Sentiments and Questions

Sentimental--(Adjective, org.1749); a) marked or governed by feeling, sensibility or emotional idealism; b) resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought

Perhaps you've dubbed yourself a 'realist' or a 'rationalist', but you must admit that at some point in your life (some having more of these 'points' than others) you've had a bit of a 'sentimentalist' creep out of you. Could be buried down deep and not show its face but every 20 years or so, but nevertheless, it does exist within you. I will admit that there are certain people and things and situations which bring out the sentimentalism in me a little more readily. One of these 'things' is good, classic literature. The past few years, I have made it a goal to, on a yearly basis, read a couple of Classics, largely because I don't have a background that was exposed to many of these works, and also because once I started reading a few of these books, my desire to read more of them increased. I also found that while the sentimental side of me may have been touched, I did not go into a 'disconnect' in regards to the Feeling and Reasoning portion of my being; the Classic works I read engaged both 'feeling, reason and thought'.
A few weeks ago, I 'stumbled' across another genre of literature that I never really thought to make part of my repertoire of books: Poetry. I say 'stumbled across' because I honestly never was that interested in reading poetry. Somehow, my 'path' crossed 'paths' with a particular poem twice within one week. This poem was referenced in a book I was reading at the time, and then it appeared in a little snippet on the back of my Smithsonian magazine across an advertisement for life insurance! I decided to check it out and read a few more works by this poet. So a couple of days later, I found myself at the library checking out a book of poetical works by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. After reading through a few of these works, I couldn't help but think that out of all of the things I may envy another person for, the ability to aptly use the English language in such a clear and intelligent way that it grabs a person both cognitively and emotionally is one that I may have difficulty ridding myself of. While one may think that poetry is pure emotionalism, I'll wager you've never tried to utilize your brain in such a way as to pen words that flow with rhyme and meter, and creativity and sentimentality. So, I'm letting my sentiments flow by sharing a little bit of E. Barrett Browning with you; hope you enjoy it (sentimentalists, non-sentimentalists, and secretive sentimentalists alike)!

Sonnet XLIII

How do I love thee? Let me count the
ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and
height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of
sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from
Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's
faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with
the breath,
Smiles,tears, of all my life!--and, if God
choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.


Loved Once (portions of sonnet)

I classed, appraising once,
Earth's lamentable sounds,--the wella-
day,
The jarring yea and nay,
The fall of kisses on unanswering clay,
The sobbed farewell, the welcome mourn-
fuller,---
But all did leaven the air
With a less bitter leaven of sure despair
Than these words--'I loved ONCE'.

And who saith 'I loved ONCE'?
Not angels,--whose clear eyes, love, love
foresee,
Love, through eternity,
And by To Love do apprehend To Be.
Not God, called LOVE, His noble crown-
name casting,
A light too broad for blasting;
The great God, changing not from ever-
lasting,
Saith never 'I loved ONCE'.

Say never ye loved ONCE:
God is too near above, the grave beneath,
And all our moments breathe
Too quick in mysteries of life and death,
For such a word. The eternities avenge
Affections light of range.
There comes no change to justify that
change,
Whatever comes---Loved ONCE!

And yet that same word ONCE
Is humanly acceptive. Kings have said,
Shaking a discrowned head,
'We ruled once,'--dotards, 'We once
taught and led,'
Cripples once danced i' the vines, and bards
approved,
Were once by scornings moved;
But love strikes one hour--LOVE! Those
never loved
Who dream that they loved ONCE.


So to all of you who have never 'loved once'.... any thoughts? Words of wisdom? Funny stories or anecdotes? I leave it open-ended on purpose, hoping that any who wish to 'opine' on the matter (as Bill O' Reilly would say) will do so.
Happy Valentines Day to all of you love birds out there from this currently sentimental sap who hopes that the word 'ONCE' never enters into your story of and definition of 'Love'.
I Corinthians 13 -- " Love never fails...."