Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Paris


Paris

The spires upon an ancient hill

Of old fashioned buildings

And a magic wind-mill

And old fashioned lamp-lights,

A colourful scene;

A memory of times past

My, how time goes so fast;

 

Where once there were fields and marshes

And people out in the country air

Taking oxen to market

Or going to a country fair;

Now  a wondrous city,

Amusements, entertainments

The city of light.

Where once there were narrow cobble-stone streets,

Now wide boulevards

 and city treats;

Statues on buildings

 coloured awnings

and graceful facades

Heaven’s helpers holding placards

Look down upon a city street

Where once did heroes of fiction weep

Or pray from a tower keep

To Sweet Genevieve

Of a Paris eve;

 

Where once

On a second score

The fashionistas

 had an encore

Red, blue and white

The colours of fright

To the very core;

 

The last refrain

Of a glorious reign

Spanning a thousand years or more;

 

The fleur-de-lis

Symbol of purity

God given right

To His Majesty,

Lost in the plight

Of a king’s fall

Perhaps now glimpsed

On the stage of a concert hall.

 

Roll call!

Roll call!

 

Drums were beating

Lives were fleeting;

 

Wind back the years

And all the fears

So often,

Ending in so many tears;

 

And into this fray

Napoleon found his way

The stage was set

For another play.

 

Where once the Louvre was a royal residence

Where a king and court resided

Now a place of fine magnificence

And tourists united

In a love of art

History plays its part.

 

Paris,

A place to go back to-

The walk along the river Seine

The bateau-mouche goes on its way

The artists’ paintings on display,

 

A Parisian place,

A Parisian way of life

A love of Paris:

 

The Seine Valley

Decked out in green,

Beautiful fields and meadows.

 

The lovely wild flowers

Of St Germaine-en-Laye

On a hillside

Overlooking the valley

In all hues

From yellow to blue

So enchanting to view

And behold-

A place to discover

The pleasure and beauty

Of the palace gardens

Of the little town

Out of Paris

A grand place in its day.

 

The moonlight

gives its soft glow

Over the roof-tops of Paris,

And glimpsed from a window

Of a narrow lane

Bring forth memories

As the links of

A long lost gold chain;

The pigeons of Notre Dame

The children sailing their toy-boats

On a pond of golden measure

Luxembourg gardens,

A real treasure;

These and many other things give

Impressions of Paris;

 

A pavement drawing

Coloured leaves falling

Leaves which flutter

on a soft breeze

Turn gold in autumn time,

The greenery of a summer vine,

The vibrant and verdant trees;

change orange and yellow

As seasons come and go;

 

In a faraway time

Paris lost its spell

Its charm and repose,

In winter,

A place where even the river froze-

But now,

A city, where so many dwell-

A city of great warmth

Where a poet, an artist or a dreamer goes-

Beautiful as a rose

Luminous,

 as a story-book picture shows:-

 

The mill of Montmartre,

The side-walk cafes,

The songs,

The music of Sartre,

Writers and poets remembered by name;

Stroll by a park

 Little merry-go-round

Illumined in dark

Enjoy a cafe as the sun goes down

Reflecting its vibrant colours

Over the river Seine

And inspiration is found;

 

And where from above

A loftier realm

The saints look down

below

A choir sings a religious psalm

light reflects,

a rose window,

glorious as a healing balm;

Statues step back

 into shadows of time

The glorious clock

Forever chimes

Now and forever

Paris for all time

 

The poetry of Paris forever rhymes.

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Magic of Ordinary Days (film)

I watched this film recently as it is now available on you tube.  I thought it was a lovely story of love and redemption.  Certainly a different kind of story, which was set in the countryside of America in earlier times of 1944 during the war years.   Clothing, costumes and settings were quite spectacular and also the way of life of the farming community in those times which were not quite so distant from the present days.
The film also gave an insight into attitudes and values of the times.
 An enjoyable film to watch.



The English Girl by Daniel Silva


The story in this book is quite riveting and well worth reading.  It is a different style of genre from which I have normally been reading.  The story takes place amidst the political machinations of England and the kidnapping of an English girl who had a promising career within the parliamentary establishment. 
To prevent a scandal an Israeli intelligence officer is called upon to investigate the matter with as little repercussions as possible in the political establishment.
The story has wonderful settings of Israel, France and Corsica.  It is a roller coaster of a story which I enjoyed reading.  The action, the mystery and the intrigue keep thereader guessing the motives. 
The fascinating dialogue and camaraderie of the characters also plays its part.  There were also clever repetitive actions and manners of speech which added a certain quirkiness to the novel.  I also enjoyed the mood and ambience of the novel.  It was wonderful.   A brilliant story and I am now reading another book by the same authorof the tales of the Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon.