Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Distant Storm


Rain in Summer

How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
How it clatters along the roofs
Like the tramp of hoofs!
How it gushes and struggles out
From the throat of the overflowing spout!

Across the window-pane
It pours and pours;
And swift and wide,
With a muddy tide,
Like a river down the gutter roars
The rain, the welcome rain!

The sick man from his chamber looks
At the twisted brooks;
He can feel the cool
Breath of each little pool;
His fevered brain
Grows calm again,
And he breathes a blessing on the rain.

From the neighboring school
Come the boys,
With more than their wonted noise
And commotion;
And down the wet streets
Sail their mimic fleets,
Till the treacherous pool
Engulfs them in its whirling
And turbulent ocean.

In the country on every side,
Where, far and wide,
Like a leopard's tawny and spotted hide,
Stretches the plain,
To the dry grass and the drier grain
How welcome is the rain!

In the furrowed land
The toilsome and the patient oxen stand,
Lifting the yoke-encumbered head
With their dilated nostrils spread,
They silently inhale
The clover-scented gale,
And the vapors that arise
From the well-watered and smoking soil.
For this rest in the furrow after toil
Their large and lustrous eyes
Seem to thank the Lord,
More than man's spoken word.

~Henry W. Longfellow

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful poem and the photos are also wonderful, and to me quite "other worldly"! We just don't get views like that in the UK.

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  2. Just perfect after the storm last night bringing with it lots of rain! Love the poem!
    It is still rainy and foggy here, misty and overcast...a perfect day to stay indoors and enjoy our cosy home!
    Joanne

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  3. Enjoyed the poem and pic of those huge, cotton-candy clouds over the prairie. The new (to me) background music, by Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, is fun and so unique -- Italian cowboy! ;-)

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  4. Wow! Breathtaking! I need to go explore the background music--I like it!

    SC

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  5. Isabella, isn't it great that we all have our unique landscapes that tell us we're home?

    Joanne, isn't it nice that we can cozy up in our homes as the rains come down? I love that.

    Dixymiss, I'm glad you like the photo and the "new" music. These are mandolins playing which for me, don't say "Italian", but are folksy. Well, that's my take.

    S.C., I had never heard this group, but found them by chance and enjoyed them so here there are serenading us.

    Clarice, I'm glad you liked the photo too.

    ~Jody

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  6. Jody...I have a question...do the cattle have shelter during a storm or do they remain out in the open pasture? Dianntha

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  7. Hello, nice to see you back. I missed your presence. I was hoping earlier this evening for a little poetry tonight. We watched part of the dead poet society tonight.

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  8. Post script, did you see Michelle (life in the midst..)got her book published its on LULU now.

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  9. Dianntha, the cattle live out on the prairie all the time. During bad snow storms we do bring them in closer to home where they can get some relief from windbreaks. When we are calving, we have the cows closer and can bring newborn calves and their mothers into sheds, but there is limited space. Cattle are meant to live outdoors, but we're here to take care of them the best we can.

    Donetta, I'm glad you found some poetry here. I like "Dead Poets Society" too. And yes, I did hear about Michelle's book. Cool, eh?

    Jody

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  10. I love the music you have playing!

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  11. Bessiejoy, I'm glad you stopped to visit. I am very fond of this wonderful mandolin music too. In fact, my youngest son (15) and I danced to the Moonlight Waltz since I had it turned up.

    ~Jody

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