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p.15, Love in a Handful of Dust by Kirk Ramdath
– Poem, "once more unto the beach"
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(in the style of the original)*
Once more unto the beach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the path up with our Douglas fir.
I' faith there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
So when the blast of wind blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the water;
Relax the sinews, settle down the blood,
Allow fair nature with much-favour'd praise;
Then lend the eye an excellent aspect;
Let flow through the portage of the head
Like the babbling creek; let the brow go into it
As faithfully as doth the rainforest
O'ergrow with roots its lush, living base,
Swill'd with the wild and wondrous ocean.
Now set the tongue and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold long the breath and fill up every spirit
To its full height. On, on, you noblest poets,
Whose words are fet from these roots and this sand!
This sand that, like so many kinds of pleasure,
Have in these parts from morn till even blown
And settled upon the same rock again:
Dishonour not the blowing dust; now attest
That those whom you call'd friends did come with you.
Be copy now to waves of warmer water,
And welcome all to swim. And you, good women,
Whose limbs were made in Heaven, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us drum
For you are worth the drumming; which I doubt not;
For there is none of us who has a heart,
That hath not music beating in our blood.
I see you stand like fairies in the mist,
Straining upon the start. The dance's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'Dance for Ocean, Forest, and Music!'
*Shakespeare's, Henry V
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