Thursday Thirteen: 'Fern Hill'

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Last week, I presented the last 13 lines of "Desiderata," though I like the whole thing. Though the process of disembodying lines from a poem seems to me to be all wrong because it deprives them of their context as a part of a story and strips them of the creative logic of a complete poem, I like doing it. These lines really shouldn't stand alone, but focusing on them does offer a glimpse of the spirit of the whole and brings us in close on their emotional and imaginative beauty and intensity.

Here are 13 lines from my favorite poem, "Fern Hill," by Dylan Thomas. May we all sing in our chains like the sea.

And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows

In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace,

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

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40 Comments

  1. When I was little, I attended "Fern Camp".....great memories!

    Beautiful photo!

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  2. Beautiful poem, and photo to go with :) Have a great rest of the week my friend :)

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  3. Anonymous9:09 PM

    Beautiful photo and wonderful poem :)
    Happy T13! Thanks for stopping by.
    See you next week.

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  4. Anonymous9:18 PM

    How beautiful. I so wish that we had some nice ferns around here. Happy TT!

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  5. Beautiful photo. Happy TT.

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  6. That last line is amazing. You're right.

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  7. "Though I sang in my chains like the sea." LOVE that line :-) and love the fern picture...is that a spider web?

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  8. Anonymous10:01 PM

    Beautiful poem. I love it.

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  9. Very nice. Love the photo. Happy T13!

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  10. That's wonderufl poem and a beautiful picture.

    I love ferns. :)

    Happy TT and thanks for visiting mine! :)

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  11. Time held me green and dying
    Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
    I really like that line.

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  12. You like to make us think and that is very good -- You are such a thoughtful person I always appreciate your comments

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  13. very beautiful! I'm so bad at poetry, I always feel like I might have missed the point, and I think that's the fault of an English teacher I had in high school, who would ask us what we thought it meant, and then tell us know, it's this... and on one of them, where the poet was an ancient person, I so badly wanted to say, how do you know, where you there, did you ask him?! LOL!

    This poem definitely reminds me of summers at my grandmother's house, they lived in the country, so lots of fields, trees and trails, and it was my fantasyland... I miss it very much.

    Thanks for sharing!

    (oh, and about your comment on my Hershey 13, they joke that the whole town smells of chocolate, and I didn't really notice that myself! LOL! Sure, some of the shops do, if they have a lot of it and sell coffee etc. but seriously, not the whole town! LOL!)

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  14. Anonymous11:02 PM

    First, the photo is incredible. I think ferns have souls... they do kind of speak to you, in whispers.

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  15. Beautiful photo and poem. Each makes the other seem more important, I think.

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  16. I haven't read Dylan Thomas before (I know, I'm a heathen) but I thank you for the introduction!! Great TT!

    I'm up - come visit!
    http://tiffanyaller.blogspot.com/2008/05/thursday-thirteen-17.html

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  17. That was beautiful! I have never heard that.

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  18. Anonymous12:20 AM

    Very pretty! Thanks for sharing.

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  19. That's quite beautiful.

    SJR
    The Pink Flamingo
    http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog

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  20. Anonymous3:29 AM

    excellent choice. wonderful poem.

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  21. Poem and photo go together perfectly.

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  22. Anonymous6:20 AM

    This one is so cool. I love the color -I'm partial to green. And I like the shot.

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  23. Anonymous6:32 AM

    Ferns are so nice to see and to have them is great.

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  24. Anonymous7:54 AM

    Your photo looks like a tiny young fern and reminds me of caterpillars! Lovely shot! I confess, Dylan Thomas' poetry usually leaves me a bit confused.

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  25. Such a beautiful, elegant photo of the fern and a beautiful, elegant poem as well.

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  26. thank you for enlightening me with a new poem each week!

    she
    http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net

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  27. Great list, thanks for visiting my TT.

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  28. Beautiful words and picture. Great TT. Thanks for stopping by mine. Happy TT.

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  29. Awesome photo Sandy and great poem very nice!! :D

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  30. A beautiful poeme !

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  31. That's so beautiful, Sandy! Thank you for offering these thoughtful, imaginative poems! :)

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  32. Anonymous9:48 AM

    It's hard for me to penetrate what's behind, but I love the spinning web of language woven with such light and color.

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  33. Excellent choice of poetry and a great photo too. Thanks for sharing.

    http://debbie-mumford.blogspot.com/

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  34. Beautiful lines. I especially like lamb white.

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  35. That's soo beautiful!!! :)

    Happy T13!

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  36. Anonymous3:00 PM

    I am so glad you posted this. I had never read it before, and clicked the link!! You are right, its a masterpiece.

    I adore all the new things I am learning online from my new friends. Thanks Sandy.

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  37. Such a beautiful poem and photo! You always have such great picks for TT!

    Our Happy Happenings
    Livin' With Me

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  38. This is lovely! What a serene message. Thanks for sharing (and thanks for visiting my TT)

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  39. This week my chains are rubbing me the wrong way..blue boy

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  40. Beautiful presentation of a fern. You have captured it at the right moment of it's growth. Lithe, supple, young - everything going for it.

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Thanks for being here.