“Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said — “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Who said — “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Top Five Wonders of the Ancient World:
1. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
2. The Great Pyramid of Giza
A gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
3. The Colossus of Rhodes
A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island
A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island
4. The Lighthouse of Alexandria
A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city
A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city
5. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
Runners up: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, a temple in Asia Minor erected in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature; and The Mausoleum at Helicarnassus, a tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria
A map to the ancient wonders:
Some Modern Wonders:
The Channel Tunnel
The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
The Empire State Building in New York City, USA
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
The High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
Itaipu Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
The Panama Canal
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
The Suez Canal in Egypt
The Sydney Opera House in Australia
The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
The Empire State Building in New York City, USA
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
The High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
Itaipu Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
The Panama Canal
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
The Suez Canal in Egypt
The Sydney Opera House in Australia
Watch this episode:
Some Natural Wonders:
Angel Falls in Venezuela
The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Iguana Falls in Brazil/Argentina
Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
Mount Everest in Nepal
Mount Fuji in Japan
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe
The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Iguana Falls in Brazil/Argentina
Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
Mount Everest in Nepal
Mount Fuji in Japan
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe
“Carl Sagan became a media star with Cosmos, but he also became a lightning rod for both the science and the flim-flam of E.T. life . . .”
“Wonder is involuntary praise.” – Edward Young
Uh oh, “young novelists” no longer under forty but under thirty-five:
“Lavishly praised CDs made by pianist Joyce Hatto are total fakes. The polite world of classical music is in turmoil…”
E-Verse Radio Unbelievable But Real Film Titles of the Week:
Seven Wonders of the World (1956) Tagline: “…as seen through the greatest wonder CINERAMA”
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (1990)
Taarzan: The Wonder Car (2004)
When Billy Broke His Head… and Other Tales of Wonder (1995)
Lenny the Wonder Dog (2004)
8th Wonder of the World (2004)
He’s a Cockeyed Wonder (1950)
Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Feminist Icon (2005)
When Billy Broke His Head… and Other Tales of Wonder (1995)
Lenny the Wonder Dog (2004)
8th Wonder of the World (2004)
He’s a Cockeyed Wonder (1950)
Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Feminist Icon (2005)
Check out the new issue of the Contemporary Poetry Review: Sunil Iyengar reads through the poetry of Christian Wiman, Paul Lake remembers the verse and vigor of Donald Davie, Jan Schreiber hails the collected charms of W. D. Snodgrass, and James Matthew Wilson picks blooms from Joseph Parisi’s anthology:
Anchor Ad-Libs News With 97 Percent Accuracy:
I Would Have Been Considered Very Attractive In The Middle Ages:
E-Verse Radio Invaluable Facts of the Week, courtesy of the Seven Wonders website:
The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still exists.
Although most people know that a list exists of the Seven World Wonders, only few can name them. The list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was originally compiled around the second century BC. The first reference to the idea is found in History of Herodotus as long ago as the 5th century BC. Decades later, Greek historians wrote about the greatest monuments at the time. Callimachus of Cyrene (305BC-240BC), Chief Librarian of the Alexandria Mouseion, wrote “A Collection of Wonders around the World”. All we know about the collection is its title, for it was destroyed with the Alexandria Library.
The final list of the Seven Wonders was compiled during the Middle Ages. The list comprised the seven most impressive monuments of the Ancient World, some of which barely survived to the Middle Ages. Others did not even co-exist. Among the oldest references to the canonical list are the engravings by the Dutch artist Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), and Johann Fischer von Erlach’s History of Architecture.
“Kids today have no sense of shame or privacy. They are little fame whores who post their diaries, phone numbers, and stupid poems on the web”:
David Orr responds to Dana Goodyear’s New Yorker attack on the Poetry Foundation:
Check us out on YouTube, with the excerpted “Allen Ginsberg Telephone” video:
“Sights seen in the mind’s eye can never be destroyed.” – Strabo (64 BC – AD 21)
A reader sends in “Some Other Wonders”:
Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
Angkor Wat in Cambodia
The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
The Coliseum in Rome, Italy
The Great Wall of China
The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
The Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
Stonehenge in England
Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico
Angkor Wat in Cambodia
The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
The Coliseum in Rome, Italy
The Great Wall of China
The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
The Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
Stonehenge in England
Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico
“Aristotle said that a drama should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Okay, said Jean-Luc Godard, but maybe not in that order . . .”
“All wonder is the effect of novelty on ignorance.” – Samuel Johnson
“Barbara Walters has for 40 years perfected the subtle art of fame maintenance. Can this celebrity warhorse survive our blabbermouth age?”
Listen to this episode:
“Study: College students get an A in narcissism”:
E-Verse Radio Bad Book Cover of the Week:
War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells
“Wonder is the foundation of all philosophy, inquiry the progress, ignorance the end.” – Michel de Montaigne
“It can be ridiculously difficult for unproven authors to attract the attention of a publisher, not to mention an audience of readers. Increasingly, authors are turning to technology — specifically, the podcast — to get their name out there.”
E-Verse Radio town you really have to visit:
Wonder, Nevada
excerpt from “Town of Wonder” by David J. Dague
The town recklessly exploded from nowhere,
on an outcrop of high-grade ore.
Suddenly there was a bustling town,
where naught but desert had been seen before.
on an outcrop of high-grade ore.
Suddenly there was a bustling town,
where naught but desert had been seen before.
Raw canvass tents sprang up as shelter,
for the rowdy new dirt-floor saloons.
The best ones had upright pianos,
playing all the old ‘forty-niner tunes.
for the rowdy new dirt-floor saloons.
The best ones had upright pianos,
playing all the old ‘forty-niner tunes.
Next a wooden-framed shed for a general store,
then a “Certified” Office of Assay.
Promoter’s spanking-new Land Offices,
searched back East for prime greenhorn prey.
then a “Certified” Office of Assay.
Promoter’s spanking-new Land Offices,
searched back East for prime greenhorn prey.
The author, a Cowboy Poet, has this to say about the town that inspired the poem;
“Although ‘Town of Wonder’ is a whimsical poem, it does have some basis in fact. There was indeed a town named Wonder, Nevada, which came into
existence in 1906 and (appropriately) lasted 13 years. Some years ago I began exploring the Ghost Towns of eastern California and western Nevada and my Guidebook was (and still is) ‘Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps’ by Stanley W. Paher. My copy is a second printing, published in 1970, but this important book on Nevada’s history is now in its 13th printing. There was indeed a Fallon Stagecoach. It was a stage line that ran six-horse coaches between Wonder, Fairview and Fallon, Nevada. The following is a photo caption in Mr. Paher’s book beneath an old photo of the Nevada Wonder Mine.”
existence in 1906 and (appropriately) lasted 13 years. Some years ago I began exploring the Ghost Towns of eastern California and western Nevada and my Guidebook was (and still is) ‘Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps’ by Stanley W. Paher. My copy is a second printing, published in 1970, but this important book on Nevada’s history is now in its 13th printing. There was indeed a Fallon Stagecoach. It was a stage line that ran six-horse coaches between Wonder, Fairview and Fallon, Nevada. The following is a photo caption in Mr. Paher’s book beneath an old photo of the Nevada Wonder Mine.”
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation is planning a “national home for poetry” in the city’s River North district:
Fleming’s Follies:
Google Earth tour of Ancient Wonders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OoBwP2gvHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OoBwP2gvHA
New Seven Wonders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQBTz_0iazM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQBTz_0iazM
Google Earth tour of Modern wonders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ewSqPE0ZiI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ewSqPE0ZiI
Vote for the new seven wonders of the world at www.new7wonders.com
Bonus folly . . . crazy Aussie decides to travel round the world http://youtube.com/watch?v=KpCAvMtnizM the first to travel to the seven natural wonders of the world by land and sea and the youngest to circumnavigate the globe.
Should Musicians Be Composers As Well?
“The American public has a deeply ambivalent attitude toward scholarship. Parents are eager to have their children taught by leading scholars but are often bemused by what the scholars actually do, particularly in their work outside the classroom”:
A reader sends in the Seven Wonders of the US Roadtrip:
1. Biggest Ball of Twine
2. Cadillac Ranch
3. Wall Drug
4. South of the Border
5. Watts Tower
6. Lucy the Elephant
7. House on the Rock
2. Cadillac Ranch
3. Wall Drug
4. South of the Border
5. Watts Tower
6. Lucy the Elephant
7. House on the Rock
A reader sends in top five claimants to the title “eighth wonder of the world”:
1. King Kong
2. a video game called 8th Wonder of the World
3. Album by Kimberley Locke, former American Idol contestant
4. Milford Sound, New Zealand, so named by Rudyard Kipling
5. The Astrodome
6. Andr
2. a video game called 8th Wonder of the World
3. Album by Kimberley Locke, former American Idol contestant
4. Milford Sound, New Zealand, so named by Rudyard Kipling
5. The Astrodome
6. Andr
Comments
About the Author
2 Comments
Check this out in honour of St Patrick’s Day and for your next episode ‘All Things Irish’. I should mention that ‘Doogle’, if you don’t know, is a play on the name of Fr. Dougal from the cult Irish sit-com ‘Father Ted’ which starred the late Dermot Morgan and Ardal O’Hanlon. For more information on it, check out: http://www.feck.net/splange/
I think that will be a must for our Follies. I remember watching it in the mid-90’s before coming to the States where I wasn’t able to watch it at all. Rumor has it that they are doing a remake of it over here…hopefully they don’t butcher it. Thanks for the suggestion.