Poetry: June 16, 2021 Issue [#10821]
<< June 9, 2021Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueJune 23, 2021 >>




 This week: A. E. Housman
  Edited by: Stormy Lady Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

This is poetry from the minds and the hearts of poets on Writing.Com. The poems I am going to be exposing throughout this newsletter are ones that I have found to be, very visual, mood setting and uniquely done. Stormy Lady Author Icon


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Be Still, My Soul, Be Still
by A. E. Housman

Be still, my soul, be still; the arms you bear are brittle,
Earth and high heaven are fixt of old and founded strong.
Think rather,-- call to thought, if now you grieve a little,
The days when we had rest, O soul, for they were long.

Men loved unkindness then, but lightless in the quarry
I slept and saw not; tears fell down, I did not mourn;
Sweat ran and blood sprang out and I was never sorry:
Then it was well with me, in days ere I was born.

Now, and I muse for why and never find the reason,
I pace the earth, and drink the air, and feel the sun.
Be still, be still, my soul; it is but for a season:
Let us endure an hour and see injustice done.

Ay, look: high heaven and earth ail from the prime foundation;
All thoughts to rive the heart are here, and all are vain:
Horror and scorn and hate and fear and indignation--
Oh why did I awake? when shall I sleep again?

On March 26, 1859 in Fockbury, England, Edward and Sarah Jane Housman welcomed their first son, Alfred Edward Housman into the world. He was the eldest of seven children. Housman's father was a solicitor and raised the family in Worcestershire England. Housman preferred his mother over his father and her untimely death on his twelfth birthday was devastating for him. As a student Housman won a scholarship to Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire. Upon graduating he went on to study at Oxford.

While in Oxford he received honors in his classes but failed his final exam and subsequently didn't receive his degree. After college Housman worked as a clerk for ten years, in the Patent Office in London. During this time he would spend many evenings studying Latin text at the British Museum. Housman wrote several articles about the mistakes he found in the text and published them in journals. It was through these publications he caught the attention of scholars at the university. This led to his appointment in 1892 as professor of Latin at University College of London.

After a failed attempt at love Housman seemed to be convinced he must live without it and he became increasingly reclusive. His anguish about his sexuality and his withdrawal from social life, left him his notebooks to find solace in. He spent a lot of his free time writing in them and in 1896 he published A Shropshire Lad. In 1911 he became a Professor of Latin at Cambridge, teaching there almost up to his death. Housman's book of verse, "Last Poems" was published in 1922 and had astonishing success.

On April, 30 1936 Alfred Edward Housman passed away. Housman was 77 years old. His ashes were buried just outside St Laurence's Church, Ludlow. A cherry tree was planted in the spot as a memorial. A posthumous collection, "More Poems," was edited by his brother Laurence Housman and published later that year.


The Immortal Part
by A. E. Housman

When I meet the morning beam,
Or lay me down at night to dream,
I hear my bones within me say,
"Another night, another day.

"When shall this slough of sense be cast,
This dust of thoughts be laid at last,
The man of flesh and soul be slain
And the man of bone remain?

"This tongue that talks, these lungs that shout,
These thews that hustle us about,
This brain that fills the skull with schemes,
And its humming hive of dreams,--

"These to-day are proud in power
And lord it in their little hour:
The immortal bones obey control
Of dying flesh and dying soul.

"'Tis long till eve and morn are gone:
Slow the endless night comes on,
And late to fulness grows the birth
That shall last as long as earth.

"Wanderers eastward, wanderers west,
Know you why you cannot rest?
'Tis that every mother's son
Travails with a skeleton.

"Lie down in the bed of dust;
Bear the fruit that bear you must;
Bring the eternal seed to light,
And morn is all the same as night.

"Rest you so from trouble sore,
Fear the heat o' the sun no more,
Nor the snowing winter wild,
Now you labour not with child.

"Empty vessel, garment cast,
We that wore you long shall last.
--Another night, another day."
So my bones within me say.

Therefore they shall do my will
To-day while I am master still,
And flesh and soul, now both are strong,
Shall hale the sullen slaves along,

Before this fire of sense decay,
This smoke of thought blow clean away,
And leave with ancient night alone
The stedfast and enduring bone.

White in the Moon the Long Road Lies
by A. E. Housman

White in the moon the long road lies,
The moon stands blank above;
White in the moon the long road lies
That leads me from my love.

Still hangs the hedge without a gust,
Still, still the shadows stay:
My feet upon the moonlit dust
Pursue the ceaseless way.

The world is round, so travellers tell,
And straight though reach the track,
Trudge on, trudge on, 'twill all be well,
The way will guide one back.

But ere the circle homeward hies
Far, far must it remove:
White in the moon the long road lies
That leads me from my love.


Thank you all!
Stormy Lady Author Icon

A logo for Poetry Newsletter Editors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Editor's Picks


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winner of "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] is:

 
STATIC
Another Home Open in new Window. (E)
a pantoum on the pleasures of fiction
#2250974 by Tileira Author IconMail Icon


I find a quiet place to nest,
where I cannot be found.
Some place silent is the best,
with nobody around.

Where I cannot be found,
I delve into another realm.
With nobody around,
the written word can whelm.

I delve into another realm,
living another truth.
The written word can whelm
like the fantasies of youth.

Living another truth
in that other life,
like the fantasies of youth
and escaping modern strife.

In that other life,
all care can release,
and escaping modern strife,
that's where I find peace.

All care can release,
my spirit flying home.
That's where I find peace
enclosed within the tome

My spirit flying home,
some place silent is the best.
Enclosed within the tome,



Honorable mention:
 The Path Open in new Window. (E)
Finding Peace in Ups and Downs
#2251070 by SaMa Author IconMail Icon



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


These are the rules:

1) You must use the words I give in a poem or prose with no limits on length.

2) The words can be in any order and anywhere throughout the poem and can be any form of the word.

3) All entries must be posted in your portfolio and you must post the link in this forum, "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] by July 15, 2021.

4) The winner will get 3000 gift points and the poem will be displayed in this section of the newsletter the next time it is my turn to post (July 19, 2021)

The words are:


tracks whistle smoke roaring towns chatter ticket arrival


*Delight* Good luck to all *Delight*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STATIC
Dawnscape Open in new Window. (E)
The artistry of morning... A Solstice Poetry Entry (Form: Aubade written in Sonnet Form)
#2252429 by 🌕 HuntersMoon Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2252008 by Not Available.

Darkness Within Open in new Window. (18+)
For: Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest
#2252044 by Sunny Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2252416 by Not Available.

 The Sisters Open in new Window. (13+)
I can no longer escape my vision.
#2251667 by Cubby Author IconMail Icon

 
STATIC
Who is The Keeper of The Stars? Open in new Window. (E)
Who is The Keeper of The Stars? For The Whatever Contest
#2251893 by Sharmelle's Expressions Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Dear Anxiety Open in new Window. (ASR)
My short poem about anxiety
#2251576 by Dynamic26 Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2251764 by Not Available.

 
STATIC
a host of a galaxy Open in new Window. (E)
a host of a moving universe
#2252345 by lucifer very very very 1st Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B07N36MHWD
Amazon's Price: $ 7.99


Ask & Answer


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: 0997970618
Amazon's Price: $ 14.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


<< June 9, 2021Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueJune 23, 2021 >>

This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright.