Soft the dove-hued shadows mingle,
Color fades, sound droops to sleep.
Life and motion melt to darkness
Swaying murmurs far and deep.
But the night moth’s languid flitting
Stirs the air invisibly:
Oh, the hour of wordless longing;
I in all, and all in me.
Twilight—tranquil, brooding twilight,
Course through me, serene and smooth;
Quiet, languid, fragrant twilight,
Flood all depths, all sorrows soothe,
Every sense in dark and cooling
Self-forgetfulness immerse,—
Grant that I may taste extinction
In the dreaming universe.
— Fyodor Tyutchev, from Twilight; (Translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky). Written in 1835.
Notes:
- Photo: DK @ Twilight. 5:45 am, September 12, 2021. 67° F. Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT. (Yes, this shot is the dawn side of Twilight, not in alignment with this beautiful poem)
- Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”
Wow. All of it…
And in 1835…some things go out of style, some never seem to age.
Exactly. Eloquence is eloquence, no matter the era.☺️
…quiet, languid, serene…pastels are so gentle..
They are, thanks Mimi.
dusk and dawn – my favs
Yes…
wow….’reminds me of one of my favorite Aldous Huxley lines from his novel “Chrome Yellow”: “….that drowsy, dozy state when sleep becomes a sensual pleasure almost consciously savoured.”
Beautifully described Judith. I’m going to need to add Chrome Yellow to my list. Thank you.
Me too!
Wow… 19th-century beauty as crisp as our Roaring 20s!
And from another’s pen:
The world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things. — Mary Oliver
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing Daniel.
This is so beautiful and poetry of this sort never goes out of style. By the way, your photo could have been taken in evening twilight… just sayin’ 😉 They often look the same (compare our photos 😉 )
Smiling. You are right!
🙂
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
What happens at twilight!! … — Fyodor Tyutchev, from Twilight; (Translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky). Written in 1835.
Beautiful scene – like a painting. Makes a person feel good just to stand and look and breathe.
Well said Anneli. Exactly.
As I read this I could almost hear a melody, a Church hymn – it’s probably the Episcopal priest in me or…
maybe was the true intention of the writer.
The image is perfect! I will probably share both and, as always, share their origin.
Thank you friend.
Thank you Carrie! Enjoy!
Great moment you captured dear David, and this poem, “Oh, the hour of wordless longing;
I in all, and all in me.”… so beautiful post. Once again I came across with this poet. This is amazing. Thank you, Love, nia
Yes. That’s it Nia! Thank you.
Aahhh …. So soothing and beautiful 💕
It is!
Like the sunrise, beautiful words endure through the ages — because wow. He wrote those words almost 200 years ago!
Bingo! Exactly Louise!
incredibly beautiful – and lovely pairing!
Thank you! It is!