Enwrought Light
PUBLIC SCULPTURE, LONDON
Tuesday 06 September 2022
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.​
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W.B. YEATS
I so enjoyed being a small part of this initiative and creating the outdoor interpretative signboard for the dazzling sculpture ‘Enwrought Light’ in Bedford Park, London. This prestigious project was founded by Cahal Dallat and commemorates the poet W.B. Yeats, who was a resident of the area for many years. The unveiling event was followed by a wonderful evening listening to poetry readings by actors Sinéad Cusack, Ciarán Hinds, Ruth Negga, and Jeremy Irons.
'Enwrought with golden and silver light...'
The poem 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' has always meant so much to me.
My involvement in this project was especially meaningful for me, as I used to live in beautiful Bedford Park in the early 1990s when I was working in London.
'Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.'
Sunday 29 October 2023
Seamus Heaney - A Life in Letters
Yesterday, I attended this wonderfully inspiring event at the Southbank Centre in London. Sitting in the auditorium and listening to Ciarán Hinds read Seamus Heaney’s letters, and then a discussion with a panel of poets and writers was a truly memorable experience. It felt quite magical being there... and worlds apart from my quiet life in Cape Town.
...then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.
SEAMUS HEANEY
The Song of Wandering Aengus
BY WB YEATS - READ BY MICHAEL GAMBON
This is such a beautiful poem and such a poignant reading; it is truly one of my favourites.
I will be forever thankful to great actors who touch our hearts through their readings
so that our lives are deeper, more textured, and filled with beauty and meaning.
'The silver apples of the moon, The golden apples of the sun.'
The Heart of the Woods
BY AUGUSTA, LADY GREGORY - READ BY DOIREANN NI GHRIOFA
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After reading Lady Gregory - An Irish Life, I became enchanted by what I read of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and then, after reading Peter Brook's thought-provoking The Open Door - Thoughts on Acting and Theatre, I became enamoured by thoughts of the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, and although both touched my romantic sensibilities, sadly, I have never had the chance to visit either. I did, however, find this wonderful poem that spoke to me about so much that I treasure and hold dear in my life.
Thursday 5 October 2021
The American Poets
Last night I hopped on a bus from where I was staying at our cousin’s home in Belsize Park, and I went to the British Library, where for a few hours I experienced the most enjoyable evening listening to The Poetry Hour's 'The American Poets'.
