Wednesday, November 21, 2007

In This Week of Needed Inspiration

As you all know, Saturday is a special day, but this Saturday is far past special. BYU vs U***. 'Nuff said. So, in this week of ultimate anticipation and holiness, I will now share with you my three favorite poems of all time, which all happen to be inspiring, a much needed emotion this Saturday.

1. The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost (1874–1963)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
 
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
     
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
        
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
      
As cool as this poem is, I have a really hard time interpreting exactly what he is saying, so if you have an idea I'd love to hear it.

INVICTUS

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

I love this poem, so inspiring. But, this next one is cooler.

The Soul's Captain
by Orson F. Whitney

Art thou in truth?
Then what of Him who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood,

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear--
The God who died that man might live
And endless glory share.

Of what avail thy vaunted strength
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul! Forsooth,
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine--free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that "head unbowed,"
Small part of life's great whole,
And see in Him and Him alone,
The captain of thy soul.

As you can probably see, Orson wrote this poem in response of William Henley's poem. What an awesome poem!



Conference Championships over the last 30 years:

BYU: 23
U***: 2
 

3 comments:

Thomas said...

wow josh, very inspirational. my predicted score of the game would be....BYU 27 U*** 17. it's gonna be a close game, and i'll be listening to it on the radio. also, let's not forget about the war that will be waged tomorrow in the desert, GO TROJANS!!!!

Anonymous said...

josh! love the last two especially! you are so awesome!!

Anonymous said...

Robert Frost:
We all come to points in our lives where we make choices. Sometimes the choices lay before us without much to tell the difference. But Robert explains that one was "grassy and wanted wear" meaning that not as many people had taken that path. That's the one he chose. He didn't follow the crowds. He chose the more unique path. And "ages" after he chose the path, he looked back and realized that choice had "made all the difference."