethink and re-evaluate my life  journey. For instance, Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" parallels to my journey, dramatic twists and turns in life. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the moment, and grabbing the inspiration from this beloved maestro's enchanting creation that has meant much through the years.   

Listening:

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique" / hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ Lionel Bringuier, Dirigent ∙ Accessed April 27, 2020.   

Inspired Pen rests... 

(c) April 13, 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

(c) April 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Sniffed out from my past journals (1)

Something worthwhile I've done, and still doing, whilst in social distancing due to COVID-19. I've managed to clean-up and re-organise my 21 journals, including to-dos, rumblings, quotes, moment-outburst, raw notes, all sorts... nota bene. This will be an on-going activity, but hereon, better organised. In this post, I have sniffed them out from these past journals as a process of re-organising - my own thoughts, and quotes from my readings, from watching TV or from listening to a favourite radio program.

There's nothing satisfying hearing someone say something exactly what we want to say, or reading the right words that reinforces what we believe in. Or letting out pent-up sentiments. Liberating. Healing. 


* The true profession of a man is to find his way to himself..." - Hermann Hesse

* Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of your life.

* Gene Kelly did it best! Walking and singing in the rain is fun especially with rain a bit warm. Or running away from the waves on the beach one lovely day. Sensations! That's what makes it fun. Simply enjoy. Don't think.

* Voltaire: "Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats."  

When a loved one dies, we don't want to let go, but we have to let go. We move on, for our life is for the living, BUT we don't forget, for they are loved ones who left us.

The beautiful  thing about memories is that they are ours whether they are good or bad. They belong to us, no matter where we are now. 

*Friendship. True pleasure consists not in the multitude of friends, but in the worth and choice.

* Every one and then, we deserve some fun. How much fun choco is! Instead of how to lose those pounds in two weeks.  

Mark Twain:

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience. This is the ideal life."

Colin Powell: "A dream doesn't become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work."

Maya Angelou: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with (some) passion, (some) compassion, (some) humor, and (some) style.

The sea. The relentless sea! Not just the beach but the ocean - simultaneously calming and energising, inspiring and rejuvenating. (Whilst musing over the sea, allow me to indulge my senses with one of my favourite concerts with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based from the poem of the same name, by famous American poet - Walt Whitman. Here's a link from YouTube - A Sea Symphony.  Unfortunately our performance has no video recording. (Thanks to uploader Colin). 

This writing pen deserves a rest to withdraw from seemingly tireless thoughts.

(c) April 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 in E minor, "Andante cantabile"

Listening Pleasures / Reveries

My memories seem to live through music. As time goes by, it's becoming more pronounced.
   

Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza

This heart-warming "Andante cantabile" is the second movement of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's loved Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, in four movements (I. Andante – Allegro con anima II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza, III.  Valse, Allegro moderato, and IV. Finale: Andante maestoso).


Below video, Maestro Leonard Bernstein conducts Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 in E minor - II Movement, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.



Through the years, Pyotr's "Andante cantabile" remain in my heart amongst my other favourite and best loved romantic music. It was composed by Tchaikovsky between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre on November 17 of that same year with the composer himself conducting.

There's a poignant love song "Moon Love" popularised by the late Frank Sinatra actually adapted from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, lyrics written by Mack David, Mack Davis and Andre Kostelanetz. It was recorded by Frank Sinatra twice, first in 1939 with Harry James, and in 1966 in the album “Moonlight Sinatra“, arranged by Nelson Riddle (Reprise Records). If I remember right, I think Glenn Miller Orchestra also made recording of  this wonderful "Moon Love" piece.




Moon Love (Lyrics)

Will this be moon love, nothing but moon love
Will you be gone when the dawn comes stealing through
Are these just moon dreams, grand while the moon beams
But when the moon fades away, will my dreams come true

Much as I love you, don’t let me love you
If I must pay for your kiss with lonely tears, say it’s not moon love
Tell me it’s true love, say you’ll be mine when the moon disappears.



Video Credit:

Frank Sinatra: Moon Love. thefranksinatra.com. Accessed 17 November 2019.

Harry James & His Orchestra, featuring Frank Sinatra. Accessed 17 November 2019.

Leonard Bernstein - Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 in E minor - II Movement. Uploaded by Nelson Zapata. Accessed 19 February 2020.  Boston Symphony Orchestra.


Resource:

Symphony No. 5 Tchaikovsky (Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64). Wikipedia. Accessed 17 November 2019.



(c) 17 November 2019.  Updated 14 February 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings.  All rights reserved.

New Year 2020 Reflections

Reflections  / Musings

Passing end-of-year reflections while looking forward to a new year

I respect the wonderful memories of my past, but most especially at this point in time of my life,  I refuse to cling to it, for in doing so I make myself unavailable to the present.  

Listening:  

Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now [Original Studio Version, 1969].  Accessed January 2, 2020.
Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days - 1968. Accessed January 2, 2020. 


A new year is upon us once again. This time it's 2020. New decade too. New beginning. A chance to make things right.

Was it a year ago, and other years before that we fought our to-dos including over-spending and gluttony - and miserably failed? Oh, those moments' motivated resolutions to be better... only to break them in a matter of time, some less than a day or two.

Through the festive season I started to spend time reflecting on the past year, and the lessons it may teach me. This year, I've learned few but significant things from those experiences and messages, thanks in part, to Facebook.  Events and interactions certainly have been suitable pointers. Enormous waste of time and energies, dealing with the wrong people and group/s, not to mention stressors. Even common interests don't warrant true friendships.   

Lesson?  To not take anything for granted.

Know thyself and really know what you want, where your sense of comfort lies.

If we can truly reflect on our past year, on the things we treasure and the values we hold, do something about them, we are moving towards a better, fulfilling new year.  N'est ce pas?


(c) January 2020. Tel. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Comfort.

Composed by Paul Simon and performed as a solo by Art Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a song about providing comfort for someone in need. 

Even when clouds are clearing and we are feeling better, a crisis may overwhelm. There are times when "friends just can't be found". When this happens I breathe deeply, look to my higher power for strength, keep faith and listen for nudges or messages that are coming through... it could be a help from someone unexpected or a situation that turns out as a blessing-in disguise. 

This song is a great comfort. 

Bridge over Troubled Water

By Simon & Garfunkel

"When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all
I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Tracking reflections

Mesmerising quote. Discussions. Arguments.
Discussions are always better then arguments, because an argument is to find out who is right, and a discussion is to find what is right. 

Balance. Life.
Life is about balance. Be kind, but don't let people abuse you. Trust, but don't be deceived. Be content, but never stop improving yourself. - Necole Stephens. 

Positive Outlook.
"No matter how badly people treat you, never drop down to their level. Choose to keep your peac and walk away."

Hope. Recovery. Love. Light. Laughter.
Hope in Recovery through Love, Light and Laughter.
"I'm not a perfect person. I make a lot of mistakes. But I reallyy appreciate those people who stay with me afer knowing how I really am."

Success. Success is doing ordinary things extraordinary well." - Jim Rohm.

Self-righteous Comments.
"Too full of  yourself"??
You've just made a ridiculuos claim tgat a performance by Janet Baker and Murray Perahia, two great artists particularly noted for performing Schubert's music  - a very amorphous and unspecific criticism - and then you accuse my friend of being full of himself for having the temerity to disagree with you? That's a knee-slapper.
Now, why don't you demonstrate your superior Schubert chops and enlighten us all as to just what is wrong with this performance...

Reverie on a Sunday afternoon

One beautiful thing about our memories is that they are ours whether they are happy or sad, good or bad. So to my memories. They belong to me wherever I am now.

Earlier, I was lazing around when from the radio slowly wafted Claude Debussy's Reverie. This was a favourite of a loved one gone. Memories came creeping down my past lane. This beautiful heartwarming piece has escaped me for years. 

Three days from now it will be another season. Autumn, where I live. I love autumn. Season after season, we sustain our life through the next. I can do the same with memories. By keeping the good times deep within, my present is sustained when I'm feeling low.




Video Credit:
Debussy: Reverie for piano. Youtube, uploaded by Reza Touserkani. Accessed February 25, 2018.


(c) 2018.  Tel Asiado. Leaves from my Musings.  All rights reserved.

Serenade at Midnight

Listening Pleasures

"Nobody had ever measured, not even poets, how much a heart can hold." 

~ Zelda Fitzgerald

Down Memory Lane: 

My serenade 
(Sung by The Platters).
Here are the lyrics:

My serenade begins in the night, Plays the strings of my heart.
My serenade becomes a delight, Your kisses help play the part.
Sweet and strong love plays it soft,  And our hearts begin to glow.
As it plays our serenade, It's music with thrill to love.

This is my serenade.  My serenade. My serenade.
This is my serenade.  My serenade.

Music based on Franz Schubert's 'Serenade'
Lyrics: Peter E. Luedemann and Giuseppe Solera

Note: Franz Schubert composed a number of works known as "Ständchen" (meaning: serenade) The music here is one of the most popular.


Video Credit:

Schubert's Violin Adagios. YouTube, uploaded by makhfii. Accessed February 14, 2018.

Another version of  Schubert's "Serenade" uploaded by LonelyMoonRise. Accessed February 20, 2018


(c) 2018.  Tel Asiado.  Leaves from my Musings.  All rights reserved. 

Theme from Mahogany (Song)

Random Thoughts / Listening Pleasures

Reflection comes from one of my all-time favourite poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
A Psalm of Life - What the heart of the young man said to the psalmist.

I got an email that initially upset me. No longer. Taking this moment to look back at the last binge ... the past year. Rest assured I am moving forward.

Listening: The haunting song "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin. It was recorded by American singer Thelma Houston in 1973, then most notably popularized by Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 movie Mahogany produced by Motown/Paramount in 1975.

A Psalm of Life

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

   Life is but an empty dream!

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

   And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

   And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

   Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

   Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each to-morrow

   Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

   And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

   Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,

   In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

   Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

   Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,— act in the living Present!

   Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

   We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

   Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

   Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

   Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

   With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

   Learn to labor and to wait."


Poem Credit:
Poetry Foundation. Accessed January 23, 2018.

Video Credit:
Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To). Youtube, uploaded by Shooofly. Accessed JAnuary 23, 2018.



(c) 2018. Inspired Pen. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

On Wings of Song

Listening Pleasures for Meditation

There are many ways of breaking a heart. We all know that ... but what really breaks one is taking away its dream, whatever that dream might be.   


What I'm listening to in reflection? An all-time favourite short piece "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges" (English: "On Wings of Song"), by composer Felix Mendelssohn. This lovely piece of music was dedicated by the composer to his beloved sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, also a composer.

The poet Heinrich Heine created the lyrics (1835) for its well-known operatic version. The video provides images of  various paintings from artists Chagall, Homer, O'keefe, Pissarro, Sargent, and Spadecaller portraying the beautiful night garden, where love is transported by the "Wings of Song." It's a Spadecaller Video: Mendelssohn's "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges." On the piano is Peter Nagy.   (Accessed January 20, 2018.)






Resource:

Mendelssohn - Lieder, S547/R217 (7 Lieder from Mendelssohn, Op, 19a, 34, 47): Mendelssohn - Auf Flugeln des Gesanges (On Wings of Song) (from Op. 34, No. 2), S547/R217, No. 1 by Péter Nagy.

(c) 2018. Tel Asiado. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.

A writing life

Random Thoughts

If you're a writer, how's your writing life lately?  Although I don't buy a lot of "How to Write" books any longer, I still enjoy revisiting the select few I've kept.


My best friend and soul mate, and writing support, gone now, once told me that if I have lost my moment's inspiration, it's probably in the tip of my pen. She was my staunchest critic and same-time greatest encourager who never gave up on me especially when my pen seemed dried up.

I enjoy reading my fellow writer-friends' works. They inspire. 

How far can we as writers tell stories without as much revealing of ourselves? How much do we want to unveil of ourselves in the first place?

In sensitive wanderings, through range of narratives, how much can we show with freedom and candour our thoughts from our inner world, and our memories, fill our yearnings to let go those creative juices?

Oh this writing life!

Backing down and letting go

How do you feel when the day got to you? That is, from your ego’s point of view. A pricked self-esteem...  when the very "professional" people who are meant to provide the anodyne are the ones who let you down.

I’ve heard that before, they’re just doing their job, right? Please help, my collar pain is re-visiting.

Or people who profess to be our friends yet whose actions are far from caring.

We do need to practice the quieting and containing of ourselves for our own sake, you know, those times when things don’t seem to come together.

We need to just quiet down - even if that something is aversion and hurting the very values we hold on to.

Quieting down can take a while. Even many months. This month I've started cleaning up my Address Book. It feels good. Can't wait to clean-up my Facebook 'friends' who are never friends.

Who said life is a bowl of cherries. It can be, but not always.

To keep peace, we usually put on that ultra-flexibility, that is, not insisting our way, even if we should have. But then, there comes a point when, in the face of other people’s intransigent, unreasonable attitudes, we are challenged. That point when we can still give our piece of mind even if it means a bit of boat-rocking.

Giving one's peace of mind doesn't have to be always verbal. It can be an action signifying "enough is enough."

Sometimes, refusing to back down has its own rewards. It can even mean a breakthrough.

A point in time. 



(c) 2018. Tel Asiado. Leaves from my Musings. All rights reserved.