Wide as the wind
Another pithy metaphor that deserves to enter daily use: 'as wide as the wind'. So, let me wish you this:...
Fate goes as ever fate must
This translation by Seamus Heaney rings like a proverb on the immutability of fate. Elsewhere, he brings it up close and...
May you never be reft
'To reave' is an archaic verb meaning to carry out raids for plunder, or to rob somebody by force, with the past...
Where gannets swoop and rise
In the countdown to a major gift-giving season, I liked this ancient reference to a human presents. May you give and...
Horn-pronged gables
This reminds me of some of the pointed and upturning gables and eaves in traditional Chinese and south-east Asian architecture.
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Care for a tarn dip?
A small mountain lake, originally Middle English from old Norse: tjorn. In Beowulf, it refers to the watery home of Grendel's...
Language as anchor and mooring
Heaney uses several maritime metaphors in discussing a poem set in a sea-faring culture. Here he refers to speech that...
A bright guarantee
Many who have seen hope return and fears dissolve under the bright light of morning may appreciate this notion of a ‘bright guarantee of God’.
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Of ships, boats, and prows
On a warmly, windy day, perfect for summer sailing, bringing you a trio of triologisms with a maritime theme: 'wood-wreathed...
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