"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

22 January 2016

Happy birthday, Byron.

Westall, Byron, 1813


Lord Byron was born on this day in 1788.

Words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.

Ye stars! which are the poetry of heaven! ... In our aspirations to be great,

Our destinies o'erleap their mortal state,
And claim a kindred with you; for ye are
A beauty and a mystery, and create
In us such love and reverence from afar,
That fortune, fame, power, life, have named themselves a star. 

Years steal

Fire from the the mind as vigour from the limb,
And life's enchanted cup but sparkles near the brim.

Yes, there are things we must dream and dare,

And execute ere thought be half aware.

Lord Byron, from "Don Juan"

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