Poems, Songs, Verses and Quotes

Desiderata

2011-06-24T20:20:00.001+08:00

DESIDERATA
Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Ecclesiasitus 2 selections

2010-03-26T15:56:00.000+08:00

Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity. Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great.

Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and he will help you;

You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble.

Those who fear the LORD disobey not his words; those who love him keep his ways. Those who fear the LORD seek to please him, Those who fear the LORD prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him.

Let us fall into the hands of the LORD and not into the hands of men, For equal to his majesty is the mercy that he shows.

Ecclesiasticus 1 selections

2010-03-26T15:55:00.000+08:00

All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever. Fear of the LORD is glory and splendor, gladness and a festive crown. Fear of the LORD warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days. He who fears the LORD will have a happy end; even on the day of his death he will be blessed. The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD. Fullness of wisdom is fear of the LORD. Wisdom's garland is fear of the LORD, with blossoms of peace. The root of wisdom is fear of the LORD.

One cannot justify unjust anger; anger plunges a man to his downfall. A patient man need stand firm but for a time, and then contentment comes back to him. For a while he holds back his words, then the lips of many herald his wisdom.

Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence. If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you; For fear of the LORD is wisdom and culture; loyal humility is his delight.

Play not the hypocrite before men; over your lips keep watch. Exalt not yourself lest you fall and bring upon you dishonor; For then the LORD will reveal your secrets and publicly cast you down Because you approached the fear of the LORD with your heart full of guile.

Invictus

2008-11-02T01:53:00.000+08:00

William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbow'd.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I Love You

2008-10-23T23:00:00.001+08:00

Roy Croft

I love you . . .
Not only for what you are
But for what I am when I am with you.
I love you
Not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me.
I love you, for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you, for putting your hand
into my heaped-up heart,
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can't help dimly seeing there,
And drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple;
Out of my life, of my everyday
Not a reproach, but a song.
I love you,
Because you have done
More than any creed could have done
To make me feel my goodness.
You have done it,
With your touch, with your words,
With yourself.

Diary 1985, Hannover, Germany

2008-08-17T01:49:00.006+08:00

A. Ferrer, 1985, somewhere in Hannover, Germany:

“Hunger is, as such, negative. But nevertheless, it is a much lesser evil in comparison to Greed. In fact, there is no plausible comparison between the two. Hunger can be stilled with a generous portion of a decent meal. But greed? Greed is insatiable. No amount of portion, be it generous or little, can satisfy greed. It is not a mere virus of the society, but a malignant cancer that should be taken away as soon as possible, in order to save what is still left of what has been once a healthy part of social life. Greed can be found nowhere else but in the very core of human beings infested and corrupted by it. Money, power, influence, property, or all of the aforementioned are the ‘foods’ of greed: Foods that will never fill up a bottomless hole. People from all walks of life are both victims and carriers of this cancer. I am not for eliminating walking cancers, my friend. But we can do something directly against the situation:

DO NOT FEED THEM.
DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO INFEST ANYBODY, FROM TODDLERS TO ADULTS.
DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM.
DO NOT WORK FOR OR WITH THEM.
AVOID THEM WITH ALL YOUR POWER AND DETERMINATION.
DO NOT VOTE THEM INTO OFFICE, WHETHER GOVERNMENTAL OR ECCLESIASTICAL.
DO NOT SHOW RESPECT FOR THEM BECAUSE THAT WILL SEND A DEADLY SIGNAL OF TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE OR IMMORAL INDIFFERENCE.
DESPISE THEM AND LET THEM FEEL THAT THEY ARE DESPISED.
DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY BY THEIR SWEET TALKS AND PROMISES.
NEVER EVER ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM. CANCER CELLS SPREAD RAPIDLY. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THEY HAVE GOTTEN YOU ALREADY.

And yet, my friend, every person can change from within… a thorough change… a METANOIA. Should there be clear and genuine transformation, authenticated by deeds and action, another chance should be given them. Just as we would want another chance after true repentance, so should we be to our fellowmen. But unless there is this METANOIA, be strong and determined to fight this devastating social cancer called Greed.”

Annabel Lee

2007-09-24T00:24:00.001+08:00

Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee.
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee -
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came,
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me -
Yes! - that was the reason
(as all men know,
in this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out the cloud by night,
chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we -
of many far wiser than we -
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever disever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: -

For the moon never came, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:
And so, all the night tide I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride
In the sepulcher there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Roses

2007-09-24T00:08:00.001+08:00

Pierre Ronsard

I send you here a wreath of blossoms blown,
And woven flowers at sunset gathered.
Another dawn had seen them revived; ruined,
and shed loose leaves upon the grass, at random strewn.
By this, their sure example, be it known
That all your beauties, now in perfect flower,
Shall fade as these, and wither in an hour,
Flower-like and brief of days, as the flowers sown.
Ah, time is flying, lady - time is flying;
Nay, 'tis not time that flies but we that go,
Who in short space shall be in churchyard lying,
And of our loving parley none shall know,
Nor any man consider what we were:
Be therefore kind, my love, whilst thou art fair.

The Road Not Taken

2007-07-29T21:30:00.000+08:00

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Ode on Solitude

2007-07-29T21:23:00.000+08:00

Alexander Pope

Happy the man whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air,
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away,
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease,
Together mix'd; sweet recreation;
And Innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown,
Thus unlamented let me die,
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

Stars

2007-07-27T19:20:00.000+08:00

Sara Teasdale

Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
spicy and still,

And a heaven full of stars
Over my head,
White and topaz
and misty red;

Up the dome of heaven
Like a great hill,
I watch them marching
Stately and still,

And I know that I
Am honored to be
Witness
Of so much majesty.

"Brutus"

2007-07-27T19:09:00.000+08:00

William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"

Be patient till the last.
Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause,
and be silent, that you may hear! believe me
for mine honour and have respect to mine honour,
that you may believe! censure me in your wisdom,
and awake your senses, that you may the better judge.
If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's,
to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his.
If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar,
this is my answer:
not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves,
than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen?
As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate,
I rejoiced at it; as he was valiant, I honour him;
but as he was ambitious, I slew him.
There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune;
honour for his valour; and death for his ambition.
Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any,
speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude
that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.
Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
If any, speak: for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

Diary 1980, España, Manila

2007-07-27T19:06:00.003+08:00

A. Ferrer, 1980, España, Manila

"When my lips can't express my feelings,
let my actions do the speaking".

Oh, my Love

2007-07-27T19:02:00.000+08:00

John Lennon

Oh, my love, for the first time in my life
My eyes are wide open.
Oh, my lover, for the first time in my life
My eyes can see.

I see the wind, oh, I see the trees,
Everything is clear in my heart.
I see the clouds, oh, I see the sky,
Everything is clear in our world.

Oh, my love, for the first time in my life
My mind is wide open.
Oh, my lover, for the first time in my life
My mind can feel.

I feel sorrow, oh, I feel dreams,
Everything is clear in my heart.
I feel life, oh, I feel love,
Everything is clear in our world.

Requiem

2007-07-27T18:57:00.000+08:00

Robert Louis Stevenson

Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you gave for me;
"Here he lies where he longs to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And hunter home from hill..."

Love is a Special Word

2007-07-26T22:51:00.002+08:00

Theresa Ann Hunt

Love is a special word,
rich with meaning,
overflowing in thought
Love is sharing - -
sharing happiness and sorrow,
the blue skies and gray,
the important and everyday
concerns of life.
Love is understanding - -
a quiet understanding
in which a thought
may not be spoken
but is understood.
Above all, love is what we share.

O Captain! My Captain!

2007-07-26T21:29:00.000+08:00

Walt Whitman

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up - for you the flag is flung - for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreathes - for you the shores a - crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Hear Captain! Dear Father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I with mournful tread
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Diary 1985, Frankfurt, Germany

2007-07-21T01:40:00.003+08:00

A. Ferrer, 1985, Frankfurt, Germany

"Many people have I known, whose measure of their fellowmen is
rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or powerless,
strong or weak, good-looking or not good-looking,
belongs to the upper social class or belongs to the lower social class,
has lots of material belongings or has less material belongings,
has the latest in fashion & trend or has old fashioned stuff,
has the most expensive things or has the cheapest in the market,
intelligent or not intelligent, talented or not talented,
always on top or always at the bottom,
has many influential friends or has no influential friends,
and so on and so on until one gets dizzy with the long list of this crap.

My friend, if ever you will try to measure somebody,
I advice you to look carefully who is:
the oppressor or the oppressed, the cheater or the honest,
the crook or the righteous , the rude or the polite & kind,
the arrogant & haughty or the humble,
the aggressive or the meek,
the loud & noisy or the quiet & serene,
the aggressive or the peaceful,
the unjust & unfair or the just & fair,
the inhumane or the humane,
the one whose god is money & wealth or
the one whose slave is money & wealth,
the one who will suffer patience & endurance or
the one who will step on fellow people just to reach a goal,
the one who treats human beings like animals or
the one who treats animals as if they were people,
the one who has no respect for others' feelings or
the one who has utmost respect for others' feelings,
the one who sucks the lifeblood of other people or
the one who would do what he can
to help ease the burden of his fellowmen, and lastly,
the one who takes or the one who gives...

Choose wisely, my friend, because life is short.
Live as if you will not be here tomorrow,
rather than live as if you were immortal.
In a nutshell, just choose the good and reject the evil.
Do this and destiny will smile upon you.
Do this and Mother Nature will take care of you.
Do this and God will bless you and keep you.
Do this and mankind will defend your cause".

Diary 1985, Zürich, Switzerland

2007-07-21T01:38:00.002+08:00

From the diary of Alfredo Ferrer:
1985, Zürich, Switzerland

"No work is futile if done with honesty, dedication and passion.
People who are good in what they do are looked upon by God
with pleased and satisfied eyes.
But the godless cannot bear the sight of other people's success
and are slowly blinded by envy.
And envy brings out the beast in man".

Diary 1985, Karachi, Pakistan

2007-07-21T01:35:00.001+08:00

From the diary of Alfredo Ferrer:
1985, Karachi, Pakistan

"Some people have a strong tendency
to look for faults, loopholes, weak points,
petty and insignificant matters
regarding everything that is in front of their eyes.
It is a pity to see them focus and concentrate
on one particular imperfect leaf or bark of a tree
because in doing so,
they will lose sight of the grand beauty of the forest".

Diary 1985, Singapore

2007-07-21T01:27:00.002+08:00

From the diary of Alfredo Ferrer:
1985, Singapore

"Money per se (as such) is not evil.
It can be useful or it can be misused, just like power.
It can be used for godly purposes
or it can be worshiped as a god.
It all depends upon us. Let us choose wisely.
Money should be our slave.
Not the other way around".

Trees

2007-07-05T01:31:00.000+08:00

Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts its leafy arms to pray
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair
Upon whose bosoms snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.

Sa aking mga Kababata

2007-07-05T01:23:00.000+08:00

Jose Rizal

Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibig
sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit
sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapit
katulad ng ibong na sa himpapawid.

Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan
sa bayan, sa nayon at mga kaharian,
at ang isang tao'y katulad, kabagay
ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita
mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda,
kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa
na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,
sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel,
sa pagka ang Poong maalam tumingin
ang siyang nag-gawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati'y tulad din sa iba
na may alfabeto at sariling letra
na kaya nawala'y dinatnan ng sigwa
ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Silence is Thought converging

2007-07-05T01:17:00.000+08:00

Jose Garcia Villa

Silence is thought converging,
Unprecipitate, like
Dancer on tight wire balancing,
Transitive, budlike.

Till - her act finished - in
One lovely jump skips
She to the floor, bending
To make her bows, dips

Herself in bright applause -
Then silence is
No more. Now it is the rose
Called Speech.

There is no Frigate like a Book

2007-07-05T01:12:00.000+08:00

Emily Dickinson

There is no frigate like a book
to take us lands away,
nor any coursers like a page
of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take
without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
that bears a human soul!

If

2007-07-03T22:30:00.000+08:00

Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all even doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting
Or, being hired about and lied about, don't deal with lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: "Hold on!";

If you can think and talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Sleep Sweet

2007-07-03T22:22:00.000+08:00

Ellen M. Huntington Gates

Sleep sweet within this quiet room,
O thou, whoe'er thou art,
And let no mournful yesterdays
Disturb thy peaceful heart.

Nor let tomorrow mar thy rest
With dreams of coming ill:
Thy Maker is thy changeless friend,
His love surrounds thee still.

Forget thyself and all the world,
Put out each garish light:
The stars are shining overhead -
Sleep sweet! Good night! Good night!

Conversation in the Mountains

2007-06-23T23:13:00.000+08:00

Li-Po

If you were to ask me why I dwell in the mountains green,
I shall laugh silently; my soul serene.
The peach-blossom follows the moving water,
There is another heaven and earth
beyond the world of man.

Sonnet XXX

2007-06-23T22:43:00.000+08:00

William Shakespeare

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought
And with old woes new wail my heart
Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night
And weep afresh love's long since cancelled woe
And moan the expense of many a vanished sight
Then can I grieve at grievances forgone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All loses are restored and sorrows end.