Lights

Submitted by Caleb on Sat, 05/25/2019 - 09:42

Now I have seen the lights of foreign ports —
Strange constellations to my wondering eyes —
And gazed on glittering golden royal courts,
Bright mirrors of the sun beneath the skies.

And in the warmth of homes in frozen lands
By glowing hearth fires I have broken bread,
And in the northern sky I’ve seen the dance
That living flames in strange wild measures tread.

But giving sweeter pleasure than them all
A comforter this night appears ahead,
And comes to meet me with her welcome call —
That light I see is burning in my hall.

~

PORTIA
That light we see is burning in my hall.
How far that little candle throws his beams!

~The Merchant of Venice, Act V. Scene i.

Author's age when written
28
Genre
Poetry

Comments

Libby

Thu, 06/20/2019 - 06:04

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Caleb, this is so peaceful and satisfying to read. It's one I could come back to read time after time. I always love the rhythms and meters you use, but I have to say that this line in particular had such a colorful flavor to it that made me smile as I read it out loud:

And gazed on glittering golden royal courts,

Thank you very much for sharing this :)

Caleb

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 20:55

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I'm actually traveling and away from home and family right now (not in the arctic as the 2nd stanza suggests). While journeying I saw a prompt on the internet to write a poem using a Shakespeare line and after thinking and searching, this line seemed to fit with some of my feelings.

Maybe some other Apricotpiepeople would like to try their hand at writing a poem using a line from Shakespeare?

The context of Portia's line in the play isn't the same as in my poem, but the scene it's from at the end of The Merchant of Venice has a wonderful evening serenity that I really love, and your comment makes me hope some of of that mood suffused itself over into my poem:)

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

And he was just wondering, for he was a severe critic of his own work, whether that last line couldn't be polished up a bit...
~P.G. Wodehouse

Madalyn Clare

Thu, 08/15/2019 - 04:36

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WOW. I don't know how to comment all my thoughts really, but wow. The imagery is strong with this one.

Introverts unite!
Separately!
From the comfort of your own homes!

Libby

Sun, 08/25/2019 - 04:33

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Wow, Caleb, that's really neat, using a line from Shakespeare as the prompt for your poem. I think that I would really enjoy the challenge of doing the same with some of my poetry, I'm just afraid it would not turn out very well :) But maybe I'll try - thank you for the suggestion. I've not been writing much poetry lately and this will give me something to work on.