The Silver Swan who living had no noteI sang this a few years ago in York. We performed Gibbons's rich and poignant madrigal and arrived at the final cadence. The ensuing silence was all too brief before it was broken by the raucous honking of York University's flock of geese.
When death approached, unlocked her silent throat.
Leaning her breast against the reedy shore
Thus sang her first and last, and sang no more:
"Farewell all joys! O, Death, come, close my eyes;
More Geese than Swans now live, more Fools than Wise"
I love the idea that the Silver Swan spoke only when necessary. She had but one thing to say and kept her counsel until the very end when she delivered her pearl of wisdom.
Silence is golden. Lincoln said "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt".
Odd thoughts with which to begin a blog, perhaps, but salutary onces, I hope. I've always resisted writing my own blog, because I suspect the more I write, the less value it will have. It's all too easy to fill a page with text and still say nothing. Conversely, some of the wisest words ever spoken have been in the form of brief aphorisms.
So, it's with trepidation that I embark on the life of a blogger. I can make no claims for the wisdom or value of what I write. I'll share my thoughts with my reader(s). If you like what I say, great. If, on the other hand, you think it's a load of pretentious codswallop, fair enough. Just don't read it.
Still here?
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