The Lovers’ Chronicle 17 December – the day we met – verse by John Greenleaf Whittier – art by Paul César Helleu

17 December 2023 By Rhett 0 In Love, Poems, Random, Songs

Dear Zazie, Here is today’s Lovers’ Chronicle from Mac Tag dedicated to his muse. How has the day you met someone special touched your life? Rhett

The Lovers’ Chronicle

Dear Muse,

I have played the SOD over and over and over today.

the night we met

sittin’ on a bench

on the plaza

so engrossed

we knew not

what else existed

we are now

not the same

when i think of the path we took

to get to that day, how did we

was it fate or luck or magic

whatever

what matters now,

from that day to this

give ourselves up

to denied feelin’s,

seekin’ increase

in every reflection

to hear those lines

which drive me,

delivered

with such intensity

found, our own contentment

where we want for nothin’

beyond what we have

or give it a more

fascinatin’ name

call it hope

what it is
or what it means
can never be said

but it is here

a pledge
of the possible
from that first day

a sense
of harmony
only found here

the justification
of bein’
here

with you

yes, thinkin’ about
the day we met,
always a good way
to git things flowin’
i wish i could remember
i wish i could forget
we were invincible
why did we not stay
why was it not enough
why is it never enough

the day we met
the day we fell

The Day We Met

The day we met
Stands apart
From all the days
In my memories

To say that I am
Changed by that day
Is to not say
Near enough

Before that day
My way had been lost
More importantly
My words had been lost

After that day, after darkness
My words began to flow again
At times I was so engrossed in you
I knew not what else existed
You became my greatest pleasure
We touched and two became one

When I think of the path I took
To get to that day, to get to you
I am left in wonder at how
We managed to meet that day
Was it fate or luck or magic or what
Whatever it was it matters not

What matters is this
I have loved you
From that day
To this day

The Song of the Day is “The Day We Met” by Vermillion Lies

John Greenleaf Whittier

Today is the birthday of John Greenleaf Whittier (Haverhill, Massachusetts; December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892 Hampton Falls, New Hampshire); Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the Fireside Poets. Whittier is also remembered for his book Snow-Bound.

Verse

Better heresy of doctrine than heresy of heart.
- Mary Garvin
Tradition wears a snowy beard, romance is always young.
- Mary Garvin

The Night is Mother of the Day,
The Winter of the Spring,
And ever upon old Decay
The greenest mosses cling.

A Dream of Summer,

Beauty seen is never lost.
- Sunset on the Bearcamp

The Beauty which old Greece or Rome
Sung, painted, wrought, lies close at home.

To ———

Low stir of leaves and dip of oars
And lapsing waves on quiet shores.

Snow Bound

All hearts confess the saints elect,
Who, twain in faith, in love agree,
And melt not in an acid sect
The Christian pearl of charity!
Snow Bound

Life is ever lord of Death
And Love can never lose its own.

Paul César Helleu

And today is the birthday of Paul César Helleu (Vannes, Brittany 17 December 1859 – 23 March 1927 Paris); oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the Belle Époque. He also conceived the ceiling mural of night sky constellations for Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Helleu was commissioned in 1884 to paint a portrait of a young woman named Alice Guérin (1870–1933). They fell in love, and married two years later, on 28 July 1886. Throughout their lives together, she was his favourite model. Charming, refined and graceful, she helped introduce them to the aristocratic circles of Paris, where they were popular fixtures.