Friday, September 16, 2005

My pretty halcyon weekend

No ocean for me, the deceptive lake is more than enough. It will possibly be the last sunny weekend of the year I can spend in the beach by this lake though :(

Here's Nash talking about my upcoming weekend in his Pretty Halcyon Days:

How pleasant to sit on the beach,
On the beach, on the sand, in the sun,
With ocean galore within reach,
And nothing at all to be done!
No letters to answer,
No bills to be burned,
No work to be shirked,
No cash to be earned,
It is pleasant to sit on the beach
With nothing at all to be done!
How pleasant to look at the ocean,
Democratic and damp; indiscriminate;
It fills me with noble emotion
To think I am able to swim in it.
To lave in the wave,
Majestic and chilly,
Tomorrow I crave;
But today it is silly.
It is pleasant to look at the ocean;
Tomorrow, perhaps, I shall swim in it.
How pleasant to gaze at the sailors
As their sailboats they manfully sail
With the vigor of vikings and whalers
In the days of the vikings and whale.
They sport on the brink
Of the shad and the shark;
If it's windy, they sink;
If it isn't, they park.
It is pleasant to gaze at the sailors,
To gaze without having to sail.
How pleasant the salt anesthetic
Of the air and the sand and the sun;
Leave the earth to the strong and athletic,
And the sea to adventure upon.
But the sun and the sand
No contractor can copy;
We lie in the land
Of the lotus and poppy;
We vegetate, calm and aesthetic,
On the beach, on the sand, in the sun.

7 comments:

Falstaff said...

ah, Halcyon - such a wonderful word.

Veena said...

Yes, indeed it is.

Btw, would you happen to know seven letter word that starts with an I and ends with a L and the clue in 'One at war with society'?
My last one on yesterday's Hindu crossword - can't get it out of my mind.

Falstaff said...

Infidel?

Not really one at war with society in general, but could be in the sense of being an unbeliever or one who does not do his duty.

Best I can think of off-hand - any other letters?

Veena said...

Thought of that. But the fifth letter is A. The third could be H but not necessarily.

Falstaff said...

:-)

"And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."

- Genesis 21:20.

Call me Ishmael.

Veena said...

Just saw that ! It was so stupid. Why would anyone think of Ishmael for a clue like that?

Falstaff said...

Ya, well. Quick crosswords. what can I say? The only crosswords worth doing are the cryptic ones.