Magnolia stellata in yesterday’s spring gale
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“Learn then to dance, you that are princes born,
And lawful lords of earthly creatures all;
Imitate them, and therefore take no scorn,
For this new art to them is natural.
And imitate the stars celestial;
For when pale death your vital twist shall sever,
Your better parts must dance with them forever.”
Stanza 60 from Orchestra or Poem of Dancing by Sir John Davies English poet, lawyer and politician (1569- 1626). You can find the full work HERE.
And more about Sir John Davies HERE.
But for now, why not do as the poet and Mr. Bowie says: Let’s Dance…
Tish Farrell 
Loving the contrast in dancing, my feet are already moving 🙂
And moving feet is surely a good antidote to this morning’s frigid temps. We’re having snowy swirlings again in Shropshire.
Yikes on the snow – brilliant blue skies and sunshine here, but also a bitter wind so dancing is definitely the only option here too!
That wind is so cruel.
Feels like a very Portuguese winter at the moment. If you’re in a sheltered spot it’s glorious, but anywhere else you need the thermals!
I presently feeling very glad of my thick felted wool slippers, and biggest sweater.
Not surprised, I know these are typical temperatures for April but . . . . . .
😧
Can’t believe your weather! Would have loved a dance with Mr Bowie 🤗💕
Oh yes, to dance with Mr. Bowie! As to the weather, the wind is like a blast of icicles, lots of vicious little frozen fangs.
Super! You don’t want to know….. 🌞💕
Some of us can’t dance to save themselves.
I don’t believe you. What about that well known African saying – if you can talk you can sing. If you can walk you can dance 🙂 🙂 🙂
They hadn’t met me when they included the second part 🙂
Ha! (I’m still not believing you.)
Hahaha.
I have two left feet and when I try to dance, I am always out of tune with the music and myself and I don’t think dance lessons can cure it
Ah! You can move to your own inner rhythms then. Here’s an option from ‘Gregory’s Girl’
Good old magnolia stellata
It is such a garden stalwart, and fairly obliging too over where it grows.
Indeed
Tish what a lovely post. Your photos are bright and stunning. The entire post is a lot of fun. 🙂
Many thanks, Marsha. Am aiming for brightness 🙂
You got it! 🙂
Celestial stars dancing indeed! Great photo and lovely verse and an exceptionally bright song. Dancing in my head right now 🤗🤗
Glad to stir up the dancing toes, albeit theoretically. The photo was a lucky shot, just caught when the wind blew up right in the sun’s face. Such rough manners.
the blooms look like they are waving to the sky with your lovely angled shot – am following the Davies link – thanks for that Tish
Happy to pass him on. It was a chance find for me too. The poem though epic in scale, seems to be a suitor’s charming inducement of Odysseus’s Penelope to dance. It starts off with the poet’s observation that Homer was too aged to remember to include mention of dancing in his wordy outpourings. I can see this might well prove fertile territory, Laura.
if she had danced it might have had a different ending – more like Clytemnestra 😉
Ooh! Now that would have been v. messy.
the dance macabre no less 🙂
Indeed a dark measure!
Lovely shots Tish; and thanks for the Bowie. Lovely song to wake up my day
I’m running late but the photo’s beautiful as is the poem. No time to listen right now, though. 😦
janet
Great post and fantastic image.
Thanks, Pete.
Gorgeous words, the feeling is intoxicating. “And imitate the stars celestial…” I can just imagine the scintillating dance of those magnolia stellata “FlooowERS,” with wild sunshine sparking all around them. And now, listening, I cannot stop dancing. 😉 Cheers- Autumn Jade