FROM THE POEMS OF JOHN KEATS

 

          FROM THE POEMS OF JOHN KEATS

The English poet John Keats was born in 1795 and died in 1821 at the young age of 26, yet he earned a permanent place in English literature.

As a romantic  poet, says Edward Albert in “A Short History of English Literature”,  whereas Lord Byron (1788-1824) looked around and criticized;  Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) looked forward and aspired; Keats looked backward into the romantic past and sighed.

Keats’s great search was for the joy that lies in beauty, and this beauty he found most easily in the past.

Physically he was a weakling, suffered from consumption, studied medicine, wandered in search of health and died in Rome where he lies buried beside Shelley.

  What follows are a few quotable lines from a handful of his poems.

* A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. ------From Endymion.

 

**Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

Are sweeter, ye soft pipes, play on,

Not to the sensual ear, but more endear’d.--------From Ode On A Grecian Urn.

 

***Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too.----From Ode to  Autumn.

 

****Can death be sleep, when life is but a dream,

And scenes of bliss pass as a phantom by?

The transient pleasures as a vision seem,

And yet we think the greatest pain’s to die.

 

How strange it is that man on earth should roam,

And lead a life of woe, but not forsake

His rugged path; nor dare he view alone

His future doom which is but to wake.----From On Death.

 

*****Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget

What thou among the leaves hast never known,

The weariness, the fever, and the fret

Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;

Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,

Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;

Where but to think is to be full of sorrow

And leaden-eyed despairs,

Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,

Or new Love pine at them beyond tomorrow.-----From Ode To A Nightingale.

 

******Thou,, silent form, dost tease us out of thought

As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral !

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,

‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,’---that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. ------Last stanza of Ode On A Grecian Urn

 

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

14^th January 2025

 

           

MANY FEARS ARE BASELESS

 

          MANY FEARS ARE BASELESS

Fear is defined as: an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. Some of its common synonyms are :  terror, panic, alarm, fright, dread, horror, phobia,  nervousness and timidity.

Fear is omnipresent. You are afraid at many a place  ---- at your home of some  perceived threat, at your office of some action against you, in your business of some  expected loss, on the road of some accident, near the river of getting drowned , of a weather condition causing some dangerous effect , during a journey about losing something, of separation from some beloved friend or relative and most of all losing your life sooner or later.

Most of these fears are imaginary. They seldom take place to destroy your peace of mind or happiness.

If you are law-abiding and afraid of displeasing God, you are a good deal safe from fears. Laws take care of innocents and God is as gracious as your father.

Fear makes you weak and cowardly. Fearlessness helps  you remain strong and courageous.

  Quite a few fears are transitory. They don’t have a long duration. A large number of them are no worse than phobias and have no enduring basis.

Here are some important thoughts about fear:

*Fear is implanted in us as a preservative from evil; but its duty, like that of other passions, is not to overbear reason, but to assist it. It should not be suffered to tyrannize in the imagination, to raise phantoms of horror, or to beset life with supernumerary distresses. ----English author Samuel Johnson (1709-84).

** Good men have the fewest fears. He who fears to do wrong has but one great fear; he has a thousand who has overcome it. ----American author Christian Nestell Bovee (1820-1904) .

***It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man. ---- Scottish-American  divine John Witherspoon (1723-94).

****There is great beauty in going through life without anxiety or fear. ---Half our fears are baseless, and the other half discreditable.----Bovee

            Finally, this quote: A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

13^th January 2025

 

LEAD KINDLY LIGHT

 

 

                       

 

 

                             LEAD KINDLY LIGHT

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet;

I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that

Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on.

 

I loved the garish day, and, spite

of fears, pride ruled my will; .

remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on.

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

 

       The prayer given above is by Cardinal Henry Newman (1801-1890). Here the poet is praying to God to guide him to move forward  because his past life has not been as holy as it should have been, and the current one is full of darkness denying him requisite light to move upward.   

      

He uses the words “the encircling gloom”, “The night is dark, and I am far from home.” “The home” here means the heavenly abode where he wants to reach, not all at once but gradually,  step by step. Very humbly does he say: I do not ask to see the distant scene,---one step enough for me.

The poet has full faith in God and says: So long hath thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on, over moor and fen,over crag and torrent, till the night is gone.

 

The night symbolizes the dark night of present life. 

 

                     ****************

G.R.Kanwal

12 January 2025

 

 

 

TRUTH FEARS NO EXAMINATION

 

TRUTH  FEARS NO EXAMINATION

Truth fears no examination is a proverbial statement and has never been disapproved. A man of truth is a man of courage. He is brave everywhere including the biggest courts of the world. He is not afraid of punishment because he is always ready to die for the sake of preserving truth.

In contrast with truth, a lie has no legs to stand upon. It lacks both physical and moral courage. Its victories are feeble and transistory.

It is also a proverbial statement that God sees the truth but waits. A guilty person can cross many stages without being punished but not the final one where God is the supreme judge. It is therefore advisable for all criminals and sinners to remember  that they are being watched by God  

Look at the following eternal thoughts about crime , punishment and truth.  

*Society prepares the crime; criminal commits it.--Anonymous

 

*Heaven will permit no man to secure happiness by crime.—Alfieri, Italian poet (1749-1802).  

 

 *Whenever man commits a crime heaven finds a witness. –Bulwer –Lytton, English novelist (1803-72).

 

 * Fear follows crime, and is its punishment.---Voltaire, French writer and philosopher (1694-1778).

 

  *Man’s crimes are his worst enemies, following him like shadows, till they drive his steps into the pit he dug---Creon, ancient Greek writer.

 

 *Crime is not punished as an offence against God, but as prejudicial to society.---James Anthony Froude, English historian and novelist (1818-94).

 

*Every violation of truh is a stab at the health of human society. ----Emerson, Ralph Waldo, American essayist (1803-1882).

 

*If a thousand old beliefs were ruined in our march to truth we must still march on.---Stopford A.Brooke, Irish churchman and writer (1832-1916).  

 

*Falsehood is in a hurry; it may be at any moment detected and punished; truth is calm, serene; its judgment is on high; its king cometh out of the chambers of eternity.---Joseph Parker, English divine (1830 -1902).

     

Finally this quote: Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ---Anais Nin, French-American diarist and essayist (1903-1977).

                                                *****

G.R.Kanwal

10 January 2025

 

           

 

 

DIGNITY OF LABOUR

 

DIGNITY OF LABOUR

When we say work is worship, we don’t mean holy work, sacred work, religious work or white collar work. In fact, we mean that whatever we do is addressed to God. We also mean that idleness is a wastage of time and God does not appreciate idlers. He loves all those people who perform their duties ------ physical, mental and spiritual.

Every piece of work is dedicated to God who has blessed  us with active life ---- not only a life of contemplation but also of labour, work, exertion, industry, striving, struggle and endeavour.

No labour whether it is manual or mental or spiritual is undignified. To quote a definition: “ The dignity of labour is the idea that all jobs are equally respected and should not be discriminated against or considered superior to others .. It is a philosophy that holds that all jobs, whether physical or mental, deserve respect.”

Adopted as a policy , dignity of labour ensures social equality and economic security. A sweeper is as much appreciated as a  popular.

 In this world of varieties of work, nothing is unimportant. A bus does not run without inflation of its tyres even when all  parts of its body are perfect. The driver of a bus is as important as its inventor was.

Given below is a song from the Gitanjali of the Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941).

“Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee !

He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking stones. He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment  is covered with dust. Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil !

Deliverance ? Where is this deliverance to be found ? Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation : he is bound with us all for ever.

Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense ! What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained ? Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow. “  

Through this wonderful song, Tagore speaks of not only dignity but also holiness of labour. God himself is working along with a path-breaker on the dusty soil. He is with such labourers in sun and in shower.

To conclude , here is a dignity of labour quote attributed to the American  minister and activist  Martin Luther King Jr.(1929-1968):

“All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” 

G.R.Kanwal

9^th January 2025

 

                                               

LOVE AND LOYALTY

 

LOVE AND LOYALTY

Love is affection, fondness, care, concern, attachment, regard, warmth, intimacy, devotion, adoration, passion, ardour, yearning , adulation, etc.  

It is not only individuals who are loved but also groups, societies, faiths, associations, coteries, factions, committees, clubs and circles.

The most important quality which is expected in a lover is loyalty, stability, faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability, devotion, constancy and steadfastness.

Opportunists and turn-coats cannot be regarded as dependable lovers. They are rolling stones. Their love is unstable. It is therefore a vice, not a virtue.

Is it shocking to see lovers or members of a social or political group change their allegiance and attachment citing lame excuses.  

True love demands life-long loyalty. Disloyalty in this affair is a condemnable fraud.

Look at the following sonnet by the English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove,

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand’ring bark

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom:

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man loved.

 

            To cocclude, this  short quote : Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.

                                                *****

G.R.Kanwal

8^th January 2025

         

 

SOME QUOTES FROM SHAKESPEAR’S PLAYS

 

SOME QUOTES FROM SHAKESPEAR’S PLAYS 

The English poet-playwright William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-on-Avon on 23 April 1564. He also died on 23 April in the year 1616.

Shakespeare  was the son of a prosperous grain dealer. He attended the grammar school of his village only upto the sixth standard, married Anne Hathway, a local woman eight years older than he, and  had to leave his town because of his criminal love  of poaching.

He came to London in 1584, worked for a theatre in some minor capacity, and became an actor.

For the rest of his life he followed the joint occupations of actor and playwright and when he died he had already become one of the greatest poets and dramatists of his time. Today he is known as an immortal world poet and playwright.      

Given below are a handful of his unforgettable quotes.

1. Holy men at their death have good inspirations.---Merchant of Venice.
2. God keep me from false friends.—Richard III. 
3. What is done cannot be undone. ----Macbeth Act V.
4. Be just and fear not.----Henry VIII, Act 3.
5. The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together; our virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not, and our crimes would despair if they were not cherished.----All’s Well That Ends Well, Act IV
6. Out, out brief candle! Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. ---Macbeth, Act 5.
7. Love is blind. ---Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1.
8. Horses are tied by the head, dogs and bears by the neck, monkeys by the  loins, and men by the legs: when a man is over-lusty, at legs, then he wears wooden nether stocks. ---King Lear, Act 2.
9. What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. Sure he hath made us with such large discourse, looking before and after, gave us not that capability and god-like reason to fust in us unus’d.
10.  The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact; one sees more devils than vast hell can hold, that is the madman, the lover, all as frantic, sees Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt; The poet’s eye , in a fine frenzy rolling, doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; and, as imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name. ----Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5.  

 

                                                            *******

G.R.Kanwal

7^th January 2025

POPULARITY

 

POPULARITY  

Popularity is defined as “the state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people.

To become popular one must be genuinely kind, friendly, helpful, sympathetic, dynamic, progressive, fair, impartial, unbiased, honest, trustworthy and interested in public welfare. These qualities should be for everyone without discrimination. Moreover, they should be natural and perpetual , not opportunistic and ephemeral.

What one should aim at is lasting, not temporary popularity, and for this one should be respectable on the basis of being permanently humble, honest and un-corruptible.

Needless to say a popular person is superior to a number of his rivals and is not unreliable. He should keep his promises and should not take the help of excuses for not fulfilling them.

The English poet William Shenstone (1714-63) said: The love of popularity seems little else than the love of being beloved; and is only blamable when a person aims at the affections of a people by means in appearance honest, but in their end pernicious and destructive.

According to the Roman poet Horace (65 BC-8 BC) :  the common people are but ill judges of a man’s merits; they are slaves to fame, and their eyes are dazzled with the pomp of titles and large retinue. No wonder, then, that they bestow their honours on those who least deserve them.   

Hypocrites, turn-coats, fair-weather big guns, and unstable statesmen cannot preserve their popularity for a long time. Any revelation of their moral weakness destroys their popularity in the twinkling of an eye.

    To conclude, this is what the American President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) said:  You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

                                    *******

G.R.Kanwal

6^th January 2025

         

OLD AGE

 

          OLD  AGE 

For some people old age may be the golden period of  life provided they  don’t have to face the following problems.

Physical disabilities, financial constraints, loneliness, inability to move out, lack of activities, detachment from friends and relatives, mental depression, fear of any type including that of expiring, disloyalty of those who were deeply expected to be most  helpful in old age.

In various towns and cities, old age homes have come up where most  of the problems of senior citizens are taken care of but they are not charitable and those who join them have to pay prescribed charges. They are therefore out of the reach of those unfortunate elders who are penniless and have no source of income.

Both physically and mentally, youth is better than old age. It is a period of getting some source of income , enjoying the care, love and affection hip of kith and kin and living a life of laughing, drinking and being merry.  

In every society, there are people who don’t want to grow old and become victims of old age discomforts. But they are not to be admired. God expects human beings to live not only physically and materially but also reflectively and spiritually. Those who neglect their souls and love only the  pleasures of their bodies remain distant from God which is a sin. The are supposed to do every activity in the name of God and with His support.  Ultimately, they are , like all of us,  perishable bodies and immortal souls.

Given below is the first stanza of the poem Rabi Ben Ezra, a dramatic monologue written by the English poet and playwright Robert Browning (1812-1889).

The hero of the poem was a real historical figure of the 12^th century known primarily for his philosophy of inclusivity ----body and soul, youth and age, death and life, pain and pleasure, and he asserted that true serenity for humans lies in accepting dualities.

Grow old along with me !

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in His hand

Who saith “A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid.

 

Finally, this quote: “Old age is not a calamity or disease; it is survivorship, strength, triumph over challenges, disappointments, illnesses and trials.”---American activist Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995).

 

G.R.Kanwal

5^th January 2025

PARDON AS A VIRTUE

 

PARDON AS A VIRTUE 

Pardon is one of the principal virtues in several religions. Many saints and sages believe in winning the hearts and minds of wrong-doers by pardoning them. Punishment is generally a negative approach. Forgiveness and pardon are positive and reformative.  

According to a definition,“ in religion a pardon is the act of a sovereign to forgive sins and remit the penalty for them. It is a legal concept that is similar to divine forgiveness, which involves the cancellation of a person’s liability to punishment.”

   In many countries, severe punishment rather than pardon is the rule. .  Here, too, poets and philosophers differ seriously. For example, the English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) says in his play  Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Sc.1: that mercy

“is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway,

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself,

An earthly power doth then show likest God’s

When mercy seasons justice.

           

In another play, he says: Sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge.

            An unknown writer has rightly said: They who forgive most, shall be most forgiven.

            The Roman poet Syrus Publius (born 85 BC) had this to say : Pardon others often, thyself never.

            Finally, this view of the Italian politician Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) : Pardon is the virtue of victory.

 

                                    **********

G.R.Kanwal

4^th January 2025

           

           

             

 

PEACE OF MIND

 

PEACE OF MIND 

Peace of mind is not God’s gift. It is your personal achievement. You have to earn it and preserve it. If you are at peace with yourself and the world, you are calm and quiet, tranquil and fearless, mentally and emotionally undisturbed, capable of enjoying every moment of your life, and fit to perform your duties efficiently and thoroughly.

A simple way of maintaining your peace of mind requires that you are well-to-do, honest, virtuous, lawful, friendly, affectionate, forgiving, optimistic and not over-ambitious.

Self-care, self-love, health consciousness, exercise, sufficient rest and meditation or prayer are also essential for maintain peace of mind.

The world is full of disturbances which threaten the peace of mind of almost every individual.  In such a situation, a little detachment is necessary to remain quiet and tranquil. A locality where crime and corruption prevail massively, your peace of mind is likely to be affected even if you are not involved in any upsetting affair. To remain mentally peaceful in such a situation, you require your own inner soul to help you.

The French archbishop Francis S. Fenelon (1661-1715)  said : Peace does not dwell in outward things, but within the soul; we may preserve it in the midst of the bitterest pain, if our will remain firm and submissive. Peace in this life springs from acquiescence, not in an exemption from suffering.

According to the Italian poet Francis  Petrarch (1304-74 ): Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us: namely --avarice, ambition, envy anger, and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.

To conclude,  the following view by an unknown author: Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax.

                                      *******

G.R.Kanwal

3^rd January 2025

 

VIOLENCE

 

          VIOLENCE 

Violence is defined as behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage. or kill someone or something .

According to the  Indian apostle of non-violence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) every violent, word and even thought interferes with the progress of non-violent action. Violence, according to him,  must be abjured, for the good that it may seem to achieve is in appearance only, while the harm that it does is everlasting.

Since violence often takes the shape of  brute force, roughness, ferocity, brutality, savagery and strong-arm tactics in various fields  of life, including social, political, religious and commercial , it needs be outlawed and nipped in the bud wherever it takes roots and starts flourishing.

The present day acts of terrorism all over the world are extremely shocking and plead for the emergence of non-violence as a normal way of life.

The English essayist William Hazlitt (1778-1830) said: Violence ever defeats its own ends. Where you cannot drive you can always persuade. A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles. There is a secret pride in every human heart that revolts at tyranny. You may order and drive an individual, but you cannot make him respect you.

The English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) rightly said : “Violent delights have violent ends.”

The French author Francois de La Rouchefoucauld (1613-1680)  believed that the violence done us by others is often less painful than that which we do to ourselves.

In certain religions : violence in any form is wrong whether it be fighting in a war or harming a small living creature.

Finally, this statement of the American writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) : “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

G.R.Kanwal

2^nd January 2025   

 

                                                           

 

 

 

                             EXCELSIOR 

“Excelsior” is an inspirational poem written by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).  Two years after his death, he became the  first non-British writer whose  commemorative bust was placed in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey in London.  

The Latin phrase “Excelsior” means “higher; always upward; and the poem “Excelsior” tells the story of a young traveller who continues to march  ignoring villagers’ warnings of fearful dangers above. He even rejects the offer of rest by a local maiden.  

According to Longfellow : The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

In another quote, he says: The dawn is not distant, nor is the night starless; love is eternal.

Through these quotes Longfellow gives the message of “ steadfastness and perseverance”.

The full text of the poem is given below.

  Excelsior

The shades of night were falling fast,
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,
A banner with the strange device-
Excelsior!

His brow was sad; his eye beneath
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath;
And like a silver clarion rung
The accents of that unknown tongue-
Excelsior!

In happy homes he saw the light
Of household fires gleam warm and bright,
Above,the spectral glaciers shone,
And from his lips escaped a groan-
Excelsior!

“Try not the pass,” the old man said:
“Dark lowers the tempest overhead;
The roaring torrent is deep and wide.”
And loud that clarion voice replied,
Excelsior!

“Oh, stay,” the maiden said, “and rest
Thy weary head upon this breast!”
A tear stood in his bright blue eye,
But still he answered with a sigh,
Excelsior!

“Beware the pine-tree's withered branch!
Beware the awful avalanche!”
This was the peasant's last Good-night:
A voice replied, far up the height:
Excelsior!

At break of day, as heavenward
The pious monks of Saint Bernard
Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
A voice cried through the startled air,
Excelsior!

A traveller, by the faithful hound,
Half-buried in the snow was found,
Still grasping in his hand of ice
That banner with the strange device,
Excelsior!

There in the twilight, cold and gray,
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay,
And from the sky, serene and far,
A voice fell, like a falling star-
Excelsior!

                                                            *******

G.R.Kanwal

1^st January 2025