Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Soul Can Split the Sky in Two

While looking through my archives this image of the Sundial Bridge caught my eye and reminded me of the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, Renascence.

The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat – the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.


I think that it was Dave Garroway, host of the Sunday program Wide, Wide World who would recite it at the end of his show.  That was a long time ago, so I could be mistaken.  Do any of you other seniors remember?

Find more views of the sky at SkyWatch Friday, hosted for us each week by Klaus, Sandy, Wren and Sylvia.

31 comments:

Unknown said...

Great post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Sylvia K said...

I'm pretty sure that you're right about Dave Garroway, but I'm not positive. Superb capture and the words are definitely a perfect match! Hope you have a beautiful day, Martha!

Sylvia

Paulie said...

Beautiful poem I really enjoyed to match your perfect photo.

Gaelyn said...

Don't remember the quote, but really like your split sky.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Whew, so if I don't remember the quote then I'm not a senior, or am past being a senior?

Nevertheless, nice poem, and a great photo.

clairz said...

Don't think I ever knew about this program. That's an interesting bridge, though (I looked it up). Nice pairing of poetry and photography, Martha.

Carver said...

Great quote and beautiful shot. I love the composition.

Eaglesbrother said...

very nice presentation.

Joyful said...

Very cool photo. Happy SWF!

OLLIE MCKAY'S ~ A Chic Boutique said...

Love the picture and love the poem! Happy Thursday!

Steffi said...

Great photo for SWF and a interesting post!Thank you for sharing!

Pat said...

I really like the composition of your photo with the tall spire splitting the sky. The poem is perfect for your picture!

Carolyn said...

Beautiful photo and sky and I love the poem. Thank you for sharing.
Smiles

Anonymous said...

wonderful composition.

Diane AZ said...

Awesome! I had not heard that poem before. Your image fits it perfectly.

Dhemz said...

very interesting shot!


Hope you can check out my Skywatch Friday entry as well. Thanks!

Kim, USA said...

Very lovely words.
SWF

Unknown said...

I don't know who you mean but I do know St. Vincent Millay. One of the first poets I appreciated as a young person.

Thanks for sharing the poem and the lovely photo.

Gina

EG CameraGirl said...

I like the poem very much, Martha, but I have no idea who used to recite it.

eileeninmd said...

Lovely poem and skywatch shot! Happy skywatching and have a wonderful weekend.

Barb said...

I love the Millay poem with your photo, Martha. (Of course, I'm way to young to remember Garroway's show...cough, cough...)

Liz said...

Beautiful capture.

Liz @ A Simple Life

Laura said...

Oh Martha, what a perfect pairing! Thank you.

Owlfarmer said...

Thanks for another amble down memory lane. I hadn't read Millay's poetry or thought about Dave Garroway's show in years, even though both were once part of everyday life. The shot's lovely, too.

fredamans said...

Beautiful post!

http://fredamans.blogspot.com/2011/03/skywatch-friday_24.html

SandyCarlson said...

I think our hearts and souls determine the size of the world, to be sure.

Pearl Maple said...

wow, that is great writing

thanks for adding to the sky watch friday party with your photos and post

Rekha said...

Perfect poem for a fabulous picture. Thanks for visiting. :)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Love the picture and the poem. Remember Dave Garroway, but not the TV program you cited.

Even tho I'm behind on reading my favorite blogs, I read all the comments to see if anyone knew for sure. It is way too bad we don't have any network programs nowadays that are that literate. (Or at least I don't think so, maybe I have just given up on looking.)

Linnea said...

Unique view! Pretty impressive sky too!

Janie said...

I don't recall hearing the poem on TV, but I enjoyed reading it very much. It's lovely! Great photo to go with it.