Uploaded on January 21, 2012
The man of life upright,
whose guiltless heart is free
from all dishonest deeds,
or thought of vanity;
the man whose silent days
in harmless joys are spent,
whom hopes cannot delude,
nor sorrow discontent;
that man needs neither towers
nor armor for defense,
nor secret vaults to fly
from thunder’s violence:
he only can behold
with unaffrighted eyes
the horrors of the deep
and terrors of the skies.
Thus, scorning all the cares
that fate or fortune brings,
he makes the heaven his book,
his wisdom heavenly things;
good thought his only friends,
his wealth a well-spent age,
the earth his sober inn
and quiet pilgrimage.
—Thomas Campion
The Giant Book of Poetry
edited by William H. Roetzheim
01.21.2024: I was told by a commenter on Flickr that the candle (I guess) is “a trite subject.” Back then, I probably tried to feel grateful for the feedback. Now, I understand that my desire to respond with a “fuck you” is perfectly valid.