Be calm, dearest child, thy fear deceives,i
‘Tis cold wind through withering leaves,
Beneath the moon’s soft, wistful gleam,
We bridge in silence, wordless dream.
Be still, little hearts, in twilight’s embrace,
As shadows dance with ghostly grace,
Be still, little hearts, in twilight’s hold,
Where past and present tales unfold.
At dawn’s first light, the final day,
Fate’s cruel hand seeks to sway,
Be brave, sweet souls, as trials near,
Through the veil of unshed tears.
Of persistence, perseverance, ‘neath autumn leaves,ii
In silent vows, little hearts believe,
In time’s embrace, sweet souls retrieve,
Questi scitti, quando verranno bruciati,
Daranno finalmente un po’ di luce.
- Fear not the pinecone of humanity, desirous of its cleansing fires though it is, it always re-emerges anew, stronger, better, and more numerous than before.
Images via Anselm Kiefer’s exhibition at the Doge’s Palace in Venice, which was on display there from March 26, 2022 to January 6, 2023. Related:
↩ - “Persistence” and “perseverance” might be terms used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference between the two. Whereas the former is primarily internally initiated, the latter is primarily externally dictated. As skills, I’d say there’s about a 0.75 correlation between the two. ↩