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~*~~*~
It was back in the fall that jan-u-wine sent me 'The Master Observed'. I loved it at once and began to plan a post, choosing a painting, but no post was ever produced. As might be guessed from my long absence from LJ, I've been having the devil of a time getting up the zeal to write. Anything. Here it is more than six months later, and finally I am posting it.
The impetus to post was a poem Jan wrote just over a week ago, on the Fourth of July, 'Frodo's Lamp'. I had written to Jan that afternoon, confessing I felt like an old fuddy-duddy, not wanting to bother going to the annual fireworks display. (Since childhood I've loved the splendour and glory of big fireworks displays.) "I am old, Gandalf, I am old," I lamented, half-laughing. Jan wrote back understandingly,
"I am with you. I would rather be quiet here at home, than anything else. It's ok to be who you are and that is who we are now. If someone took me to the fireworks, i would enjoy them, but it is nicer, really, to sit on the balcony and look at the moon. Frodo's lamp, I should call it. I feel close to him when i see the moon and stars. And that, for me, is a happy thing."
Frodo's lamp. I loved that. 'Frodo's lamp' brought to mind so many things, I told her, paintings and poems and scenes connected with the Ring-bearer.
The next morning there was a new poem in my mail box, 'Frodo's Lamp'. I loved the poem even better than its name, I wrote, and wanted to post it. Why not post the two poems together, suggested Jan. Both imagine Frodo across the Sea, living on Tol Eressëa. They imagine Frodo at different places in his post-Middle-earth life, true. 'The Master Observed' depicts a Frodo still clearly missing the Shire, 'Frodo's Lamp' a Frodo who has become more settled, no longer an alien in his new, if temporary, land. But both are permeated with the feeling of night-enchantment, of standing under star and moon and the deep, dark sky.
The paintings and their artists are identified below the poems.~*~
The Master, Observed: Frodo's Fairy Tale
{never before has he felt so completely like (and unlike) him-self, all at once}
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Evr'y once-upon-a-time,
misted and burnished
with untouchable dreme,
it unfolds before him.
Like a secret hidden beyond the furthest star,
the early-darkened world grows chill.
Elsewhere,
harvest has been brought in.
Elsewhere,
Eärendil sails
a different sky.
In the narrow barque of his bed
he dremes upon Middle Earth,
heart flying where feet
cannot,
the whole of him
spooling out,
like water,
like the ever-widening rings
of the summer'd Brandywine,
like breaths never drawn,
the imagined air sweet,
welcome fire,
like wine and Spring
and harvest fields
in sun-risen fog,
the rushing sound of it
like golden strings
fretted by unseen
fingers,
like bird's call,
like little rivers
and large Seas,
hushing and roaring
and
falling to gentl'd
silence.
And his life unravels,
fast,
and slow,
in his dreme,
the threads of it
twining to those others,
to those times
and places,
and people
until they are that strange
thing
called 'heart',
until
they are
the place
he should ever
call Home.
~*~ Frodo's Lamp
It is his lamp, now,
his lamp,
in this far-off place
he might not
yet
call home.
He does not,
can not
read by it.
At least…..
not books,
rune-run
or crabbed Uncle-ish,
wandered
Westron.
Other things,
yes,
other things
he reads:
the advancement
of dark-headed
waves
upon the shore,
lace frothing
delicate
as hoop’d embroidery
beneath the lemon light…..
trees,
dreaming in forests of
silver’d dusk,
foxes of russet
coat
and knowing feet
darting
between
lamp-patches.
Birds,
imploring,
in sleep-leavened,
feathery tones….
Ah, the Lonely Isle,
and the Lamp thereof.
Ah, the stars,
shining
soft and everlasting
upon this
small being,
this sundered son.
He will find his home,
now.
He will find
himself
beside the moon
and
within
the stars.
They have their places,
in silenc'd night,
and sounded
day.
They have
a place,
in the restful
turning
of the world,
in the rest-less
cry of it,
the music that swells
into the skys
of the for evers.
Even as he.
Even
as he.
Blessed lamp.
Light of small
and
ancient beauty.
In all my hours,
still,
you shine.~*~
Illustrations:
~ Full Moon Behind Cirrus Clouds from Roundhay Park Castle Battlements by John Atkinson Grimshaw
~Moonlit Seascape by Soren Emil Carlsen
About the Artists:John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893):
Grimshaw was not a Pre-Raphaelite, but he was influenced by them, drawn to rich colours, striking lighting effects and attention to detail. Although primarily a painter of landscapes and townscapes, a look at one of his fairy-like figures (of which he did nearly identical versions placed in different settings) shows the influence of Pre-Raphaelite figure painters like Byrne-Jones. Here's an example, his 1886 Iris. Whether his painting featured one of his fairies, a factory by the Thames, or Hampstead Heath, his pictures were marked by their strong evocation of atmosphere.
See Wikipedia here for more on Grimshaw.
Soren Emil Carlsen (1853-1932):
Carlsen was a Danish-born American painter, sometimes called the "American Chardin" (an 18th century painter whose still lifes he studied), whose work was characterized by excellent technique and a quiet grace. Like the still life painter, he thought simple objects, and the natural world around him (his land and seascapes are still much admired) were subjects worthy of a painter's reverent attention.
For more on Carlsen, see Wikipedia here, or Jeffrey Morseburg here.
~*~
Previous Frodo entry:~ "The Plea of the Evenstar", with manip by Bandwench and art by Alan Lee, for the anniversary of March 25, 2012.
Other Links:~ All entries featuring jan-u-wine's poems.
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From:
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Blessed lamp.
Light of small
and
ancient beauty.
In all my hours,
still,
you shine.
Ohhhhh. Exquisite. My heart expands with joy.
From:
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I'm so pleased you enjoyed the post. The poems are beauties, aren't they? Jan has definitely not lost her touch.
From:
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and it HAS been a long while since Mechtild has been about.....i so hope that we'll both have more time and *wanting* to do more posts....
thank you again!
From:
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I understand about getting up the energy. It's been some of that for me, and also job hunting guilt--feeling I should be filling out an application instead of posting. So many pictures I wnat ot post and things to report.
the summer'd Brandywine,
I love your word form transformations, Jan.
like breaths never drawn
So sad. Poor Frodo homesick for the life in the Shire he was denied.
Mechtild, I didn't care for the Grimshaw until I scrolled so that the moon was covered and I could focus on the subtle landscape in the middle I was missing between the bright moonlight and the dark ruins--lovely.
Frodo's Lamp is a lovely term for the moon, Jan. I love the peace he finds in knowing the moon he sees shines upon the Shire and is with him still.
Light of small
and
ancient beauty.
In all my hours,
still,
you shine.
Lovely.
And a pretty silvered painting like the light shining fromt he ringbearer.
From:
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These were beautiful poems, no> And I'm glad you found things to like in Grimshaw's moonlit river scene. I posted a slightly bigger version of it, because of your comment, so that the details could better be seen. I think it's a beautiful piece. I'd love to see the original. And I'd absolutely posititutely love to see work by Carlsen in person. I've only just begun to view and marvel over his beautiful still lifes. I've only looked for his landscapes and seascapes while searching for poem illustrations.
From:
no subject
Mechtild is such a wonder at picking wonderful images to go with the words. There are *no* adequate words to thank her with. It's just......just a thing of wonder and beauty to me.
LT....i hope your own words (and images) will be flowing again soon. It's very stressful to be without work. You are in my thoughts, always.
From:
no subject
I didn't know Carlsen's work, but the few paintings I've seen in the Wikipedia article are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing the poems and the paintings with us!:)
From:
no subject
These were beautiful poems, weren't they? Thanks for stopping in, Bagma, and I hope you are well. :)
From:
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Mechtild chose such lovely companions for these poems......the almost brooding yet quiet feel of the first....and then the second, equally (or perhaps even more quiet) and yet somehow i get the feeling of peaceful victory, redemption. And that is certainly what the poem portrays.
thank you again, Bagma. And thank you, Mechtild, for pairing these so lovingly!
From:
no subject
The moon in the Grimshaw painting is, somehow, ominous. And the landscape has a Victorian flavor, with the ivy on the ruined battlement. It’s clear that Frodo is a stranger there, still yearning for the sweet Shire.
“In the narrow barque of his bed
he dremes upon Middle Earth,
heart flying where feet
cannot,…”
The Carlsen painting is, somehow, much lighter. And so is the poem. You feel there is hope:
“He will find his home,
now.
He will find
himself …”
And I hope you two will find the energy and the inspiration to produce posts like this one again.
From:
no subject
Thanks so much for stopping in and for commenting. You have a keen eye.
From:
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and that is what she has done here.
I also hope that there will be time, energy, inspiration for more posts. thank you again!
From:
no subject
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
P.S. There will be no MEFA's this year or perhaps ever, at least not in the format as it has been. From what I understand someone was upset that their pornography was going to be rated more severely or something, but I could be wrong since I didn't follow that and all the ensuing madness. Didn't want you to think I hadn't nominated any more of your masterpieces, dear jan-u-wine.
From:
no subject
I'm very glad that you enjoyed the poems, dear.
Please don't worry about the MEFA's, at least not on my account. Some while ago, I came across a posting on MEN, wherein Marta was calling for volunteers. The awards are so wonderfully staffed, that it simply has to be a huge, huge task, and it sounds as if perhaps not enough people could commit to it. When I saw the post, I figured that there wouldn't be a MEFA this year (and, as you say, perhaps not ever again). Marta has done a lovely, lovely job in a very difficult field. I do hope that someone's nose did not get out of joint over a rating, and i should think that Marta is strong enough not to let that defeat her. But perhaps she's just had enough of *all* of it. It certainly is a Frodo-esque task, where one slogs through the mire and heat and dust for little or no thanks.
For myself, although it is surely nice to be acknowledged by the MEFA's and other fan awards, I find, most often that my true pleasure and reward is the writing of the piece itself. It's a wonderful thing to be blessed to write within this universe. Sharing with other fans is the icing on the cake.
(and thank you very much for calling these "masterpieces". Hats shall be worn a size larger in my smial this year.....)
jan
From:
no subject
I hadn't thought of Frodo in connection with the moon, either, or not particularly. I think I thought of him in connection with the stars, especially as the hobbit Eardendil. But, having said that, I believe I was thinking of Earendil the character, from the First Age, not the star. :)
Not to worry about the MEFA's. I am sorry they are not going forward if it is only due to one fan's gripe. But it may be that there just aren't enough hands on deck to pull it off again this year. It takes a lot of time merely to read and review pieces. I can't imagine how much volunteer time it takes to put the whole thing together, monitoring it, and answering all the questions, complaints and general feedback.
You've been very good, nominating so much of Jan's work, but it won't harm the quality or quantity of her writing if her achievements are not acknowledged in a public way. She'll just keep writing, just as she has done before the MEFA's were even known about.
From:
no subject
he dremes upon Middle Earth, heart flying where feet
cannot" ... That really brought a lump to my throat.
From:
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From:
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