Today I am delighted to share with you Philip and Sheila Morris' short video on George Herbert. This is something Sheila and Philip created and worked on last year; to film three short, videos on "Poets in their Landscape." These were produced for the Ewenny Arts Festival, which we should have been shown at a poetry evening in March, but that had to be cancelled due to the lockdown and the pandemic. I feel honoured that Philip and Sheila have offered their use for the blog.
I think these are fascinating, we shall learn much and am delighted to share them on the blog. We shall have one a week, for the next three weeks and they are easy watching and hugely informative. Thank you so much Philip and Sheila.
Our poem for today as part of our observance of mental; health awareness week is
The Soul has Bandaged moments Emily Dickinson - 1830-1886
The Soul has Bandaged moments – When too appalled to stir – She feels some ghastly Fright come up And stop to look at her – Salute her, with long fingers – Caress her freezing hair – Sip, Goblin, from the very lips The Lover – hovered – o’er – Unworthy, that a thought so mean Accost a Theme – so – fair – The soul has moments of escape – When bursting all the doors – She dances like a Bomb, abroad, And swings upon the Hours, As do the Bee – delirious borne – Long Dungeoned from his Rose – Touch Liberty – then know no more, But Noon, and Paradise – The Soul’s retaken moments – When, Felon led along, With shackles on the plumed feet, And staples, in the song, The Horror welcomes her, again, These, are not brayed of Tongue –
Dickinson writes about being trapped, maybe by love, but it could be society or life in general and she feels unable to move, to escape.
How many people can echo these words from their own situations. It is as true today as when Dickenson wrote the poem in the Nineteenth Century?
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