53 Brentwood Blog

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Wisdom and beauty.

Sight is the most piercing of our bodily senses; though not by that is wisdom seen; her loveliness would have been transporting if there had been a visible image of her. But this is the privilege of beauty, that being the loveliest she is also the most palpable to sight.
Phaedrus, by Plato.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Turning darkness into light

In a museum in Dublin, you can read the following poem, written by an Irish monk in the eighth-century :

I and Pangur Bán, my cat
'Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will,
He too plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way:
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Bán, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Sam, not Audrey.

according to some other websites:
'Contrary to many internet postings and email-go-rounds, Audrey Hepburn didn't write this lovely poem. Sam Levenson wrote "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, and it just so happened to become one of Audrey's favorite poems. The poem was then mis-attributed to her, after it was known that she liked it and had read it to her children.'
At the end, doesn't really matter much who was the author of this poem.
my favourite part of the poem is:

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Audrey

I found this somewhere and it is usually attributed to the actress Audrey Hepburn:

For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.
And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows!