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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sociopaths in literature: Yeats' "A Man Young and Old"

I. First Love

THOUGH nurtured like the sailing moon
In beauty's murderous brood,
She walked awhile and blushed awhile
And on my pathway stood
Until I thought her body bore
A heart of flesh and blood.

But since I laid a hand thereon
And found a heart of stone
I have attempted many things
And not a thing is done,
For every hand is lunatic
That travels on the moon.

She smiled and that transfigured me
And left me but a lout,
Maundering here, and maundering there,
Emptier of thought
Than the heavenly circuit of its stars
When the moon sails out.

II. Human Dignity
Like the moon her kindness is,
If kindness I may call
What has no comprehension in't,
But is the same for all
As though my sorrow were a scene
Upon a painted wall.

So like a bit of stone I lie
Under a broken tree.
I could recover if I shrieked
My heart's agony
To passing bird, but I am dumb
From human dignity.

23 comments:

  1. Lovely. I like it.

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  2. ME is very multi faceted. He/she is very poetic, very deep, very soulful,very touch, very tender.

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    1. Piles the BeaverMay 6, 2012 at 7:40 PM

      No the fuck they aren't DB, M.E. is just good at catering to the egos of the multi faceted idiots here. Don't get it twisted. Is it really that easy to swoon you? Damn....

      Also, um, what?! Very touch? Does not compute.

      I must be the only monthly vaginal bleeder here not getting this poem. It isn't beautiful, it's confusing and annoying. I hate poetry >:(

      Delete
    2. hahaha! I should write some poetry and send it to you then, Piles! Some really fucking love sick stuff, if I'm capable of producing any. :D

      Delete
  3. I think that there are two things no one wants to accept. We are alone and everyone else, including ourselves, is a shit head.

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    Replies
    1. yes, anytime I feel sorry or bad for something I've done I realize the people that surround me are 10 times worse.

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    2. SW is a place to learn how to be a graceful shithead.

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    3. you mad bro?

      Delete
  4. Painfully beautiful.

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  5. I just want to say what a spectacular day this has been! It was one of those crazy, full of unexpected good luck, kind of days. At the end of it, I scored a free 12 pack of Dos Equis, because some idiot left it at the bottom of their shopping cart in the parking lot. There was an empty parking space right next to it too... It was begging for me to take it! :)

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    Replies
    1. Mhmmkay. You have a blog. Why not put that there?

      Delete
    2. I don't know. I wanted to share it here, I guess. Does it matter?

      Delete
  6. to be numb from human dignity.



    w)
    dig·ni·ty (dgn-t)
    n. pl. dig·ni·ties
    1. The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect.
    2. Inherent nobility and worth: the dignity of honest labor.
    3.
    a. Poise and self-respect.
    b. Stateliness and formality in manner and appearance.
    4. The respect and honor associated with an important position.
    5. A high office or rank.
    6. dignities The ceremonial symbols and observances attached to high office.
    7. Archaic A dignitary.
    Company. All rights reserved.
    dignity [ˈdɪgnɪtɪ]
    n pl -ties
    1. a formal, stately, or grave bearing he entered with dignity
    2. the state or quality of being worthy of honour the dignity of manual labour
    3. (Sociology) relative importance; rank he is next in dignity to the mayor
    4. sense of self-importance (often in the phrases stand (or be) on one's dignity, beneath one's dignity)
    5. high rank, esp in government or the church
    6. a person of high rank or such persons collectively
    [from Old French dignite, from Latin dignitās merit, from dignus worthy]
    Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

    Noun 1. dignity - the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect; "it was beneath his dignity to cheat"; "showed his true dignity when under pressure"
    self-regard, self-respect, self-worth
    pride, pridefulness - a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
    2. dignity - formality in bearing and appearance; "he behaved with great dignity"
    gravitas, lordliness
    comportment, mien, bearing, presence - dignified manner or conduct
    3. dignity - high office or rank or station; "he respected the dignity of the emissaries"
    status, position - the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society; "he had the status of a minor"; "the novel attained the status of a classic"; "atheists do not enjoy a favorable position in American life"
    Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
    dignity
    noun
    1. decorum, breeding, gravity, majesty, grandeur, respectability, nobility, propriety, solemnity, gentility, courtliness, loftiness, stateliness Everyone admired her extraordinary dignity and composure.
    2. self-importance, pride, self-esteem, morale, self-respect, self-worth, self-regard, self-possession, amour-propre (French) Admit that you were wrong. You won't lose dignity.
    ----------------------------------------------------------


    *****Quotations*****
    "Our dignity is not in what we do, but in what we understand" [George Santayana Winds of Doctrine]
    "By dignity, I mean the high place attained only when the heart and mind are lifted, equally at once, by the creative union of perception and grace" [James Thurber Lanterns and Lances]
    Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

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