When suddenly, at the midnight hour,
an invisible troupe is heard passing
with exquisite music, with shouts--
your fortune that fails you now, your works
that have failed, the plans of your life
that have all turned out to be illusions, do not mourn in vain,
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
as it become you who have been worthy of such a city,
approach the window with firm step,
and with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.
Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
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2 comments:
HI Judy,
Sainthood for Paul Edmund?
And we thought that sugar was sugar! No, cane sugar is very different from the evil high fructose corn syrup sugar. According to my scientific sons and other reputable sources, cane sugar has a different molecular structure than corn, one that doesn't turn Americans into craven, obese, slack jawed yokels. The molecular structure in cane sugar allows for energetic, productive, upstanding citizens who get up and out and get the job done! Scientific literature and common sense now prove that cane sugar offers energy without addiction, flavor without obesity, and vim and vigor without the crashing let-down. A virtual elixor of life. How did Paul Edmund know this decades ago? Was it by accident or design? I'd put my money on design.
How many people have been spared a life of indolence and sloth as a result of Paul's brilliant forward thinking? This is not mere husbandry of the land, but of the nation! With duct tape, bailing wire, hoe and tractor he turned the bayhou and swamp into an Eden (the Welsh word for this is "Edmund").
This plant, this cane, is more than food, it is medicine! How precient to know that this plant would prove to be medicinal for the body and soul. This act of farming acres has done more for the health of the world that any one hundred pharmacists or physicians!
Hope your New Year has been great thus far. I suppose Jeff is there racing about doing everything except wiping your behiney? Or, is he doing that to?
We are well...
To be continued, Richard
Hi Judy, it's your great nephew, Wes. I just wanted you to know that we continue to think about you, and that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
A few weeks ago, I began fundraising and triathlon training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (my personal page is located here - http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/weltri09/wthomps0wg). These blood-based cancers are especially fatal, as they are the number one killer of children.
Although the focus of my fundraising is for the LLS, I want you to know that I consider you one of my inspirations. Cancer is cancer, and my training is dedicated to people like you, that fight it with courage and faith.
Take care Judy. We love you. Tell Paul and the rest of your family hello from blistery Chicago!
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