Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - A Girl Reading, John Philip Sousa, John Philip Sousa - The Gladiator, John Milton - Pardise Lost, Robert Louis Stevenson - A Good Play

I'm not sure how this will come into your in-box, but it is the second post of this week, meant for next week as I won't have internet access to post then, so scroll down or look for the post before it for this week, then use this one next week.  Blessings, Patti

 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot A Girl Reading

A Quote by Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot: "Beauty in art is truth bathed in an impression received from nature. I am struck upon seeing a certain place. While I strive for conscientious imitation, I yet never for an instant lose the emotion that has taken hold of me."

 John Philip Sousa - The Gladiator
 Played here by the Cypress High School Marching Band
or here by Kings Park Concert Band

John Milton
Paradise Lost is perhaps his most famous poem. Two short excerpts follow:

Book I Lines 1-16
Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the  beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th' Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme,...

 Book III, Lines 1-6
   Hail, holy Light, offspring of Heaven first-born!
Or of th' Eternal coeternal beam,
may I express thee unblamed? since God is light,
And never but in unapporached light
Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee,
Bright effluence of bright essence increate!

Robert Louis Stevenson

A Good Play

We built a ship upon the stairs
All made of the back-bedroom chairs,
And filled it full of soft pillows
To go a-sailing on the billows.

We took a saw and several nails,
And water in the nursery pails;
And Tom said, "Let us also take
An apple and a slice of cake;"--
Which was enough for Tom and me
To go a-sailing on, till tea.

We sailed along for days and days,
And had the very best of plays;
But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,