August 31, 2010

Something Wonderful Because the World is Too Much With Us

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

-- Wordsworth

Posted by Vanderleun at August 31, 2010 10:45 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

There is far too much pain and trouble with us now, and so it has always been. The small threads of goodness and kindness that are found can't be knitted into a cover for bad times, but they might be available as a remembered sweetness and a light-hearted respite. Thin tonic though it is, it is all that is available: the world and its home are only barely hospitable places until they are made better. And this piece helped.

Posted by: Dan Patterson at August 31, 2010 11:29 AM

What, no 'Candle in the Wind', Lady Di Funeral edition? Bummer.

(kidding. just in case)

Posted by: JM Guardia at August 31, 2010 12:16 PM

What a privilege it was to see him perform live in 07 in KC. And please, Candle in the Wind doesn't hold a candle to this song.

Posted by: Jewel at August 31, 2010 12:22 PM

Song came out when I was a low down doper in Venice Beach. It struck a chord that maybe there was more to life than being down so long it looks like up. Glad I got out of that hole. Nice post!

Posted by: bill at August 31, 2010 8:06 PM

My favorite Elton song, hands down.

Brings back memories of someone I shouldn't have let go.

Posted by: Obi's Sister at September 1, 2010 10:30 AM