Rather touching poem....

--A Simple Child,

That lightly draws its breath,

And feels its life in every limb,

What should it know of death?

I met a little cottage Girl:

She was eight years old, she said;

Her hair was thick with many a curl

That clustered round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,

And she was wildly clad:

Her eyes were fair, and very fair;

--Her beauty made me glad.

"Sisters and brothers, little Maid,

How many may you be?"

"How many? Seven in all," she said

And wondering looked at me.

"And where are they? I pray you tell."

She answered, "Seven are we;

And two of us at Conway dwell,

And two are gone to sea.

"Two of us in the church-yard lie,

My sister and my brother;

And, in the church-yard cottage,

I Dwell near them with my mother."

"You say that two at Conway dwell,

And two are gone to sea,

Yet ye are seven!

--I pray you tell,Sweet Maid, how this may be."

Then did the little Maid reply,

"Seven boys and girls are we;

Two of us in the church-yard lie,

Beneath the church-yard tree."

"You run about, my little Maid,

Your limbs they are alive;

If two are in the church-yard laid,

Then ye are only five."

"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"

The little Maid replied,

"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,

And they are side by side.

"My stockings there I often knit,

My kerchief there I hem;

And there upon the ground I sit,

And sing a song to them.

"And often after sunset, Sir,

When it is light and fair,

I take my little porringer,

And eat my supper there.

"The first that died was sister Jane;

In bed she moaning lay,

Till God released her of her pain;

And then she went away.

"So in the church-yard she was laid;

And, when the grass was dry,

Together round her grave we played,

My brother John and I.

"And when the ground was white with snow,

And I could run and slide,

My brother John was forced to go,

And he lies by her side."

"How many are you, then," said I,

"If they two are in heaven?"

Quick was the little Maid's reply,

"O Master! we are seven."

"But they are dead; those two are dead!

Their spirits are in heaven!"

'Twas throwing words away;for still

The little Maid would have her will,

And said, "Nay, we are seven!"

--- William Wordsworth

Stars in the Horizon of Thought

Joie de Vivre is a space I dedicate to aesthetically- arousing aspects of life-my take on various other issues is categorized as follows...

Metling Pot

Globalization has become the most-used buzz word in socio-political circles, and with the resulting amalgamation of the cultures and civilizations of the World into a Global Village of sorts, each of us has now metamorphosed into a Citizen of the World.

The luminescence of long by-gone civilizations shimmers through the cultures and traditions of the Citizen of the World- he is formless, transcends borders, and can indulge with equal ease and enjoyment in activities which were once restricted to geo-political settlers-a Dim Sum culinary treat in Japan, a snow-skiing lesson in Alaska, a desert safari in the Sahara, learning about the boa in the Amazon, shopping in Milan, sleeping on hot stones in the freezing Gobi...

A Citizen of the World's views on culture and its obelisks...

http://akshaya-meltingpot.blogspot.com/


Push the Envelope

"Push the envelope" is used figuratively to mean "stretch the boundaries". The image is not of pushing a mailing envelope across a desk: those who push this sort of envelope do it from within.

The phrase has its origins in the world of aviation, where 'envelope' has, since at least the late 60s, had the meaning 'a set of performance limits that may not be safely exceeded.' Test pilots are often called on to 'push' a new aircraft's performance envelope by going beyond known safety limits, as in determining just how fast an airplane can be flown. In 1979 Tom Wolfe's best-seller 'The Right Stuff' vividly described the life of test pilots during the 50s and60s, and it appears that this book, and the subsequent movie, did much to popularize the notion of pushing the envelope.

Joie de Vivre's second extension Push the Envelope deals with the recent socio-political happenings around the World, and discusses ways and means to attempt to change certain over-bearing systems and practises which have done much to hinder the progress, peace, and prosperity of Nations.

http://push-envelope.blogspot.com/

Nostalgia

The Future reveals Her Beauty to those who remember Her Past and rejoice Her Present.

Memories of childhood are sweetened by revelling in that innocence which once over-flowed from our hearts- snapshots of mine are at
http://akshaya-nostalgia.blogspot.com/

Diwan-e-Khas

Diwan-e-khas is an exotic marble chamber with intricate artwork inside the Red Fort where the Emperor held private meetings with “Khas” (important) people.

The famous Peacock Throne adorned this magnificent hall before Nadir Shah carted it off to Iran in 1739. Perhaps the Persian inscription on the ceiling of the Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Nobles) in Shah Jehan's Red Fort fired Lutyen's imagination.

The poet, Firdaus, extravagantly claims, "If there be a paradise on Earth; it is this, oh it is this, oh it is this". Certainly echoes of the paradise, in the form of architectural style, details and materials, are found in Lutyen's neo-classical design for the new city. Thin marbles lattices separate the Diwan-e-Khas from the Khas Mahal, housing the Emperor’s sitting room, prayer room and bedroom. The king would grant audience to important people.

Joie de Vivre's Diwan-e-Khas- meant for those who wish to keep track of my fancies and fallacies, activities and amusements..

http://diwan-e-khas.blogspot.com/

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek...

Haata la vista, people!!

A new dawn...

Welcome to Joie de Vivre, my personal space on the web!

Well, if you're wondering who I am, direct your mouse to my profile-however, forgive me for it being highly incomplete!

Joie de vivre (from the French joie, "joy"; de, "of"; vivre, "to live, living") is a term used to express a cheerful enjoyment of life. Joie de vivre, as one scholar has written, "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life, a Weltanschauung. Robert's Dictionnaire says joie is sentiment exaltant ressenti par toute la conscience, that is, involves one's whole being."

And as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji rightly observed...

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open...”