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Heath Ledger

I apologize for my terrible interview skills.

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Soccer Rollback

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[...] Read more

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A Public Apology

Public apologies are the new confessional.

So here goes.

I apologize for not knowing where to start with my apologies.

I apologize for being tainted with the sins of Adam.

I apologize for blaming Eve for the sins of Adam.

I apologize to the Serpent, who was just following orders.

I apologize for the seductiveness of ripe apples on the Tree of Knowledge. I just didn’t know at the time.

I apologize for not taking Genesis 1 literally.

I apologize for not appreciating the allegorical significance of Genesis 1.

I apologize for blaming the Jews for crucifying Christ.

I apologize for not being quicker to blame the relevant parties for the crucifixion of Christ.

I apologize for not giving independence to America sooner.

I apologize to the Native Americans for invading their great God’s-own country.

I apologize to the Native Americans for not stopping them sooner from killing each other’s tribes.

I apologize for entering into business agreements with the chiefs of certain coastal African tribes to bring their captives from their tribal wars to resolve America’s manpower shortage.

I apologize for dwelling on the sufferings of my family in the Holocaust, without considering the mental and emotional agony of those obliged to follow orders to massacre them.

I apologize for messing with Iraq.

I apologize for not doing a better job of messing with Iraq.

I apologize for not being Politically Correct.

I apologize for being Politically Correct.

I apologize for throwing all these things in your face and encouraging you to feel complicit in my guilt.

I apologize for not apologizing sooner.

I apologize for all the things I haven’t the imagination and humanity to apologize for.

Oh to hell with it.

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Baby I Apologize

Love my baby in the afternoon,
But shes crying, crying
Told my baby in the afternoon,
But she dont like it she dont like it
Baby used to love me so
Baby I apologize
For telling them dirty lies
I had my fun but now its done
Baby I apologize
Love you in the morning in the evening too
But she wont do what I want to
Kicked me out of my own front room
For my lyen my dirty lyin
Baby I apologize
For telling them dirty lies
I had my fun but now its done
Baby I apologize
You know my darling
I was a broken man
All my dreams had fell apart
And then a voice from above
Told me the truth of the world we live
And my darling, Id just like to say one more time
Please come back
Baby I apologize
For telling them dirty lies
I had my fun but now its done
Baby I apologize
Love you in the morning in the evening too
But she wont do what I want to
Kicked me out of my own front room
For my lyin my dirty lyin
Baby used to love me so
Baby I apologize
For telling them dirty lies
I had my fun but now its done
Baby I apologize
Baby I apologize
For telling them dirty lies
I had my fun but now its done
Baby I apologize

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A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

(andrew lloyd webber/ jim steinman)
Producer for meatloaf & bonnie: jim steinman
Recorded in 1998 as part of the 'songs from whistle down the wind' project. bonnie duets with meatloaf on a reprise of 'tire tracks and broken hearts' at the end of the song. the lyrics are from careful listening.
(ooh if only, ooh if only)
If you listen to the night you can hear the darkness fall
I can barely stand the wait, i can barely stand at all
Come on closer to me now, like we're sharing the same skin
We gotta get out of this jail, we gotta let the future in
So many things in your life that you're bound to regret
Why didn't i do that? why didn't i do this?
So many chances you've lost that you never forget
Why didn't i make it? why didn't i take it right then?
The loneliest words you'll ever know if only, if only it was so
The emptiest words that there'll ever be
It could've been me, it could've been me
The loneliest words you'll ever know if only, if only it was so
The emptiest words that there'll ever be
It could've been me, it could've been me
You'll have to pay for it later
If you don't get it while it's going for free
Believe me, believe me
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
It's something that's always been so
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
And one of these nights i'm gonna show you that you already know
There's a feast waiting for you and you've never even gotten a taste
It's later than you think and a kiss is a terrible thing to waste
You shouldn't tremble when they touch there's no reason for these fears
It's a promise that was made, we've been promised this for years
I want to show you it all, what to do and where and how
'cause we'll never be as young as we are right now
Never be as young as we are right now
So many cries in the night that you try to ignore
Why didn't i do this? why didn't i do that?
So many un-answered prayers, so many un-opened doors
Why didn't i take it? why didn't i make it come true?
The loneliest words you'll ever know if only, if only it was so
The emptiest words that there'll ever be
It could've been me, it could've been me
The loneliest words you'll ever know if only, if only it was so
The emptiest words that there'll ever be
It could've been me, it could've been me
You'll have to pay for it later
If you don't get it while it's going for free
Believe me, believe me
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
It's something that's always been so

[...] Read more

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Just Keep Quiet and Nobody Will Notice

There is one thing that ought to be taught in all the colleges,
Which is that people ought to be taught not to go around always making apologies.
I don't mean the kind of apologies people make when they run over you or borrow five dollars or step on your feet,
Because I think that is sort of sweet;
No, I object to one kind of apology alone,
Which is when people spend their time and yours apologizing for everything they own.
You go to their house for a meal,
And they apologize because the anchovies aren't caviar or the partridge is veal;
They apologize privately for the crudeness of the other guests,
And they apologize publicly for their wife's housekeeping or their husband's jests;
If they give you a book by Dickens they apologize because it isn't by Scott,
And if they take you to the theater, they apologize for the acting and the dialogue and the plot;
They contain more milk of human kindness than the most capacious diary can,
But if you are from out of town they apologize for everything local and if you are a foreigner they apologize for everything American.
I dread these apologizers even as I am depicting them,
I shudder as I think of the hours that must be spend in contradicting them,
Because you are very rude if you let them emerge from an argument victorious,
And when they say something of theirs is awful, it is your duty to convince them politely that it is magnificent and glorious,
And what particularly bores me with them,
Is that half the time you have to politely contradict them when you rudely agree with them,
So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and bicarbonate and aromatic spirits on a handy shelf,
Which is don't spoil the denouement by telling the guests everything is terrible, but let them have the thrill of finding it out for themselves.

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A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

If you listen, to the night
You can hear the darkness call
I can barely stand to wait
I can barely stand at all
Cmon closer to me now
Its like were sharing the same skin
We gotta get out of this jail
We gotta let the future in
So many things in your life
That your bound to regret
Why didnt I do that?
Why didnt I do this?
So many chances you lost
That youll never forget
Why didnt I make it?
Why didnt I take it right there?
The loneliest words youll ever know
If only-if only it was so
The emptiest words that therell ever be:
It could have been me. it could have been me
The loneliest words youll ever know
If only-if only it was so
The emptiest words that therell ever be:
It could have been me. it could have been me
Youll have to pay for it later
If you dont get it when its going for free
Believe me -! believe me -!
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
Its something thats always been so
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste
And one of these nights
Youre gonna show me that you already know
Theres a feast waiting for you
And youve never even gotten a taste
Its later than you think and
A kiss is a terrible thing to waste!
You shouldnt tremble when we touch
Theres no reason for these fears
Its a promise that was made
Weve been promised this for years
I wanna show you it all
What to do and where and how!
Cause well never be as young as we are right now
Well never be as young as we are right now!
So many cries in the night
That you try to ignore
Why didnt I do this?
Why didnt I do that?

[...] Read more

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Dying Inside

Terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying
It was a terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying inside
To see you're dying
Won't you come out
I'll play the game with day
Won't you speak out
I'll say the things you say
The lady loved her gold
The lady lost her soul

It was a terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying
It was a terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying inside
To see you're dying
Do you remember the things we used to do
Do you remember the way it was for you
The lady loved her gold
The lady lost her soul

It was a terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying
It was a terrible thing
It was a terrible thing to see you're dying inside
To see you die
La...

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Terrible Way To Treat Your Baby

I know that she loves you now
But your heart doesnt keep any vows
And thats a terrible way to treat your baby
A terrible way to hurt that girl
Its a terrible way you treat your baby
When you know that I love her
More than anything in this world
Her heart isnt for a game
So tell her , you dont feel the same
For thats a terrible way to treat your baby
A terrible way , you hurt that girl
Its a terrible way you treat your baby
When you know that I love her
More than anything in this world
Oh, so sad ,leaving her behind
And if you give me the chance to take her hand
And try to change her mind
For its a terrible way to treat your baby
A terrible way you hurt that girl
Its a terrible way to treat your baby
When you know that I love her
More than anything in this world
For its a terrible way to treat your baby
A terrible way you hurt that girl
Its a terrible way to treat your baby
When you know that I love her
More than anything in this world

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Lady Of The Flowers

scuse me, I apologize
He likes your attitude, he tries it on for size
He spends the afternoon, between your thighs
Hows that for gratitude, I apologize.
It seemed to last for hours
It seemed to last for days
This lady of the flowers
And her hypnotic gaze.
scuse me, I apologize
Shes got vacum cleaner eyes
Suck you in
Shes got magazines, filled with pear pies
scuse me, I apologize
It seemed to last for hours
It seemed to last for days
This lady of the flowers
And her hypnotic gaze.
She wears her tears on her blouse
Confused and racked with self-doubt
She stole the keys to my house
And then she locked herself out.
scuse me, I apologize
He likes your attitude, he tries it on for size
He spends the afternoon, between your thighs
Hows that for gratitude, I apologize.
It seemed to last for hours
It seemed to last for days
This lady of the flowers
Her electronic haze.
She wears her tears on her blouse
Confused and racked with self-doubt
She stole the keys to my house
And then she locked herself out.
She stole the keys to my house
And then she locked herself out.
She lays me down
She lays me.

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An Apology

To an isle where people stutter and rally
No doves over here nor any sign of an ally
No picket fences, just rings of barbed wire
In the middle of nowhere, I call Nomans-shire
Devoid of touch, the heart gathers dust
As the psyche welcomes the skeletons as blossoms the rust
The body aching from the pain of no tomorrow
As the hibernation maroons the heart in sorrow
An isle that no man willingly wants
An islet where there are no cries or chants
Only silent cries of freedom from the forsaken lips
Only the jibes of a few friendly quips
To shoot the breeze as the habit grows
As the smoke discolors the lips outdoors
As the panic sets sometimes, the heart in a fit
As the queue's gather for a sit on a pit
Waiting for a tomorrow a barrister's touch
From the melting lives in their daily fudge
Freedom, sweet, golden, a lavish desire
At every sight of a tie and a coat, a lawyer in attire

Now here is my solemn apology
To every citizen, languishing in a waltz in the absence of my eulogy
The boat didn't rock or turn, no one was overboard
I apologize, the boat builder built one to stand the hoard
Even for the waves that failed to swirl and twirl
The calm waters that welcomed us in our whirl
I apologize for the storms and hurricanes that slumbered in a hush
Even the winds that blew past the sails sans a single rush
I apologize for the ravaging war at home
Even for the poppy buds that smile tall in their dome
I apologize for our steadfast hope
That engrained us in our journey of elope
I apologize for the children that saw the light of the world
Even the condom I didn't wear, for creating yet another monster in a girl
Finally I apologize with my heart in my hand
That we saw our Canaan, our much awaited promise land

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Burning In The Skies

I used the deadwood to make the fire rise
The blood of innocence burning in the skies
I filled my cup with the rising of the sea
And poured it out in an ocean of debris
I'm swimming in the smoke
Of bridges I have burned
So don't apologize
I'm losing what I don't deserve
What I don't deserve
We held our breath when the clouds began
to form
But you were lost in the beating of the
storm
And in the end we were made to be apart
In separate chambers of the human heart
I'm swimming in the smoke
Of bridges I have burned
So don't apologize
I'm losing what I don't deserve
It's in the blackened bones
Of bridges I have burned
So don't apologize
I'm losing what I don't deserve
What I don't deserve
I'm swimming in the smoke
Of bridges I have burned
So don't apologize
I'm losing what I don't deserve
The blame is mine alone
For bridges I have burned
So don't apologize
I'm losing what I don't deserve
What I don't deserve
And here's the dead wood to make the fire
rise
The blood of innocence burning in the skies

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Sweet Little Girls

Sweet little girls
Cut a swathe through this world
Using skills that they get
From their mothers
Sweet little girls
Might like ribbons and curls
But they most like to torture their brothers
And sweet little girls
Love their friends
'Till it hurts
Or until
They can find them another
Watch their lips, they make a circle like
"Coo coo coo coo"
But the words their saying softly are
Cruel cruel cruel
Sweet little girls
Cut a swathe through this world
Using skills that they get
From their mothers
Watch their lips, they make a circle like
"Coo coo coo coo"
But the words their saying softly are
Cruel cruel cruel
Yeah sweet little girls
Cut a swathe through this world
Using skills that they get
From their mothers
Using skills that they get from their mothers
Using skills that they get from their
Aah aah etc...

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No Emotional Investment Made

No need to apologize.
You have left no integrity here.
And there has been no emotional investment made.
Not one to make your absence made clear.

No need to apologize.
You have left no integrity here.
There is nothing felt or I have witnessed...
That makes an apology something worthy to hear,
Again from your lips.

It's like this...
Excused exaggerations colorized by alibis,
Do not fly well in this atmosphere you wish to change!
For purposes to cement a meaningless relationship.
The only thing you have deposited,
Is superficiality.
And nothing of that I have embraced can you claim.

It's like this...
No need to apologize.
You have left no integrity here.
And there has been no emotional investment made.
Not one to make your absence made clear.

No need to apologize.
You have left no integrity here.
There is nothing felt or I have witnessed...
That makes an apology something worthy to hear,
Again from your lips to recite to capture empathy.

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IV. Tertium Quid

True, Excellency—as his Highness says,
Though she's not dead yet, she's as good as stretched
Symmetrical beside the other two;
Though he's not judged yet, he's the same as judged,
So do the facts abound and superabound:
And nothing hinders that we lift the case
Out of the shade into the shine, allow
Qualified persons to pronounce at last,
Nay, edge in an authoritative word
Between this rabble's-brabble of dolts and fools
Who make up reasonless unreasoning Rome.
"Now for the Trial!" they roar: "the Trial to test
"The truth, weigh husband and weigh wife alike
"I' the scales of law, make one scale kick the beam!"
Law's a machine from which, to please the mob,
Truth the divinity must needs descend
And clear things at the play's fifth act—aha!
Hammer into their noddles who was who
And what was what. I tell the simpletons
"Could law be competent to such a feat
"'T were done already: what begins next week
"Is end o' the Trial, last link of a chain
"Whereof the first was forged three years ago
"When law addressed herself to set wrong right,
"And proved so slow in taking the first step
"That ever some new grievance,—tort, retort,
"On one or the other side,—o'ertook i' the game,
"Retarded sentence, till this deed of death
"Is thrown in, as it were, last bale to boat
"Crammed to the edge with cargo—or passengers?
"'Trecentos inseris: ohe, jam satis est!
"'Huc appelle!'—passengers, the word must be."
Long since, the boat was loaded to my eyes.
To hear the rabble and brabble, you'd call the case
Fused and confused past human finding out.
One calls the square round, t' other the round square—
And pardonably in that first surprise
O' the blood that fell and splashed the diagram:
But now we've used our eyes to the violent hue
Can't we look through the crimson and trace lines?
It makes a man despair of history,
Eusebius and the established fact—fig's end!
Oh, give the fools their Trial, rattle away
With the leash of lawyers, two on either side—
One barks, one bites,—Masters Arcangeli
And Spreti,—that's the husband's ultimate hope
Against the Fisc and the other kind of Fisc,
Bound to do barking for the wife: bow—wow!
Why, Excellency, we and his Highness here
Would settle the matter as sufficiently

[...] Read more

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The Terrible Robber Men

OH I wish the sun was bright in the sky,
And the fox was back in his den O!
For always I'm hearing the passing by
Of the terrible robber men O!
Of the terrible robber men.

Oh what does the fox carry over the rye,
When it's bright in the morn again O!
And what is it making the lonesome cry
With the terrible robber men O!
With the terrible robber men.

Oh I wish the sun was bright m the sky,
And the fox was back in his den O!
For always I'm hearing the passing by
Of the terrible robber men O!
With the terrible robber men.

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William Blake

A Prophecy

The Guardian Prince of Albion burns in his nightly tent,
Sullen fires across the Atlantic glow to America's shore:
Piercing the souls of warlike men, who rise in silent night,
Washington, Franklin, Paine & Warren, Gates, Hancock & Green;
Meet on the coast glowing with blood from Albions fiery Prince.

Washington spoke; Friends of America look over the Atlantic sea;
A bended bow is lifted in heaven, & a heavy iron chain t158
Descends link by link from Albions cliffs across the sea to bind
Brothers & sons of America, till our faces pale and yellow;
Heads deprest, voices weak, eyes downcast, hands work-bruis'd,
Feet bleeding on the sultry sands, and the furrows of the whip
Descend to generations that in future times forget.––

The strong voice ceas'd; for a terrible blast swept over the heaving sea;
The eastern cloud rent; on his cliffs stood Albions wrathful Prince
A dragon form clashing his scales at midnight he arose,
And flam'd red meteors round the land of Albion beneath[.]
His voice, his locks, his awful shoulders, and his glowing eyes,

Appear to the Americans upon the cloudy night.

Solemn heave the Atlantic waves between the gloomy nations,
Swelling, belching from its deeps red clouds & raging Fires!
Albion is sick. America faints! enrag'd the Zenith grew.
As human blood shooting its veins all round the orbed heaven
Red rose the clouds from the Atlantic in vast wheels of blood
And in the red clouds rose a Wonder o'er the Atlantic sea;
Intense! naked! a Human fire fierce glowing, as the wedge
Of iron heated in the furnace; his terrible limbs were fire
With myriads of cloudy terrors banners dark & towers
Surrounded; heat but not light went thro' the murky atmosphere

The King of England looking westward trembles at the vision

Albions Angel stood beside the Stone of night, and saw
The terror like a comet, or more like the planet red
That once inclos'd the terrible wandering comets in its sphere.
Then Mars thou wast our center, & the planets three flew round
Thy crimson disk; so e'er the Sun was rent from thy red sphere;
The Spectre glowd his horrid length staining the temple long
With beams of blood; & thus a voice came forth, and shook the temple

The morning comes, the night decays, the watchmen leave their stations;
The grave is burst, the spices shed, the linen wrapped up;
The bones of death, the cov'ring clay, the sinews shrunk & dry'd.
Reviving shake, inspiring move, breathing! awakening!
Spring like redeemed captives when their bonds & bars are burst;

Let the slave grinding at the mill, run out into the field:

[...] Read more

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Sucker For Mystery

And Ive always been a sucker for mystery
And Ive always been a sucker for mystery
And Ive always been a sucker for mystery
And Ive always been a sucker for mystery
So I turn to the left and I turn to the right
But none of the answers are in sight
So I made a mistake maybe once or twice
And I cant even get to paradise
And a priest came up to me and touched my face
He said terrible things happen round this place
Such terrible things happen round this place
Such terrible things happen round this place
No demon, no man has got a clue
But surely son, the end will turn out right for you
cause Ive always been a sucker for mystery
And Ive always been a sucker for mystery
Theres a little boy walking up the stairs
Through a dark hallway that leads nowhere
He comes to a door but hes afraid to knock
And he bends down low and peers throught the lock
And theres a tall man standing with a glistening knife
And hes stooping over something that has no life
With stifled tears he starts to turn away
But a strange little voice seems to whisper
Stay!
Hes always been a sucker for mystery
And hes always been...
(chorus)
I dont want to say good bye
I want to give it one more try
I dont want to say good bye
I want to give it one more try
Wont somebody help
Wont somebody help
Im all alone now with nothing to do
And Im all dressed up with nowhere to go
And Im stuck with two tickets to an awful show
And my mouths full of words but Ive got nothing to say
And Ive been sitting in front of the tv set all day
And my heads in a vice and it wont let up
And my feet wont move and if that aint enough
The telephone rings... hello!
Ive seen children with such angry faces
When you look in their eyes, it makes you want to cry
Theres a time and a place for everything
Theres a time and a place for everything
Now it doesnt seem fair
But who cares theyre someone elses
As long as they dont come close to mine
Theres a time and a place for everything

[...] Read more

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Charles Kingsley

Andromeda

Over the sea, past Crete, on the Syrian shore to the southward,
Dwells in the well-tilled lowland a dark-haired AEthiop people,
Skilful with needle and loom, and the arts of the dyer and carver,
Skilful, but feeble of heart; for they know not the lords of Olympus,
Lovers of men; neither broad-browed Zeus, nor Pallas Athene,
Teacher of wisdom to heroes, bestower of might in the battle;
Share not the cunning of Hermes, nor list to the songs of Apollo.
Fearing the stars of the sky, and the roll of the blue salt water,
Fearing all things that have life in the womb of the seas and the livers,
Eating no fish to this day, nor ploughing the main, like the Phoenics,
Manful with black-beaked ships, they abide in a sorrowful region,
Vexed with the earthquake, and flame, and the sea-floods, scourge of
Poseidon.
Whelming the dwellings of men, and the toils of the slow-footed oxen,
Drowning the barley and flax, and the hard-earned gold of the harvest,
Up to the hillside vines, and the pastures skirting the woodland,
Inland the floods came yearly; and after the waters a monster,
Bred of the slime, like the worms which are bred from the slime of the Nile-
bank,
Shapeless, a terror to see; and by night it swam out to the seaward,
Daily returning to feed with the dawn, and devoured of the fairest,
Cattle, and children, and maids, till the terrified people fled inland.
Fasting in sackcloth and ashes they came, both the king and his people,
Came to the mountain of oaks, to the house of the terrible sea-gods,
Hard by the gulf in the rocks, where of old the world-wide deluge
Sank to the inner abyss; and the lake where the fish of the goddess,
Holy, undying, abide; whom the priests feed daily with dainties.
There to the mystical fish, high-throned in her chamber of cedar,
Burnt they the fat of the flock; till the flame shone far to the seaward.
Three days fasting they prayed; but the fourth day the priests of the
goddess,
Cunning in spells, cast lots, to discover the crime of the people.
All day long they cast, till the house of the monarch was taken,
Cepheus, king of the land; and the faces of all gathered blackness.
Then once more they cast; and Cassiopoeia was taken,
Deep-bosomed wife of the king, whom oft far-seeing Apollo
Watched well-pleased from the welkin, the fairest of AEthiop women:
Fairest, save only her daughter; for down to the ankle her tresses
Rolled, blue-black as the night, ambrosial, joy to beholders.
Awful and fair she arose, most like in her coming to Here,
Queen before whom the Immortals arise, as she comes on Olympus,
Out of the chamber of gold, which her son Hephaestos has wrought her.
Such in her stature and eyes, and the broad white light of her forehead.
Stately she came from her place, and she spoke in the midst of the people.
'Pure are my hands from blood: most pure this heart in my bosom.
Yet one fault I remember this day; one word have I spoken;
Rashly I spoke on the shore, and I dread lest the sea should have heard it.
Watching my child at her bath, as she plunged in the joy of her girlhood,
Fairer I called her in pride than Atergati, queen of the ocean.
Judge ye if this be my sin, for I know none other.' She ended;

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Courtship of Miles Standish, The

I
MILES STANDISH

In the Old Colony days, in Plymouth the land of the Pilgrims
To and fro in a room of his simple and primitive dwelling,
Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather,
Strode, with a martial air, Miles Standish the Puritan Captain.
Buried in thought he seemed, with his hands behind him, and pausing
Ever and anon to behold his glittering weapons of warfare,
Hanging in shining array along the walls of the chamber, --
Cutlass and corselet of steel, and his trusty sword of Damascus,
Curved at the point and inscribed with its mystical Arabic sentence,
While underneath, in a corner, were fowling-piece, musket, and matchlock.
Short of stature he was, but strongly built and athletic,
Broad in the shoulders, deep-chested, with muscles and sinews of iron;
Brown as a nut was his face, but his russet beard was already
Flaked with patches of snow, as hedges sometimes in November.
Near him was seated John Alden, his friend and household companion,
Writing with diligent speed at a table of pine by the window:
Fair-haired, azure-eyed, with delicate Saxon complexion,
Having the dew of his youth, and the beauty thereof, as the captives
Whom Saint Gregory saw, and exclaimed, "Not Angles, but Angels."
Youngest of all was he of the men who came in the Mayflower.

Suddenly breaking the silence, the diligent scribe interrupting,
Spake, in the pride of his heart, Miles Standish the Captain of Plymouth.
"Look at these arms," he said, "the war-like weapons that hang here
Burnished and bright and clean, as if for parade or inspection!
This is the sword of Damascus I fought with in Flanders; this breastplate,
Well I remember the day! once save my life in a skirmish;
Here in front you can see the very dint of the bullet
Fired point-blank at my heart by a Spanish arcabucero.
Had it not been of sheer steel, the forgotten bones of Miles Standish
Would at this moment be mould, in their grave in the Flemish morasses."
Thereupon answered John Alden, but looked not up from his writing:
"Truly the breath of the Lord hath slackened the speed of the bullet;
He in his mercy preserved you, to be our shield and our weapon!"
Still the Captain continued, unheeding the words of the stripling:
"See, how bright they are burnished, as if in an arsenal hanging;
That is because I have done it myself, and not left it to others.
Serve yourself, would you be well served, is an excellent adage;
So I take care of my arms, as you of your pens and your inkhorn.
Then, too, there are my soldiers, my great, invincible army,
Twelve men, all equipped, having each his rest and his matchlock,
Eighteen shillings a month, together with diet and pillage,
And, like Caesar, I know the name of each of my soldiers!"
This he said with a smile, that danced in his eyes, as the sunbeams
Dance on the waves of the sea, and vanish again in a moment.
Alden laughed as he wrote, and still the Captain continued:
"Look! you can see from this window my brazen howitzer planted

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Courtship of Miles Standish

I
MILES STANDISH

In the Old Colony days, in Plymouth the land of the Pilgrims
To and fro in a room of his simple and primitive dwelling,
Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather,
Strode, with a martial air, Miles Standish the Puritan Captain.
Buried in thought he seemed, with his hands behind him, and pausing
Ever and anon to behold his glittering weapons of warfare,
Hanging in shining array along the walls of the chamber, --
Cutlass and corselet of steel, and his trusty sword of Damascus,
Curved at the point and inscribed with its mystical Arabic sentence,
While underneath, in a corner, were fowling-piece, musket, and matchlock.
Short of stature he was, but strongly built and athletic,
Broad in the shoulders, deep-chested, with muscles and sinews of iron;
Brown as a nut was his face, but his russet beard was already
Flaked with patches of snow, as hedges sometimes in November.
Near him was seated John Alden, his friend and household companion,
Writing with diligent speed at a table of pine by the window:
Fair-haired, azure-eyed, with delicate Saxon complexion,
Having the dew of his youth, and the beauty thereof, as the captives
Whom Saint Gregory saw, and exclaimed, "Not Angles, but Angels."
Youngest of all was he of the men who came in the Mayflower.

Suddenly breaking the silence, the diligent scribe interrupting,
Spake, in the pride of his heart, Miles Standish the Captain of Plymouth.
"Look at these arms," he said, "the war-like weapons that hang here
Burnished and bright and clean, as if for parade or inspection!
This is the sword of Damascus I fought with in Flanders; this breastplate,
Well I remember the day! once save my life in a skirmish;
Here in front you can see the very dint of the bullet
Fired point-blank at my heart by a Spanish arcabucero.
Had it not been of sheer steel, the forgotten bones of Miles Standish
Would at this moment be mould, in their grave in the Flemish morasses."
Thereupon answered John Alden, but looked not up from his writing:
"Truly the breath of the Lord hath slackened the speed of the bullet;
He in his mercy preserved you, to be our shield and our weapon!"
Still the Captain continued, unheeding the words of the stripling:
"See, how bright they are burnished, as if in an arsenal hanging;
That is because I have done it myself, and not left it to others.
Serve yourself, would you be well served, is an excellent adage;
So I take care of my arms, as you of your pens and your inkhorn.
Then, too, there are my soldiers, my great, invincible army,
Twelve men, all equipped, having each his rest and his matchlock,
Eighteen shillings a month, together with diet and pillage,
And, like Caesar, I know the name of each of my soldiers!"
This he said with a smile, that danced in his eyes, as the sunbeams
Dance on the waves of the sea, and vanish again in a moment.
Alden laughed as he wrote, and still the Captain continued:
"Look! you can see from this window my brazen howitzer planted

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