Tuesday, October 03, 2006

A Poem And A Baby: Revised

Dreams
DREAM on, for dreams are sweet:
Do not awaken!
Dream on, and at thy feet
Pomegranates shall be shaken.
Who likeneth the youth
Of life to morning?
'Tis like the night in truth,
Rose-coloured dreams adorning.
The wind is soft above,
The shadows umber.
(There is a dream called Love.)
Take thou the fullest slumber!
In Lethe's soothing stream,
Thy thirst thou slakest.
Sleep, sleep; 'tis sweet to dream.
Oh, weep when thou awakest!
Poem by: Paul Laurence Dunbar
Revision: I will have to separate the poem from the baby because the poem, I've discovered, is relating to the after life ("In Lethe's soothing stream..."). This cannot be used in reference to a new life. This is my error because I didn't really study the poem before I posted. Doh!!! :) So, because I am a big fan of Dunbar's work I will leave the poem on this post, but separate from Jamari. Please feel free to comment about the poem and/or picture. Thanks!

This is a photo that I took on Saturday of my little cousin, Jamari. Welcome to the world little cousin and God bless you. I pray. I pray that this life's journey will not be too difficult for you. I pray that the Creator will give you strength and always direct your paths. I pray.

35 comments:

Geoffrey Philp said...

Blessings, blessings, and more blessings...Jah-Mari
1 Love,
Geoffrey

Anonymous said...

Paul Laurence Dunbar! That's my man. He is a great Poet.

Your cousin is soooo adorable, is he spoken for already?? I would like to talk to his Mom so we can make arrangements for my little niece :) She has a little bit of mileage on her, but she is beautiful and kind. She is 18 months old hee hee

Thanx for sharing.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Geoffrey-
"Jah-Mari"
I like that. I will collect all the blessings and the love to give to Jamari. 1 Love!

Peace~

Try-
LOL! What is that little girl doing with mileage already??!! :) Jamari said that he doesn't like them over 5 months old. Sorry.

Michelle said...

Your cuz is easy on the eyes! May his life be blessed. Thanks for sharing this piece of your family with the rest of the world.

Lori Stewart Weidert said...

He's just precious; I forget that they make 'em that small anymore. Great poem, great prayer.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Michelle-
Thank you and my pleasure. :)

Gnight-
I was afraid to hold him. I would've probably run to tell my wife that I want one too. :)
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Welcome, little Jamari warrior. All the blessings and more. Paul Laurence Dunbar, yep. Good man, great artist.

Ntate Bess, all the best. Geoffrey, I like Jah-Mari, too.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Rethabile-
Yes, Dunbar is one of my favorites. His poetry is phenomenal!
ke a leboha, ntate.

Professor Zero said...

Comme c'est beau! :-)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

What a precious little bundle. I'm adding to the blessings for him too. Hope he has a wonderful life.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Profzero-
Merci beaucoup!

Guyana-
I'll collect those blessings and pass them on. Many blessings to you as well.

Dance_Soul said...

I love babies and food - two of God's greatest Gifts. WELCOME JAMARI!!!! May the love of the ancestors keep you safe. Ache'.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Dance-
lol! You're funny! There was good food over there too. Thanks for the love and blessings.

Reflex said...

Beautiful... welcome and blessings for Jamari.

Stephen A. Bess said...

Reflex-
Thank you for the blessings. :)

barbie said...

The baby is gorgeous AND wearing my favorite color. You prayed right Bess.....Whas goin on????

Stephen A. Bess said...

Barbie-
Thank you! Everything is fine. I'm just chillin'. All is well. :)

African girl, American world said...

Stephen..I'm back in the blogworld.

And I moved blogs again (I know, I know).

http://abeautifulmess.bloggoing.com

Stephen A. Bess said...

Mwabi-
Hello! I'll tell you. You get around like a cab in the blog world. :)

Anonymous said...

See my/our blind faith forbid us from questioning you Post Stephen :) Thank you for the correction, it is still wonderful. You are very brilliant historian.

Kiss for Jamari :)

Stephen A. Bess said...

Try-
you're sweeter than a bowl of molasses. Sending your kisses to Jamari. :)

Toastedsuzy said...

Hmmm...I read the poem differently, too, I guess. I figured Dunbar was pointing out that being young is like being asleep and dreaming. He says, "Weep when thou awakest!" (from the dream of youth and innocence) because that's when we become aware of ... suffering and everything else that life is all about (including love and sex, spiders, pimples and the rising costs of energy).

It happens at two, according to Peter Pan. Two is the beginning of the end.

Fortunately, little Jamari is surrounded by love and beauty, which he will grow to appreciate more when he wakes to see the contrast between what people are capable of and what they often do.

I think youth and innocence can be likened to night and to sleep. I pray Jamari enjoys his innocent slumber, and I hope he continues to dream even after the world wakes him up. I know that having creative people like you around him will help.

Congrats! He is ADORABLE!

And thanks for the poem. It's a new one to me.

TS

Stephen A. Bess said...

TS-
That's mostly what I took the poem to be as well until I thought about the line, "In Lethe's soothing stream..." This led me to believe that he was referring to death. I know that his poetry became very dismal towards the end of his life (Tuberculosis). I don't know when this poem was written, but it's probably worth finding out.

Thank you for your kind words. I hope that I can have a positive influence in Jamari's life. They say it takes a village. :)

Cergie said...

OOOoooOOOh !
So cute !
Babies are so inspiring !
They holds all the possibilities of the life in their tiny closed fistes.

You know what ?
Old persons are touching me too so much.

Have a good day, Stephen.

Stephen A. Bess said...

cergie-
Oh, yes! I love the elderly as well. They have so much to offer in the way of love and wisdom. Thanks!

NML/Natalie said...

Blessings and congratulations. Jamari is a gorgeous little thing. I thought it was yours till you mentioned the bit about it being your cousin ;-)

Stephen A. Bess said...

**gasping for air** God no. Well, at least not yet. :)

black feline said...

beautiful baby! about the poem...i think it's also about new life..drinking from the Lethe's stream will surely wipe off all memories...good and bad..(interestingly...we have the same idea in out asian tradition)..starting afresh...liken to a new birth. In addition, if u are a buddhist..and believe in the continuity of life (perhaps reincarnation)...then the reference to new life can be quite apt. Only my opinion...:)

Stephen A. Bess said...

blkfeline-
Thank you! Also, your opinion about the Dunbar piece is a fresh one. This is why opened it up for discussion. Perhaps I'll have to do that again in the future for other poems.
I like what you said about the continuation of life and a fresh start. That's beautiful. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

I can't see the picture but the poem is beautiful!

I love the line, there is a dream called love! Wow...how poetic is that? Makes me wanna write a love poem.

Stephen A. Bess said...

UB-
What?? You mean write another love poem. :)

Xave said...

I came here to catch up and look how I'm greeted! Overwhelmed with emotion as I look in awe at this new addition to OUR family. Yes, I'm a softy, but don't tell anyone, I have a reputation you know. :-)

Peace and Love

Stephen A. Bess said...

xavier-
Man, everyone that reads your blog already know about your sensitivity. lol! :)

to touch a unicorn said...

What a lovely prayer for your baby cosin and oh so cute photo.
Thank you for leaving the poem; an unexpected introduction to Dunbar. I've c&p'd and will look for more! :)
Sandy

Stephen A. Bess said...

Sandy-
You're welcome. Dunbar is an interesting person. I'll have to write more about him.

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