Monday, August 1, 2011

Lewis Carroll - Life, what is it but a dream? - Prose of Ramadhan Part 7

A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky
BY LEWIS CARROLL
A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?

Well, we are coming to the end of the 1st day of Ramadhan. And in the sort of generous (and admittedly, lazy) spirit that I am in, I have decided not to write any prose this evening. Instead, my brother last night directed my attention to the above poem written by Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898) from his second book. 

While I am not really a poetry reader, I appreciate a good yarn when I read one. And I think this poem is simply splendid. Have a wonderful day, sunshine. But however the day may turn, isn't just life simply a dream?

Pax Taufiqa.

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