In Praise Of Limestone

There is now a third Auden poem at The Hidden Waterfall for comment and discussion . . .

If it form the one landscape that we, the inconstant ones, 

Are consistently homesick for, this is chiefly 

Because it dissolves in water. Mark these rounded slopes 

With their surface fragrance of thyme and, beneath, 

A secret system of caves and conduits; hear the springs 

That spurt out everywhere with a chuckle, 

Each filling a private pool for its fish and carving 

Its own little ravine whose cliffs entertain 

The butterfly and the lizard . . .

WH AUDEN The opening lines of In Praise of Limestone

You can read a good article by Alexander McCall Smith about his love of Auden here.

A Culture Is No Better Than Its Woods

More poetry from WH Auden at my poetry discussion site, The Hidden Waterfall.

A well-kempt forest begs Our Lady's grace;

Someone is not disgusted, or at least

Is laying bets upon the human race

Retaining enough decency to last;

The trees encountered on a country stroll

Reveal a lot about a country's soul.

A small grove massacred to the last ash,

An oak with heart-rot, give away the show:

This great society is going to smash;

They cannot fool us with how fast they go,

How much they cost each other and the gods.

A culture is no better than its woods.

WH AUDEN From Woods (the last two stanzas)

The Hidden Waterfall

Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall. MIKHAIL LERMONTOV

From the introduction to my new poetry discussion site, The Hidden Waterfall :

Hi! My name is Robert, aka The Solitary Walker, former editor of The Passionate Transitory, and this is The Hidden Waterfall, my new site devoted to poetry discussion. We choose poems, we read them, we think about them, we discuss them. If you want to take part, please use the relevant comment box; all serious contributions are eagerly received. The lit-ernet is full of cursory summaries and shallow shorthand — so let's develop a deeper, more questioning, more intellectually satisfying approach to poetry appreciation. I'm thinking it would be good to feature rather-less-well-known 'difficult' poems, rather than popular 'easy' ones, but any ideas and suggestions about content are welcome. There is no pressure to join in, no time limit for responses. Whether you wish to contribute, or just read along, or aren't interested at all, that's fine. Participation should be for the fun of it, and out of a love of poetry and its greater understanding. I'll probably be posting a fresh poem every couple of weeks or so, but there are no hard and fast rules on this exploratory site. A little background reading about each poet and his/her life and work may be useful.

Please come along and join in if you are interested — everyone with a love of poetry is welcome!

The Hidden Waterfall: www.hidden-waterfall.blogspot.com

At the source of the longest river / The voice of the hidden waterfall / And the children in the apple-tree / Not known, because not looked for / But heard, half-heard, in the stillness / between two waves of the sea. TS ELIOT Four Quartets: Little Gidding