Posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Magdalen
Another cloiter, plainer than before
But when I look, there is more
Peering through the window
Peering back I see
Stone creatures intently looking
Watching, talking, guarding
The majestic lion
Quietly ponders the courtyard green
White and pink flowers interwined with ivy
Towards two cherubs almost talking lively
A single sign in the doorway I see
These creatres guard the grass from you and me
** for all the forbidden grass in Oxford, and all those who long to tread it underfoot.
But when I look, there is more
Peering through the window
Peering back I see
Stone creatures intently looking
Watching, talking, guarding
The majestic lion
Quietly ponders the courtyard green
White and pink flowers interwined with ivy
Towards two cherubs almost talking lively
A single sign in the doorway I see
These creatres guard the grass from you and me
** for all the forbidden grass in Oxford, and all those who long to tread it underfoot.
South Parks
O ye spires of Oxford
That pierce the white heavens
O ye green hills
And ye high hedges
Thou doth cast thy spell
Of beauty on me
The wind turns chill
And the dark clouds roll in
Yet, I do not stir from my place
Beneath the low tree boughs
That pierce the white heavens
O ye green hills
And ye high hedges
Thou doth cast thy spell
Of beauty on me
The wind turns chill
And the dark clouds roll in
Yet, I do not stir from my place
Beneath the low tree boughs
Chapter 8: Windsor and Henry V
I have fallen behind on my blog entries. As you can imagine, it is like midterm week right now. I am frantically trying to both work and sightsee.
Yesterday, I took the train to Windsor. It is a quick train ride. There I toured Windsor Castle. I was in awe of its unparalleled grandeur. The castle is everything a castle should be, with its tall imposing walls, sleeping beauty windows, and perpendicular gothic architecture.
On the grounds is St. George's Church. Besides the breathtaking beauty of the church, here lies the Queen's parents and grandparents.
The next attraction is the doll house. The doll house is a large square. The facade lifts up to reveal the rooms. The rooms are lit with electric lights and the house has a working plumbing system. Artists painstakingly replicated furniture, paintings, and more to create this intricate miniature mansion. The attention to detail is remarkable, even the plates on the dining room table are made out of silver. This house was not made for children, but for Queen Mary who loved minatures.
The art gallery was also impressive. It housed several sketches by daVinci inlcuding one entitled the Deluge. It is a personal sketch that masterfully depicts the chaos of a storm. The gallery also includes works by Hans Holbein the Younger and the great wax seal of King Henry VIII.
Next I entered the state rooms, via the grand staircase. There were over twenty rooms all lavishly decorated. Most have been restored to a close resemblance of what they would have looked like under the reign of Charles II. A thick catalog of the gold, furniture, and armor housed in these rooms would not do it justice. To name a few, there is the armor of King Henry VIII, a painting of Elizabeth I that mimics the judgement of Paris, and the blue throne room. One of my favorite rooms was St. George's Hall. This long, bright hall with its tall draped windows was straight out of Disney's Cinderella.
After touring the staterooms, I caught the train back to Oxford. A quick dinner and I walked to Trinity College to watch an outdoor play, Henry V. It was excellent. The actors consistantly stayed in character, allowing the illusion of reality to let the set and audience fade away. I was quite impressed and enjoyed the play to its very last word.
Yesterday, I took the train to Windsor. It is a quick train ride. There I toured Windsor Castle. I was in awe of its unparalleled grandeur. The castle is everything a castle should be, with its tall imposing walls, sleeping beauty windows, and perpendicular gothic architecture.
On the grounds is St. George's Church. Besides the breathtaking beauty of the church, here lies the Queen's parents and grandparents.
The next attraction is the doll house. The doll house is a large square. The facade lifts up to reveal the rooms. The rooms are lit with electric lights and the house has a working plumbing system. Artists painstakingly replicated furniture, paintings, and more to create this intricate miniature mansion. The attention to detail is remarkable, even the plates on the dining room table are made out of silver. This house was not made for children, but for Queen Mary who loved minatures.
The art gallery was also impressive. It housed several sketches by daVinci inlcuding one entitled the Deluge. It is a personal sketch that masterfully depicts the chaos of a storm. The gallery also includes works by Hans Holbein the Younger and the great wax seal of King Henry VIII.
Next I entered the state rooms, via the grand staircase. There were over twenty rooms all lavishly decorated. Most have been restored to a close resemblance of what they would have looked like under the reign of Charles II. A thick catalog of the gold, furniture, and armor housed in these rooms would not do it justice. To name a few, there is the armor of King Henry VIII, a painting of Elizabeth I that mimics the judgement of Paris, and the blue throne room. One of my favorite rooms was St. George's Hall. This long, bright hall with its tall draped windows was straight out of Disney's Cinderella.
After touring the staterooms, I caught the train back to Oxford. A quick dinner and I walked to Trinity College to watch an outdoor play, Henry V. It was excellent. The actors consistantly stayed in character, allowing the illusion of reality to let the set and audience fade away. I was quite impressed and enjoyed the play to its very last word.
Monday, July 20, 2009
On Being Still
I am still. I am still and beside the waters edge. I am still except my pen as I write. I am still but it is not. It, the water, rippling water, reflects the sky above and trees beside as a diamond with many facets. It, the sky, blue sky, changes the water as the clouds block and reveal the sun.
All is still on the far bank. Except for the wind. It shakes the trees from left to right. The boughs bend downward and the green leaves flutter to and fro.
I am still but for the fly that has landed on my shoe. Away and return.
The clock strikes twelve.
The ducks are not still. The coot is not still. Ever gliding across the rippling water and pruning their feathers. All is quiet save the birds. Till one duck splashes furiously and squaks at another. A short chase ensues. A white butterfly dances above the water for a moment and then returns to its hiding place within the foliage.
All is quiet, natural noise. I make not a sound. Then comes the gutteral hum of the lawn mower.
All is not still and quiet.
All is still on the far bank. Except for the wind. It shakes the trees from left to right. The boughs bend downward and the green leaves flutter to and fro.
I am still but for the fly that has landed on my shoe. Away and return.
The clock strikes twelve.
The ducks are not still. The coot is not still. Ever gliding across the rippling water and pruning their feathers. All is quiet save the birds. Till one duck splashes furiously and squaks at another. A short chase ensues. A white butterfly dances above the water for a moment and then returns to its hiding place within the foliage.
All is quiet, natural noise. I make not a sound. Then comes the gutteral hum of the lawn mower.
All is not still and quiet.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
On Afternoon Tea
White clouds rose up from the bottom of my tea. I set the creamer down and stirred the caramel liquid. I was sitting in a corner booth of the National Gallery's Cafe for afternoon tea. China quietly clanked as I sipped the warm, semi-sweet liquid. Waiters, in their penguin dress, hurried about conveying tea and food from the kitichen to the tables.
I sat. I sat observing the room about me. The man who was sitting by himself two tables down. The group of ladies talking energetically in the center of the room. I sipped. I sipped in the semi-sweet scene laid out before me, and the nuances of my own conversation.
The tray of sweets and sandwiches was brought. Tasting and exclaiming ensued. The tiny morsels had soon disapppeared, leaving only crumbs on my saucer. I sipped my tea, imbibed with years of tradition, to the last lukewarm drop.
I sat. I sat observing the room about me. The man who was sitting by himself two tables down. The group of ladies talking energetically in the center of the room. I sipped. I sipped in the semi-sweet scene laid out before me, and the nuances of my own conversation.
The tray of sweets and sandwiches was brought. Tasting and exclaiming ensued. The tiny morsels had soon disapppeared, leaving only crumbs on my saucer. I sipped my tea, imbibed with years of tradition, to the last lukewarm drop.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Chapter 7: Part II, Pictures
Chicken, Lentil, and Wilkshire Ham Pie with peas and fries
Boswells - a popular chain store in England
Part of the old city walls on Longwall Street
Fields on one side of Magdalen Bridge
View of Oxford from South Park
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