Thursday, October 27, 2011

Day 18: The Sound of Silver Bells

In that oblique and dismal caravan
Meander those spent angels of the Lord –
The beautiful and bright, who glanced on Man,
And followed when their brightest son implored
Them to the east to turn their ears, and hear
The echoes of creation sounding there:
A gentle seraph tone, a sound, austere
And strong, like silver clouds, where sunlight, fair
And not yet overstretched, alights aloft
The unembellished gray; and bade them heed
That they might disobey, as he had oft,
The clearer sound of silver bells – the deed
That bore profounder hells, and slew free will
For which he fell; for which he's falling still.

5 comments:

Jennifer S. Gordon said...

Awesome, laden with excellent imagery, a thought-provoking elegy of the beginning and that doctrine of the Devil's "fall"? Fascinating. I really enjoyed it, more especially since I chanced to choose "austere" in the sonnet I just finished composing.

bysshe said...

Thank you, Jennifer. I'd love to read your austere-referencing sonnet.

Jennifer S. Gordon said...

Hmm. Does that mean you want me to post it on AP? Or can I be lazy and leave it on PF? Hmm. Guess I will post it on AP too. While sometimes I can find superb titles, other times I only come up with duds. This is one of those times. Here I go.

bysshe said...

I could hunt it down at either location. . . it does seem, on the topic of titles, that naming sonnets numerically means they all have good titles. ;)

Jennifer S. Gordon said...

I think Shakespeare did that, and the sensible suggestion does tempt me. But for the percentage of sonnets for which I have favourite titles, I guess....Well, actually that is almost what I did anyway, methinks, with this one. Thanks. I'll definitely consider it. If you find it on PF you can see the comments. If on AP...it sits quietly by itself.