Monday, January 10, 2011

When he spoke

“When he spoke, what tender words he used! 

So softly, that like flakes of feathered snow, 

They melted as they fell.”

--John Dryden

10 comments:

  1. May those tender words melt our hardened hearts.

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  2. Have you ever heard such tender words spoken? Have you ever spoken them yourself?

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  3. Hannah, if your question is for me, I have heard such tender words spoken, but I have not always listened well or taken them to heart. I have at times spoken such words, but in recent years, not often enough, nor tenderly enough.

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  4. I especially loved that last line, "They melted as they fell." Like his words were so precious, but you had only an instant to hear them...

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  5. Hi Robert (H. Heide). I wasn't asking you personally, but I am so glad that you answered. I have NOT heard such words spoken nor have I ever spoken them myself. That is my sadness. As of late, I have realized how lacking in tenderness my own words have been.

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  6. lovely! I love looking at snowflakes up close. So BEAUTIFUL!

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  7. Thank you all for your lovely comments. Cimorine, it's so nice to hear from you again! For those of you who wonder, once upon a dream I heard tender words such as the ones spoken of in this quote; and though I was shivering, the sound of those words warmed me as does a gentle Summer breeze. Sometimes the words still whisper, as the sound of the sea echoes in a shell. May Almighty God bless you all with the loving warmth of such tender words.

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  8. I have searched for the context of this quote, finally found it on gutenberg.org.

    It is from a play called "The Spanish Friar or, The Double Discovery"

    It is a tragic comedy, and is considered "one of the best and most popular of Dryden's dramatic efforts."

    The quote comes from the lips of a lady (Leonora) who is attracted to a man, (Torrismond) and here she explains why:

    Leo. A change so swift what heart did ever feel!
    It rushed upon me like a mighty stream,
    And bore me, in a moment, far from shore.
    I loved away myself; in one short hour
    Already am I gone an age of passion.
    Was it his youth, his valour, or success?
    These might, perhaps, be found in other men:
    'Twas that respect, that awful homage, paid me;
    That fearful love, which trembled in his eyes,
    And with a silent earthquake shook his soul.
    But, when he spoke, what tender words he said!
    So softly, that, like flakes of feathered snow,
    They melted as they fell.—

    This play may be found here:
    Volume 6 of 18 of his collected works:

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16456/16456-h/16456-h.htm

    Search for: "tender words," or scroll about 4/5ths down.

    I may download the book and read the play.

    God bless all here!

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  9. Thank you very much, Robert, for this most interesting discovery. I had not heard of this play before now, but I will read it. May God bless you and your dear ones.

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  10. In my enthusiasm, I actually copied the gutenberg text and formatted as a pdf.

    You can find it here

    http://thenimblepen.blogspot.com/p/play-by-john-dryden.html

    You're welcome, and thank you!

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