‘Thou taintest all thou lookest upon! -the stars,
Which on thy cradle beamed so brightly sweet,
Were gods to the distempered playfulness
Of thy untutored infancy; the trees,
The grass, the clouds, the mountains and the sea,
All living things that walk, swim, creep or fly,
Were gods...
Which on thy cradle beamed so brightly sweet,
Were gods to the distempered playfulness
Of thy untutored infancy; the trees,
The grass, the clouds, the mountains and the sea,
All living things that walk, swim, creep or fly,
Were gods...
Awhile thou stood’st
Baffled and gloomy; then thou didst sum up
The elements of all that thou didst know;
The changing seasons, winter’s leafless reign,
The budding of the heaven-breathing trees,
The eternal orbs that beautify the night,
The sunrise, and the setting of the moon,
Earthquakes and wars, and poisons and disease,
And all their causes, to an abstract point
Converging thou didst bend, and called it God!
Baffled and gloomy; then thou didst sum up
The elements of all that thou didst know;
The changing seasons, winter’s leafless reign,
The budding of the heaven-breathing trees,
The eternal orbs that beautify the night,
The sunrise, and the setting of the moon,
Earthquakes and wars, and poisons and disease,
And all their causes, to an abstract point
Converging thou didst bend, and called it God!
-Shelley, Queen Mab
the language is sublime and i love how it exalts the mystery and beauty of nature, but also it is such an affront to monotheism. kind of badass for a 21-year-old kid in 1813.
the language is sublime and i love how it exalts the mystery and beauty of nature, but also it is such an affront to monotheism. kind of badass for a 21-year-old kid in 1813.
2. luna lovegood, my unlikely literary crush.
my brother and his wife are throwing a harry potter halloween bash this year. it had been a while since i read the novels and i was a little hesitant but willing to participate because my brother and his wife are pretty rad people and boston is awesome this time of the year. i received a text from my brother that stated simply "we've decided you are luna lovegood." at first, i was anxious to research other HP characters to be for the party, but the more i researched luna and revisited her part in the novels, the more i became entranced. i've discovered how likely a candidate i am to portray her, and how much i like the character. when i tell people that's who i am for halloween, i've noticed people squint their eyes and smile and say, "yeah, you'd be a good luna." luna is quirky and dreamy and a little spacey, but always observant and intelligent.
 |
| "Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it. "Good thinking," said Luna seriously. "It's often infested with nargles." |
3. all the amazing things coming up in november and december. i'm so excited to enjoy one of my favorite holidays with my awesome family (brother: remus lupin, sister-in-law: professor minerva mcgonagall, sister: pansy parkinson) and then get back to work. publications, finals, readings, interviews with famous people, and the holiday season. happy halloween everybody!
