No longer a wannabe

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I changed the subtitle of this blog. Well, of course! Originally, this blog was to document my training/travails on the way to becoming a marathon swimmer (in the new definition of marathon swim, e.g. a swim of 10 kilometers in length).  But now that I have finished a marathon, I've changed the subtitle.

The present subtitle, beautiful, pointed, precise, is by the wonderful W.H. Auden. If you don't know Auden, you might not realize that you've probably heard from him before. If you have seen the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, then you've heard an Auden poem.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

One of the most beautfil eulogical (is that a word?) poem in the world. Makes me tear up every time I read it, so for the purposes of composing this post, I decided not to read it; simply to cut and paste it. I will read it (for the millionth time) after I'm done composing.

Dammit.  I went and watched it on youtube (link above). Nothing more moving have I ever heard/read.

Comments

[evan]

It must feel good to change that subtitle. The 10K is done - onward and upward!