Gather ye Rosebuds While Ye May - Robert Herrick

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying:

And this same flower that smiles today

Tomorrow will be dying.”

Robert Herrick – To The Maidens, to Make Much of Time

This is a poem that needs very little explanation. Robert Herrick talks about taking advantage of life and seizing the moment (Carpe Diem). Life is meant to be lived joyfully. This was a concept that Longfellow brought out in his Psalm For Life when he spoke of our hearts, though stout and brave, like muffled drums beating funeral marches to the grave.

Fair is foul, and foul is fair... Macbeth

“Fair is foul and foul is fair:

Hover through the fog and filthy air.”

Macbeth - William Shakespeare

The first time I heard these words is when my mother walked into my class (she was my English teacher) and acted out the entire scene, playing the part of the three witches to perfection. I recall my hair standing on end when she ended with a cackle, as the whole class listened in absolute terror.

From then on, Macbeth, the play by Shakespeare, was etched in my heart.

Another memory that comes to mind is that of Mom reading out ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ to me as I lay, tucked away in bed.

“Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!” she would hiss, and I would cower in dread. I loved those story-telling sessions. Maybe, my penchant for telling tales with a twist started from those early days.

Much later, I came across the same words in the form of a song from the screen version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. For those who are interested, here is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvpu6zbNZgg

Enjoy the Journey - Nadia Comaneci

There was once a young gymnast who caught the eyeballs of the world by scoring a perfect ten in gymnastics. She was a Romanian named Nadia Comaneci, a five-time Olympic gold medalist. Her grace and her agility were breathtaking and she created a niche for herself in the world of sports.

Here's the youtube link to her breathtaking win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi_5xbd5xdE

Today, I am posting a quote of hers that rings through for every person who is following a dream.

"Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don't lose the passion and the love for what you do."

Nadia Comaneci

Darkness cannot Drive out Darkness... Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the most profound quotes that I have ever heard is by a man I admire deeply for his humaneness and his philosophy of life - Martin Luther King Jr. His 'I have a dream' speech was inspirational at a time when America was going through its lowest ebb. When he was assassinated in 1968, it was the end of an era.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

The above quote is so apt for a world today that is going through the agony of racism, hatred, discrimination, and above all, terrorism.

Conversation Pieces

Conversations can be so intriguing - at times, everyone has something to say and the result is like the Tower of Babel, where all the tongues got mixed up. At other times, there is a silence so thick that it can be cut with a knife. Any little sight can start a conversation - a picture on the wall, a comment on social media, a child's toy and even a strange noise in the kitchen.

Here are some wonderful quotes on Conversation by some erudite minds.

"Conversation. What is it? A mystery? It's the art of never seeming bored, of touching everything with interest, of pleasing with trifles, of being fascinated with nothing at all."
                                                     Guy de Maupassant

"Conversation would be vastly improved by the use of four simple words: I do not know."
                                                     Andre Maurois

"Conversation should be like juggling; up go the balls and plates, up and over, in and out, good solid objects that glitter in the footlights and fall with a bang if you miss them."
                                                       Evelyn Waugh

And of course, the inimitable Oscar Wilde who always has the last word on everything:

"Conversation should touch everything, but should concentrate itself on nothing."

"Conversation of the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

Babylon violated diminishes Alexander... Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

"Babylon violated diminishes Alexander; Rome enslaved diminishes Caesar; massacred Jerusalem diminishes Titus' Tyranny follows the tyrant. Woe to the man who leaves a shadow that leaves a shadow that bears his form."

Victor Hugo - Les Miserables
French dramatist, novelist and poet (1802-1885)

Les Miserables was a book that I read in my teenage years. The first time I heard of the book was when we did ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ in school, a story that talks about forgiveness and love. Jean Val Jean turned into a character who evolved as the novel reached its culmination, a man who suffered much in his youth, and allowed his experiences to turn him into a worthy citizen.

The above quote is all-encompassing. It talks about the evil that men do that lives after them, scorning tyrants who leave devastation in their wake.

A vivid memory is of sitting and watching the musical version in London, and the performance has been imprinted on my mind for all times!

The A to Z Quotes Challenge: All the World's a Stage

I don't remember how this became one of my favourite quotes of all times! Was it when I studied it in school? Or was it when I actually read Shakespeare's 'As You Like It', which I consider one of his liveliest works. Or was it when I took on the stage myself before my students, and acted out this well-loved quote? The metaphor of life as a stage and all its inhabitants being merely players is an oft-used one in many works of literature.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

As You Like It -  Act 2, Scene 7