Across the fields as green as spinach,
Cropped as close as Time to Greenwich,
Stands a high house; if at all,
Spring comes like a Paisley shawl.
Patternings meticulous
And youthfully ridiculous.
In each room the yellow sun
Shakes like a canary, run
On run, roulade, and watery trill.
Yellow, meaningless, and shrill.
Face as white as any clock's,
Cased in parsley-dark curled locks.
All day long you sit and sew,
Stitch life down for fear it grow,
Stitch life down for fear we guess.
At the hidden ugliness.
Dusty voice that throbs with heat,
Hoping with your steel-thin beat
To put stitches in my mind,
Make it tidy, make it kind,
You shall not: I'll keep it free
Though you turn earth, sky and sea
To a patchwork quilt to keep
Your mind snug and warm in sleep!
~Dame Edith Sitwell~
1887-1964
I love the poem! Where do you find them? Making your pancakes in the morning.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ginny, so glad on both counts. I have collected several poetry books over the years, and this was probably out of one of those books. I don't remember which one exactly as I have had it in my share folder for some time now. Hope you like those pancakes :)
DeleteLovely words..
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Thank you Margaret, you too :)
DeleteThat photo flip me back in time that is the exact thing that my grandmother had even with drawers down the side. I can still see her sitting there sewing and I love to go through those drawers and look at all the bobbins and things that she had stored in there.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother had one of these also Sandra. I loved it! Nice memories of your own grandmother. Thank you for sharing them :)
DeleteI also got joy out of sitting and putting my feet on it and Petaling Petaling Petaling but not sewing
ReplyDeleteI can see why, that was fun to do :)
DeleteThank you Agnieszka, that makes me happy :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem and photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine :)
DeleteThat machine looks exactly like my Mums. Love the words. Stay safe and have a good weekend. Diane
ReplyDeleteHow very nice Diane :) I remember my grandmother’s old sowing machine. You have a good week and stay safe also.
DeleteThese beautiful old machines were heavily used as people made their own clothes and many other things.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed Red :)
DeleteLindo poema;
ReplyDeleteMinha sogra que é alemã tem uma dessas
máquinas.
Prazer em conhecer seu blog.
janicce.
Beautiful poem;
My mother-in-law who is German has one of these
machines.
Nice to know your blog.
janicce.
Olá Janicce e bem-vindos :) Estou feliz em conhecê-lo! Que interessante sua sogra ter uma máquina de costura antiga. Eu gostaria de ter a máquina de costura da minha avó. É muito parecido com este. Desejo-lhe uma feliz semana :)
DeleteMake it tidy. I like that.
ReplyDeleteBut if I may say so, I don't like the idea of stitching life down, to control it. Life can not be controlled. All we can control is how we deal with it. ~smile~
If I may say that....
🌸🌷🌺
I agree but I still enjoyed the poem. Thank you for the input :)
DeleteWe have a Singer sewing machine table like that!
ReplyDeleteWren x
How super! One would be very welcome here :) Thank you Wren.
DeleteHI denise,
ReplyDeleteA beautiful old Singer sewing machine, I can remember an old Aunty having and using one, also lovely and entertaining words ,
You both stay safe and well
John
Hi John, it seems many of us had a connection to these wonderful old sewing machines. Thank you and you both stay safe and well also 😊
DeleteI love that photograph, and thoroughly enjoyed the poem.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you Jan, so glad 😊. All the best to you too!
DeleteI love seeing the old machine, Denise. I have an old Household machine that my sister gave me. I use it more as a piece of furniture than a sewing machine. The poem is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI bet yours looks lovely Martha Ellen I would love one as a decorative touch 😊. Thank you!
DeleteI love the poem, and learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine! A newer one that that, but it was a treadle. You could take the belt off, and work the treadle like Sandra is talking about. The needle did not go up and down then.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rose, so glad. That must have been really interesting. I remember the sound of it from when my grandmother used hers.
Delete