While scouring through the bookshelves of Barnes & Noble for a much needed Kineseology textbook, I suddenly found myself standing in front of a cart of books labeled 50% off. After spending several minutes digging through the leaves of several of these books, I stumbled upon a jewel. The book was called The Book of Celtic Verse edited by John Matthews, which held within its bounds over four centuries worth of Celtic poetry, incantations, dreams, and visions. The first page boldly stated: To All Who Hold Words Sacred, and, as I read this, a tingle wiggled its way down my spine. I felt those lines beckoning me onward, so I continued to read. As I entered the world this book had preserved I became fascinated as I found poetry retelling old stories of Merlin, of King Arthur, and of the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde. These are just a few of the great pieces this book held within its covers. One poem written back in 19th century by Arthur O'Shaughnessy stood out to me, in particular. I would like to share this piece with all of you today:
“We are the music-makes,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.”
Arthur O'Shaughnessy (1844-1881)
The 'we' of this poem are wanderers, they are lone travelers, they are 'word-losers' and 'world-forsakers,' yet, though they are separated from the world around them, they are the ones who shake the world. The 'we' in this poem are the writers of the world who are rejected because they have a difference in opinion, the poets who are called dreamers because they choose to capture the world they see in the stanzas of their poetry, and the artists whose work sparks flame in their viewers because of the messages that they convey through sight. We are the 'we' of this poem. We, both the published and non-published, are the ones who are called to a life of artistry. We are the writers, poets, and artists of today. As revealed in this poem, this life can be hard and troublesome, but is a lifestyle that, when answered, yields great opportunity. So I beckon all of you writers and poets to write on, you artists to paint at the whim of your brush. You dreamers to dream your dreams, and you music-makers to play your music loud. And together, just as the movers who came before us did, we'll shake our world for the better.
Nick
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