Hi Sinistereens, CRASH!*?!* What the ....? Something just banged into the dining room window. Amidst a mess of green & grey feathers, guano & some especially salty nautical cursing, the Poetry Parrot staggers in after its flight from Hertford. "Sorry" it squawks breathlessly, "Out of practice. Haven't flown much recently. Also, my vision's all blurred after staying with the fair Erica." It suggests Eliot, as I've been thinking about that today, but I can't be arsed to type out all of Prufrock. So instead we'll have some thoughts on beauty, inside ("inscape") & outside, from Hopkins. Gerard Manley that is, not the even more manly Tim. I'll omit the dedication, so as not to put people off :) The Windhover I caught this morning morning's minion, kingdom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird,--the achieve of, the mastery of the thing! Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier! No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion. (c.1877) Haha! Bet compuserve's antique mail format makes that a delight to read! The poxy parrot is being a pain now, digging its claws into my shoulder, nibbling my ear with its beak & that disgusting tongue thing, & crapping down my back, so I'm sending it off again. Whilst its still only certified for VFR flights, it can make another short hop to Mr Martin Robinson, aural confectioner of this parish. I'll be on holiday on the 26th August & not in a position to post, so I'll wish anyone awaiting their GCSE results good luck now ("you know who you are"). I hope you get the grades you want (I suspect you'll do very well) Thanks to Mark, Kevan, Trousers & Sam for organising the Tigermilking the other night, well done. Anyone apprehensive should go to any future ones without hesitation, for the friendly company & Sinister-friendly music. Where else can you go to dance to loads of B&S, & get The Who & Kate Jugsby tossed in too? Talking of which, don't accept a pint from Mark C, unless you enjoy playing guess the foreign body.... Bye, David Moore Chelmsford, UK +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "jelly-filled danishes" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+