AUSTRALIA ~ The Antipodes

AUSTRALIA ~ The Antipodes
I love a sunburnt country / A land of sweeping plains / Of ragged mountain ranges / Of droughts and flooding rains / I love her far horizons / I love her jewel-sea / Her beauty and her terror / The wide brown land for me / ~ Dorothea Mackellar (1885-1968)

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Old Questions


Banquet Scene with a Lute Player by Nicolas Tournier, 1625
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Magpie Tales #67 ~ Willow's Picture Prompt
+
One Shot Wednesday #47
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The Poetry Pantry #51
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I know that this is no "happy families" get together
These are your close friends
Bound by time
I am just your
Incidental trophy

Our lute player tinkles Ariel's song
But he plays to closed souls...

Just this once
PLEASE let me join your thoughts...

I am sure you are rattled by
Galileo's increasing
Assertive claims that
Our Earth
Is not the centre of the universe

But the point is
Do you dismiss his claims
In line with our Catholic teachings
Or do you and your friends
Wonder
Could it be

I see you peering at the trembling shaft of moonlight
And one friend follows your gaze

Are you seeking answers
Do you fear what the answer may be

And I am slowly realising that
If the Earth is not the centre of the universe
Then
Neither
Are we
~

NOTE: Galileo Galilei(1564-1642) was an Italian scientist and astronomer who supported Copernicus' heliocentric view, which placed the Sun at the centre of the universe. Philosophers and clerics denounced Galileo to the Roman Inquisition early in 1615.
In February 1616, although he had been cleared of any offence, the Catholic Church nevertheless condemned heliocentrism as "false and contrary to Scripture".
The date on the prompt image seems to fit in with these events.
~


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One Shot Wednesday @ One Stop Poetry – For Poets, Writers & Artists


The Poetry Pantry is hosted by Poets United

18 comments:

Liz Rice-Sosne said...

Hello ...Gemma, thank you for visiting my blog. I like your words. It was interesting to see the two very different interpretations of the painting. And I too loved your last line!

Stafford Ray said...

Omigod! The Inquisition would have had quite a fry up with me... I reckon if we wait a few more years there will be nothng the Holy Scripture can claim as truth. Neanwhile, congratulations for hanging in there and not floating off with the faithful during last weekend's RAPTURE!

jabblog said...

What an interesting response to the prompt. It must have been a frightening time for the faithful on so many different levels.

Anonymous said...

This is really fantastic...taking the image and folding in the historical tale...excellent! Vb

rel said...

Ahh, the perceptiveness of youth.
Well done, well done.
rel

Margaret Pangert said...

Wow! Gemma, this is incredibly original in theme, language, emotions, the thoughts and feelings of the time... I love it! "I am just your Incidental trophy," trying to connect. Even the lute player could not connect to the "closed souls" at dinner.
Can you imagine the monkey wrench Galileo must have thrown into the Age of Reason? Love the ending: Then neither are we the center of the universe.
Congrats on this amazing Magpie!

Brigid O'Connor said...

What an interesting and clever take on the prompt. I love the last lines especially.

Brian Miller said...

i find questions and the seeking of answers to be quite refreshing actually...and not threatening but it sure shakes up the establishment..

hedgewitch said...

Nice breakdown of the dynamics in the painting to fit your narrative--well-written all through, bringing the picture and the emotions of the subjects to life.

moondustwriter said...

you gave the picture and those inside a voice and more than that a scenario to ponder

Nicely written

The Reason You Come said...

This is an excellent take on the prompt! Scenes like the one you described must have been common at the time, when people thought the earth was the center of the universe, and somebody dared to say it wasn't. I love the lines
"If the Earth is not the centre of the universe
Then
Neither
Are we"!

Kerry O'Connor said...

Wonderful interpretation of the picture; you have read so much more into this scene and opened it up to the reader's eye.

HopeUnbroken said...

great write. . . terrific read!

Everyday Goddess said...

great pondering! really nicely magged, i enjoyed reading.

Mary said...

You found a lot of meaning in this picture, wrote a profound poem!

Other Mary said...

I have seen several humorous takes on this picture, but I very much like your more profound one.

Steve Isaak said...

Interesting, thoughtful work.

Scrappy Grams said...

Here to thank you for the help in getting James' badge for my blog site. It worked! Thanks so much.

CALENDAR

Tasmania

Tasmania
A place of beauty in the Western Tiers

Tasmania

Tasmania
View near Blackwood Park Cottages, Mole Creek

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Archive of Blog Quotes

  • A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent
  • Autumn is an introspective season when stray thoughts of the mind dive into the mystique of the soul - Gemma Wiseman
  • Autumn is the bridesmaid of Summer and the flowergirl of Winter ~ Gemma Wiseman
  • Autumn whispers the tones of yesterday in a minor key ~ Gemma Wiseman
  • Love is born / With a dark and troubled face, / When hope is dead / And in the most unlikely place; / Love is born, / Love is always born. - Michael Leunig's Christmas Song Cycle "Southern Star"
  • Spring paints the stars of heaven in Earth colours ~ Gemma Wiseman
  • Summer sizzles with a sibilant hush / Broken by dreams of / Clinking ice ~ Gemma Wiseman
  • The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul. - G.K. Chesterton
  • Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. - Stanley Horowitz
  • Winter is the fire, simmering lonely in the soul ~ Gemma Wiseman
  • Winter is the shadow, the etching of the seasons in the mist ~ Gemma Wiseman

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