Hans Heysen-Droving into the Light, Engelbert Humperdinck-Hansel and Gretel:Evening Prayer, John Donne - Daybreak

This painting by Hans Heysen is a typical landscape.  Seeing his trees and the mountains in the distance makes me want to visit Australlia.  The drover on the horse gives you a feeling of motion while the light and the scenery give a feeling of standing in awe.

Droving into the Light - Hans Heysen

I need to apologize for not previewing the whole opera of Hansel and Gretel before choosing it.  Listening to the next section I decided that though the music is beautiful, the scenes and content aren't something I want to show my children or can recommend to you.  If you have time to preview, you may want to continue with the whole opera - it's not worse than many Disney movies, so it may depend on your family's taste and exposure to movies.  But I did find this lovely piece from the opera that we can all enjoy this week, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel: Evening Prayer. 

I got the title wrong on the second poem by John Donne that I am memorizing with my children - it is Daybreak rather than Break of Day which is a more adult love poem.  So here is Daybreak by John Donne...

Stay, O sweet, and do not rise;
The light that shines comes from thine eyes;
The day breaks not, it is my heart,
Because that you and I  must part.
Stay, or else my joys will die
And perish in their infancy.