It's a Classical Life

  Hello all! Welcome back and I'm so glad that you have taken time out of your busy lives to pop in here. This week has been a bit hectic in our house. The weather has gone from hot to cold almost overnight, bringing it with it a range of seasonal illnesses. I'm not sure what it is about October, but we always get tummy bugs! The forecast shows the weather climbing back up next week - I hope so! I'm ready to pull out summer dresses and put away jackets and woollens! How is it where you are? I love seeing all the beautiful autumn scenes on social media at this time of year - nature that good makes anyone a good photographer! I wanted to share a poem with you today that I read years ago but saw again recently on Cheryl's Frugal Corner blog. I love blogs that still share inspiration and ideas, and don't rely on YouTube or other social media to get their message out. Reading things (in case you hadn't realised by now), is my favourite way of accessing information a...

  This beautiful poem often comes to mind this time of year because we celebrate a number of birthdays throughout September in our family, my own included. Although called, A Birthday , the poem is not necessarily about a birthday as such, but rather pertains to a time when something momentous happens ( my love is come to me ) and thus the poet is born anew.  We often talk about a new year being the start of something new, a time when we can refresh or reset our lives. Birthdays, anniversaries, Mondays, the beginning of a new month or season, when we move, start a new job or fall in love can all be considered times when we are reborn and can start living our lives the way we want to. We don't need to wait for our actual date of birth to reconsider our lives, be lifted into glorious heights of bliss or to take the first step in a new direction. The beautiful message in Rosetti's poem, couched in the most gorgeous of imagery, reminds us that we can be reborn at an...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,                                                                     When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slow- You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor’s cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turn...

Welcome back to It's a Classical Life!   If you are new here, welcome! I hope that you will take the time to explore the diverse array of articles published here on how to live well, inspired by the classics. Reading classic literature, studying the arts, appreciating classical music, and sharing these things with all of you, are my passions. If you have come here before, you might be aware of my love of all things Italian. As part of my teaching degree I studied Italian language, literature and history and in 2004 I spent some time living and studying in the northern regions of the Veneto. It is such a rich culture, full of so many points of interest and inspiration.  This week I'm looking at Italian Nobel Prize winning poet, Eugenio Montale - one of the most important Italian poets of the twentieth century - and his moving poem,  The Lemon Trees. I've mentioned before that the best way to read poetry is aloud. I tried to find a recorded rendition of ...

I was never a big poetry fan until recently. During my year 12 exams we studied poems such as The Flea by John Donne and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan . At the time, I didn't think much of them - perhaps when we have to study something it becomes a chore. And yet when I read those poems today I love them!  Poetry gives people the opportunity to express themselves in the most creative ways. The techniques available to poets, including the use of simile and metaphor, personification, sound devices and symbolism are all perfect ways in which to express oneself. Some poems are simple in their meaning and their words, others can take a bit longer to figure out. Some techniques, such as enjambment and alliteration, may be less easy for you to identify (without having studied these techniques per se), but they play a necessary and beautiful role in the sound and the flow of the poem. Most poems are best read aloud, and it is my encouragemen...

' The Language of Flowers ,' ' The Cottage Garden ', ' The Language of Flowers ' When you see roses, do you think of love? Did you know that in Australia we use rosemary on ANZAC day because it symbolises remembrance for those who fell in the war? Have you seen a display a cempasuchil , a bright orange marigold, during Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations, and known that they represent the way home for souls who have crossed over? Flowers and plants have long held significance in the daily lives of people all around the world. It is one of those ubiquitous traditions that all cultures seem to revere. In traditional western culture we use flowers to say 'I love you', 'I'm sorry', 'Happy Birthday' and 'I do.' In a city, and a country, that has been besieged by drought for so long, it is wonderful to have so much rain this winter and spring. With these rains bringing such lush and verdant flora to our home and our region I thoug...