Saturday, July 13, 2013

a few quotes // Sonnets From the Portuguese

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I just finished Elizabeth Barrett Browning's lovely Sonnets From the Portuguese, but I don't feel qualified to review poetry (as I've never been much of a poet), so I'm only going to share some tidbits from her beautiful work.

Atheists are as dull,
Who cannot guess God's presence out of sight.
Sonnet XX
 
. . . God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
Sonnet XXVI
 
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and Ideal Grace.
Sonnet XLIII
 
O thou God of old!
Grant me some smaller grace than comes to these;--
But so much patience, as a blade of grass
Grows by contented through the heat and cold.
God's creation is amazing
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the poem "Patience Taught by Nature"

I did learn, definitely, that poetry is much harder to decipher than prose. Some of the poems and sonnets required my reading through them twice to get the full meaning. But I'm glad for the chance to improve my mind some more.

All this she must possess . . . and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.
- Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

9 comments:

  1. Ah yes, her poetry is wondrous:) I'm glad you post so often, I just normally don't have the time or will, but I'm going to start doing it... a LOT. Hopefully, that is;)

    Layla.

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    1. Also, I awarded you: http://aaaaaahhhhs.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-birthday-tomorrow-lot-of-other-stuff.html

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    2. Oh, I'm glad you're glad :) Sometimes I feel as though I post like wayyyyyyyyyy too often.

      Thanks for the award! I'll hop over and check it out :) And for some reason I really like to say I "hopped over" :)

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  2. Grant me some smaller grace than comes to these;--
    But so much patience, as a blade of grass
    Grows by contented through the heat and cold.

    Love that one. I like reading poetry as well, quite a bit actually. My favorite is Longfellow, and then I like Frost and Keats and Tennyson.

    Got to love a Darcy quote, whatever it may be! ;)

    Rebecca

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    1. Yeah, I really like that one too! I think the first one might be my favorite. Elizabeth Barrett Browning included so much of God in her sonnets and poems!

      I've not read much poetry, and don't recall reading any Longfellow, Keats, or Tennyson. I did read a poem or two by Robert Frost during my sophomore year though as part of a Literature program thingy.

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  3. i've never been much of a poetry person, but these tid-bits are lovely! i MAY think about reading it. :)

    also. i love darcy. the end.

    :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) {:)}
    miss you lots!!
    Becca

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    1. If you do, you can let me know and you can borrow it! And yes, Darcy is great.

      Missing you already, queen of my heart. . . . (sorry. quote from The Parent Trap. but I really do miss you :))

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    2. that was a little awkward... I read

      "Missing you already," and thought, well, gee, I've been gone for over a month... and then I read the rest.
      "Queen of my heart..." and I got really confused, and freaked out slightly. I was like, "well I didn't know we were THAT good of friends. haha

      thanks for a laugh. :)

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    3. Haha, I know, it's a really dorky line. It's actually said by a butler to his mistress's daughter (the two of them are best friends).

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