The Soul of the Rose by John William Waterhouse, 1908. Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May by John William Waterhouse, 1909.The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse, 1902.
***
Forgive me, my darling, for thinking of you!
Your fragrance is sweeter than peony dew,
The bloom of your lips enamours like spring,
One rapturous smile - I forget everything...
Oh, bitter delusions of our first love!
The feverish blindness descends from above:
My ears cease to hear, my mouth - to speak,
No soul would survive a feeling this deep!
Your hands keep escaping my blasphemous touch.
The eyes, filled with sorrow, adore you so much,
The heart keeps on beating, yet broken in two!
Tell me, dear beloved, what shall I do?
Not to Be Reproduced(La Reproduction Interdite). René Magritte, 1937. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
“To arts unknown he bends his wits, and alters nature.”
― Ovid, Metamorphoses.
Myriads of evocative images permeate the debut novel of the most influential Irish modernist, conveying the entire spectrum of feelings ranging from religious fervour to the ardour of lust. A master of intertextuality, Joyce intermingles philosophical discussions (unfortunately, often one-sided, despite their doubtlessintellectual splendour) with “scraps of poetry and madness” – playful allusions to ancient myths and historical events. Nevertheless, a vivid combination of excessive naturalism and vague surrealism may be exhausting for the reader, as the rigorous author does not attempt to ease the acute transitions from one state of consciousness into another. It is only for the literary adventurers themselves to decide whether this egocentric coming-of-age journey is worth the effervescent, yet turbulent ride.
“The Mermaid” by Howard Pyle“Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld” by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
“Orpheus and Eurydice” by Emil Neide
“Orphee et Eurydice” by Eduard Kasparides
Crossing the oceanIn the arms of Poseidon
My heart will reach you.
Bleeding with sea-foam,
Wrapped in a mermaid's soft hair,
Our spirits emerge
From the stormy waves
Where Aphrodite was born,
Pink-glowing, pearl-hung.
My tenderness plays
The Apollonian lyre
With your slender hands.
There is no escape
From the darkness of Hades
To the Olympus.
Approaching the light,
I succumb, mesmerized by
The sound of your voice.
"Beloved," you beg:
"Turn around!" Eurydice -
Forever, farewell!
The sultry honey aroma of wild apple trees haunts you, while the darkness of a tangy spring fog envelops the world. Fragile pearl threads stretch from the sky, penetrating the warmth of your skin, leaving dusky traces on the defenseless clothes. You run away, seeking shelter, and return to the house, a black shadow looming over your silhouette, over the luscious garden, over the whole Earth.
“Vita and Virginia” is a captivating biographical drama by a British director, Chanya Button. This film portrays the intricate relationship between two literary icons of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, played by Elizabeth Debicki and Gemma Arterton.
The Waves of Poetry 