Joel Benton - Hallowe'en

Just a short snippet for this Halloween day.  

Halloween

Joel Benton

Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite
All are on their rounds to-night,-
In the wan moon's silver ray
Thrives their helter-skelter play.

Fond of cellar, barn,or stack,
True unto the almanac,
They present to credulous eyes
Strange hobgoblin mysteries.

Cabbage-stomps-straws wet with dew-
Apple-skins, and chestnuts too,
And a mirror for some lass,
Show what wonders come to pass.

Doors they move, and gates they hide,
Mischiefs that on moon-beams ride
Are their deeds, and, by their spells,
Love records its oracles.

Don't we all, of long ago,
By the ruddy fireplace glow,
In the kitchen and the hall,
Those queer, cooflike pranks recall?

Eery shadows were they then-
But to-night they come again;
Were we once more but sixteen,
Precious would be Halloween. 

 

David McCord

Here is a light little witch poem by David McCord.  Something not quite so heavy and dark at this Halloween time!


David McCord

On Halloween, what bothers some
About these witches, is how come
In sailing, through the air, like bats
They never seem, to lose their hats?

David McCord

David McCord

David McCord was born in 1887 and died in 1997.  He was a writer of children's poetry and one could wonder whether his life-long love of children and writing joyful (and as he called them never trivial) poems led to his long life.  






Some fun vintage Halloween witch postcards.  Love this old art....

T.S. Eliot - The Hollow Men

Another deathly poem for Halloween week.  I'm only posting a snippet.  These words are some of his most quoted.  At the bottom is a link to T.S. Eliot reading the entire poem if you're interested.

The Hollow Men
T.S. Eliot

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

T.S. Eliot

 

 T. S. Eliot

T. S. Eliot was born in 1888 and died in 1965.  He was born in the United States, but moved to United Kingdom in 1914 where he became a naturalized subject.  In 1948, he became a Nobel Prize Winner in Literature.  During his lifetime, he was a writer, critic and teacher.

T. S. Eliot reading The Hollow Men 

T.S. Eliot - The Complete Poems and Plays

 

William Shakespeare - Three Witches from Macbeth

As we get close to Halloween, it seems only fitting to post some of the scary, creepy, fun and classic dark poems.  Let's start with the forever classic Shakespeare...Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.


Three Witches from Macbeth
William Shakespeare

Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights hast thirty one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot. 

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fir burn and cauldron bubble.

 

 William Shakespeare

Known as England's National Poet, William Shakespeare's birth date is unknown.  He died in 1616.  He has been regarded as the greatest writer of the English language, as well as playwright.  He was married to Anne Hathaway.  There remains to this day speculation about his private life.  He gained popularity in the 19th century and to this day is one of the most well-known writers of all time.

Collection of Works - Shakespeare

Just for fun...

BBC - William Shakespeare Comedy DVD Gift Collection

Shakespeare Insult Mug

Eleanor Farjeon - Down, Down

Such a simple poem, but so pleasant in its rhyme and simplicity.  Definitely a favorite when I was teaching!


Down, Down
Eleanor Farjeon

Down, down
Yellow and brown
The leaves are falling
Over the town.

Eleanor Farjeon

ELEANOR FARJEON

Eleanor Farjeon

Eleanor Farjeon was born in 1881 and died in 1965.  She was an English writer who wrote primarily children's stories and poetry.  In her honor, the Children's Book Circle created an annual award in her name for outstanding work in the area of children's literature.  She never married, but had two long-term relationships.  One was recounted in a book Eleanor, Portrait of a Farjeon by Dennis Blakelock in 1966.  She was well-known for her hymn "Morning Has Broken," which was later recorded by Cat Stevens.

Recording by Cat Stevens (1973) - Morning Has Broken

Yusuf / Cat Stevens Greatest Hits

Eleanor Farjeon - Children's Bells

 

William Butler Yeats - The Wild Swans of Coole

I love to see and hear the Canadian Geese and other birds migrating as fall is upon us.  We read a fabulous book about Lonesome Lake in British Columbia that describes living with trumpeter swans.  One can imagine the magnificence of all those birds taking flight.



The Wild Swans of Coole
William Butler Yeats

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings

William Butler Yeats

W. B. Yeats was born in 1865 and died in 1939.  Yeats was an Irish poet and considered one of the most prominent 20th century poets.  He was the first Irishman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature. He married late in life wanting to produce an heir, and so married Georgie Hyde-Lees who was 25 years-old. They had two children.  He continued to be a prolific writer and active member of society all his life.

Here are some unique W.B. Yeats items that you might enjoy looking into.  The first is a musical celebration.  The second is intended for young readers, which I appreciate having been a teacher for many years.

Poetry for Young People - William Butler Yeats

Now, And In Time to Be

This is a great book of Yeats' collected poems.

The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats

Following is a recording of W.B. Yeats reading some of his works.

Open Culture has a great post about this recording with the words written out, so you can more easily follow what he is saying.  You can see it on their site by clicking here.