Month: February 2026

The Old Stoic – Emily Bronte

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The Old Stoic

Riches I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream,
That vanished with the morn:

And if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!"

Yes, as my swift days near their goal:
'Tis all that I implore;
In life and death a chainless soul,
With courage to endure.

Emily Bronte (1818 - 1848)

Stoic = one who tends to endure the trials and tribulations of life without complaint

When a person reaches the later stages of life there are many challenges in daily life due to age the most common concern health rather than finance – but lack of finance may obviate the ability to deal adequately with any health issues.

However, Emily Bronte never reached old age and died young … but had her miseries nevertheless to endure in that dire home life in Haworth. She may have been writing these words in association with an old gentleman that she knew. Assuming male.

Incidentally, I have just watched the latest ‘Wuthering Heights’ movie. A complete imaginary representation and a lot of violence. Revenge never reached such heights – excuse the pun. And when Catherine married into the Linton family against her heart it reminded me of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Ruined Maid’. If you like Margot Robbie go to see it, she is quite brilliant as Catherine. I would give it a 3.5 rating. I liked the scenery of course especially as I lived in Ikley for a while when attending Uni.

And what is important for this old man …

… not riches … seems he is adequately prepared for his daily needs
… not love … well … laughter and scorn = no respect, mockery … as he reflects back with a smile …
… not fame … this was an unrealised dream … something sought in youth perhaps

… but the most important thing, the one prayer … for courage to endure all that is going on in his life … in life and death … as he reaches final days … as he seeks liberty … freedom from the body …

If those reading this poem who are in a similar state … with arthritis and more serious body concerns and medical issues – never give up take courage and endure, persist, and keep going despite … and find some joy out of the shadow of such concerns.

… And of course the young may need such courage too!

This is a Photograph of Me – Margaret Atwood

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This is a Photograph of Me

It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be
a smeared
print: blurred lines and grey flecks
blended with the paper;

then, as you scan
it, you see in the left-hand corner
a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging
and, to the right, halfway up
what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house.

In the background there is a lake,
and beyond that, some low hills.

(The photograph was taken
the day after I drowned.

I am in the lake, in the center
of the picture, just under the surface.

It is difficult to say where
precisely, or to say
how large or small I am:
the effect of water
on light is a distortion

but if you look long enough,
eventually
you will be able to see me.)

Margaret Atwood (1939 –

From AI – Margaret Atwood’s “This Is a Photograph of Me” is a haunting, deceptively simple poem that uses the metaphor of a blurry, old photo to explore themes of death, memory, and the marginalization of women. The speaker describes a landscape, only revealing in a chilling, parenthetical stanza that she has drowned and is submerged in the lake, appearing almost invisible to the viewer. 
… And is marginalization an issue?

A poem in two distinct parts … on the life of a person defined in words …

Plenty below the surface to consider, these are my words to invoke thinking   –

 
… the importance of nature to self
… on becoming water and light
… on being absorbed/lost in nature
… on being unrecognised as a woman
… on being a forgotten entity
… on history distorting, not knowing people
… on being identified with place
… on the emphasis of the importance of home
… on being there but unseen
… on wanting recognition
… on having a spiritual existence
… on connection

Do you ever see another person no matter how hard you look … and what does a person leave behind … what does the viewer conjure in the mind.