Sunday

May 20, 2001

Sonnet 30: When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

by William Shakespeare

SUNDAY, 20 MAY 2001
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Poem: "When to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought," by William Shakespeare.

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste.
Then can I drown an eye, unus'd to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,
And moan th' experience of many a vanish'd sight.
Then can I grieve at grievances forgone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
    But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
    All losses are restor'd and sorrow end.

On this day in 1927, at 7:52 am, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island headed for Paris in The Spirit of St. Louis. He was alone, with only a bag of sandwiches to sustain him. He arrived in Paris thirty-three hours later to become a great international celebrity and win a $25,000 prize.

On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart took off aboard Vega from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, on her flight across the Atlantic. She landed in Londonderry, Ireland.

It's the birthday of mystery writer Margery Allingham, born in London, England (1904). Her best-known creation is Albert Campion, who first appeared in The Black Dudley Murder (1929).

It's the birthday of historian Allan Nevins, born in Camp Point, Illinois (1890). He won two Pulitzer Prizes for biographies, authored more than 50 books, and edited more than 100 others. He taught history at Columbia University for 30 years.

It's the birthday of novelist and essayist G(ilbert) K(eith) Chesterton, born in London (1874). He wrote literary criticism, poetry, and mystery fiction; he also wrote about politics. He's best known for his creation of the character Father Brown, the priest who solves crimes.

It's the birthday of philosopher, economist and social reformer John Stuart Mill, born in London (1806). He's best known for his essay On Liberty (1859).

"Ask yourself if you are happy, and you cease to be so."

It's the birthday of novelist Honoré de Balzac, born in Tours, France (1799), author La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy).

It's the birthday of the architect who designed the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C., William Thornton, born in the Virgin Islands (1759).

William Shakespeare's Sonnets were first published on this date in 1609. The Sonnets describe the poet's devotion to a young man whose beauty and virtue he praises, and to a mysterious and faithless dark lady.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®

 

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