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Call of the Mourning Dove

 

 

 

 

Dark is the soft call of the mourning dove
Upon hearts which have lost desire to trust.
When objects of affection turn to dust.
Pain flows among all expressions of love.
Hard beats the tired heart that cannot dream of
Times anew when love rebounds robust.
Life's colored by our apprehension's lust,
Too weak to impart will and rise above.
Such hearts shall only take their sustenance
From pensively rememb’ring days gone by,
Lost to the present, bound to memories.
Caught up in painful loss from past romance,
Resigned to upon yesterday rely,
Doomed to resent their sword of Damocles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author notes

Miltonian – Rhyme scheme: abba abba cde cde. I begin lines 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, and 14 all begin with an accented syllable. Using trochees to reset the meter. The rest of the lines are iambic pentameter.

The Damocles of the anecdote was an excessively flattering courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. He exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging by a single horsehair directly above his head. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful boys, and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant fear in which the great man lives.

I use this as metaphor for pain that comes from remembering tragic, painful lost love whenever new love is attempted.

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Comments

1 - 5 of 5

  • Peripatetic gold member
    October 8, 2008

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    Only that which is held or known may be taken or lost, including life and love. The question for every heart and mind is whether these are to be enjoyed for their presence or become sources of anxiety for the ever impending possibility of loss.
    Augustine and Tennyson got it right I think: It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved. However, as the poet notes here, it is even worse to know love and only think of its potential loss.


  • Amera gold member
    September 25, 2008

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    This is stunning and I'm sure it would make Milton proud. I love the AN as well, without realizing it, you have painted a picture of your beautiful heart.

    Love,
    Amera♥


  • Truetome
    September 25, 2008

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    the sonnet here is like - a narrative portrait picture captured - sounds like the metaphor is truly meaningful for the author. I felt this sonnet had a bit of drama to it - especially in the ending sestet, the last line, while understanding of the metaphor, of course, ties well in - (now in seeing another comment , seems like others see the sonnet in a similar way that I do) hmmmm.. OK! check!


  • maa gold member
    September 18, 2008

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    your little story in the author's notes are a precious companion to your beautiful sonnet, of which the last line has such power that it consumes the verse that introduced it ... like a zen-koan ... making you speechless ... mindless ... bestowing intuitive insight like the strike of lightning ...

    like the king, we would be wise remembering the sword of damocles hanging over us, ready to strike at any moment ... our next breath may be our last ...

    a great verse, my friend ...
    maa


  • kiwigirljacks gold member
    September 15, 2008

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    Gee.. my mother was only just talking to me about the trust issues I have.. this is a stark reminder also that I need to work on that!

    Beautifully written bit of truth and wisdom here!

1 - 5 of 5