FRIDAY 26TH JUNE

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble Sheep a threatening horn;
While the Lily white shall in Love delight,
Nor a thorn, nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
………………………………...........William Blake (1757-1827)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A haiku -

in the hermit’s hut
a bowl, a bed, a table
and peace



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A Zen story -

One day a poor farmer found a stray horse in his yard. He kept it and found it a great help with his work in the fields.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you lucky?” The farmer replied, “Perhaps.”

Some time later his son tried to ride the horse, fell off and broke his leg.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you unlucky?” The farmer replied, “Perhaps.”

When war was declared, all the young men had to go to fight, but, because of his injury, his son was excused.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you lucky?” The farmer replied, “Perhaps.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This picture "Young Woman Drawing" is by the French painter Marie-Denise Villers (1774-1821)



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

MAX EHRMANN (1872-1945) was an attorney in Indiana, USA. At the age of 40 he gave up his work to become a writer and nowadays he is best known for his prose poem “Desirata.”



This video gives a visual presentation of the poem against a background of beautiful scenery and the sublime musical accompaniment of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

The whole thing is quite long - 10 minutes, but I’ve watched it many times now and find it very rewarding. If you don’t have time to spare right now, you can see all the words below.



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

FRIDAY 19TH JUNE

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. (Deepek Chopra)


Spring has its flowers,
Autumn has its moon,
Summer has its cooling breezes,
Winter has its snow.
If you allow no idle concerns to weigh on your heart,
Your whole life will be one perennial good season. (John C. Wu)



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

LOVE’S PHILOSOPHY by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another’s being mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountain’s kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain’d its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea -
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This painting is by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

DO YOU ASK WHAT THE BIRDS SAY? by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Do you ask what the birds say? The Sparrow, the Dove,
The Linnet and Thrush say, “I love and I love!”
In the winter they’re silent - the wind is so strong;
What it says, I don’t know, but it sings a loud song,
But green leaves and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,
And singing and loving - all come back together.
But the Lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
Then he sings and he sings, and for ever sings he -
“I love my Love, and my Love loves me.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I like this version of the Air on a G string by J. S. Bach. It's beautifully played by the Swedish guitarist Per-Olov Kindgren.



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

FRIDAY 12TH JUNE

Speak only when your words improve upon the silence. (Quaker Proverb)

seek silence
gladden silence
adore silence (Deng Ming-Dao)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There's no music to this slide show - just 25 lovely photos to enjoy.



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A Zen Story

Anxious to learn more about Zen, a learned professor decided to consult the Zen master Nan-in.

As soon as he arrived, he was invited to sit down, and Nan-in poured out a cup of tea for him. The professor was astonished to see that Nan-in kept on pouring, and soon the tea was spilling all over the table.

“Stop, stop,” cried the professor, “It’s too full!”

Nan-in stopped pouring and said, “Yes, and you are too full of your own ideas. Empty your cup!”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I give this poem 10 out of 10 -

I MEANT TO DO MY WORK TODAY - Richard LeGallienne (1866-1947)

I meant to do my work today -
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand -
So what could I do but laugh and go?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ronald Binge (1910-1979) , originally a cinema organist, joined Mantovani in 1935 as arranger and musician. It was he who created the Mantovani string sound in such numbers as “Charmaine.”
Among his many compositions was this delightful piece “Elizabethan Serenade.”



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Today is my 55th Wedding Anniversary. I've posted some of our wedding photographs on the EIGHTY PLUS blog - http://80plus.blogspot.com/

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

FRIDAY 5TH JUNE

soil, rain, sunshine, seed,
tree, branch, flower, fruit - my plum
is the universe

[Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist, said that everything in the whole world could be seen in one tangerine]

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretch’d in never-ending line
Along the margin of the bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee -
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For, oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM the mantra “Om mani padme hum” is widely used. Pronounced “ohm mah nee pahd may hum“, it is difficult to find a simple, straightforward translation.

Kalu Rinpoche the Buddhist teacher wrote "Through mantra, we no longer cling to the reality of the speech and sound encountered in life, but experience it as essentially empty. Then confusion of the speech aspect of our being is transformed into enlightened awareness.”

This little video has some beautiful pictures, and, with the sound kept fairly low, I really like the music. Sorry it ends so abruptly!



-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

The above is a Gaelic Blessing.

The haiku “Soil, rain, sunshine, seed,” I wrote.

The verse “To see a world in a grain of sand” is from “Auguries of Innocence” by William Blake (1757-1827)

The poem “Daffodils” is of course William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-



That's all. Thanks for looking in.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-