‘When I First Heard the Learn’d Astronomer’ by I. E. Sbace Weruld The Society September 19, 2014 Beauty, Poetry 1 Comment A counter to a Walt Whitman poem When I first heard the learn’d astronomer explain his proofs and figures, and arrange the particles of this vast universe, I was excited; I was not estranged. I truly loved his charts and diagrams. They made the cosmos understandable, as if I’d found new diamond diadems; its violence explained, deep-endable. Then felt I like Balboa. His design then made the chaos, of this crazed place I’m located in, seem ordered and divine, here in this cool and mystical space-time. In perfect silence I looked at the stars in rivers of eternity’s crossed bars. Featured Image: “The Astronomer” by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) NOTE: The Society considers this page, where your poetry resides, to be your residence as well, where you may invite family, friends, and others to visit. Feel free to treat this page as your home and remove anyone here who disrespects you. Simply send an email to mbryant@classicalpoets.org. Put “Remove Comment” in the subject line and list which comments you would like removed. The Society does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or comments and reserves the right to remove any comments to maintain the decorum of this website and the integrity of the Society. Please see our Comments Policy here. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) One Response Sir Bac de Leeuw September 21, 2014 The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer He sits beside the globe he’s turning with his hand. One wonders, ‘Is it Antonie van Leeuwenhoek?’ It seems as if the world is at his command. He holds his draped desk, spinning his celestial globe, and contemplates it in the corner of the room lit up beside a window, there above a book, which seems to be by Metius, and opened to a section saying inspiration comes from God. Upon the wall there is a picture, if you zoom in, finding Moses in the reeds. All is subdued, the colours, lighting, mood, the furniture and man, a moment taken from eternity—planned awe. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Sir Bac de Leeuw September 21, 2014 The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer He sits beside the globe he’s turning with his hand. One wonders, ‘Is it Antonie van Leeuwenhoek?’ It seems as if the world is at his command. He holds his draped desk, spinning his celestial globe, and contemplates it in the corner of the room lit up beside a window, there above a book, which seems to be by Metius, and opened to a section saying inspiration comes from God. Upon the wall there is a picture, if you zoom in, finding Moses in the reeds. All is subdued, the colours, lighting, mood, the furniture and man, a moment taken from eternity—planned awe. Reply
