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From the essay of a long-dead man
May. 25th, 2008 12:24 amThere are several treatises on architecture which explain measures and proportions with reasonable accuracy, enter into the details of the different Orders and furnish models for all manner of buildings. There is no work as yet that firmly establishes the principles of architecture, explains its true spirit and proposes rules for guiding talent and defining taste. It seems to me that in those arts which are not purely mechanical, it is not sufficient to know how to work; it is above all important to learn to think. An artist should be able to explain to himself everything he does, and for this he needs firm principles to determine his judgements and justify his choice so that he can tell whether a thing is good or bad, not simply by instinct but by reasoning and as a man experienced in the way of beauty.
...I have tried as much s I could to make myself intelligible. Often I could not avoid using terms of art; nearly all of them are quite well known and there are also dictionaries to explain their true meaning. Since my main purpose is to form the taste of the architects, I leave out those details which can be found elsewhere; nor do I need to burden this little work with drawings which may be irritating and tiring to the reader.<sup>1</sup>
<sup>1</sup>
In the second edition, the sentence after "elsewhere" is replaced by : "and to make this work more instructive I have added to this second edition a number of plates sufficient to put before the reader all those objects of which a simple description would give him only an imperfect idea."
Haha.
Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end
Sleep now,
and dream of the ones who came before
they are calling
from across a distant shore.
Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
you're only sleeping
What can you see
on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
a pale moon rises
The ships have come
to carry you home
And all will turn
to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Hope fades
Until the world of night
Through shadows falling
out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling -
you and I will meet again
And you'll be here
in my arms
just sleeping
What can you see
on the horizon
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
a pale moon rises
the ships have come
to carry you home
and all will turn
to silver glass
a light on the water
Grey Ships pass
into the West....
Home is behind
the world ahead
there are many paths to tread
through shadow
to the edge of night
until the stars are all alight
mist and shadow...
cloud and shade...
all shall fade...
all shall fade...
...I have tried as much s I could to make myself intelligible. Often I could not avoid using terms of art; nearly all of them are quite well known and there are also dictionaries to explain their true meaning. Since my main purpose is to form the taste of the architects, I leave out those details which can be found elsewhere; nor do I need to burden this little work with drawings which may be irritating and tiring to the reader.<sup>1</sup>
<sup>1</sup>
In the second edition, the sentence after "elsewhere" is replaced by : "and to make this work more instructive I have added to this second edition a number of plates sufficient to put before the reader all those objects of which a simple description would give him only an imperfect idea."
Haha.
Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end
Sleep now,
and dream of the ones who came before
they are calling
from across a distant shore.
Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
you're only sleeping
What can you see
on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
a pale moon rises
The ships have come
to carry you home
And all will turn
to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Hope fades
Until the world of night
Through shadows falling
out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling -
you and I will meet again
And you'll be here
in my arms
just sleeping
What can you see
on the horizon
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
a pale moon rises
the ships have come
to carry you home
and all will turn
to silver glass
a light on the water
Grey Ships pass
into the West....
Home is behind
the world ahead
there are many paths to tread
through shadow
to the edge of night
until the stars are all alight
mist and shadow...
cloud and shade...
all shall fade...
all shall fade...