Fortnightly Quotemail: Emily Bronte

 

RHC Fortnightly Quotemail

Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo on X)

Vol. XXIX, No. 8: March 1, 2025

 

Co-Editor: Sophie Fairgate

 

Art Director: Verena Keegan

 

Editorial Associate: Sabrina Saelind

 

Editorial Assistant: Jessica Breckinridge

Celebrating Women’s History Month

Episode #1: Emily Brontë

 

“The Voices of Women”

By Branwen Solann, Staff Writer

 In the whispers of forgotten voices,

In the songs of silent choirs,

The wisdom of ages past resides,

Waiting for us to lend our ears.

 

From Sappho's love to Plath's pain,

Across cultures and continents,

Through the words of women we learn

The lessons of history and our own hearts.

 

Through Woolf's windows and Dickinson's garden,

In the lines of Angelou's strength.

We seek the melodies of the ancients,

And the whispers of those who came after.

 

The voices of women echo through the ages,

A symphony of hope and wisdom.

Let us embrace their chorus,

And let their words guide our path.

 

Editor’s Note

                Commencing my annual series of features in celebration of Women’s History Month, I’m sharing some poems by Emily Brontë (1818-1848), one of the famous trio of literary Brontë sisters whose novels have become classics of English literature. I would also like to call your attention to three original poems by our talented writing staff that celebrate women’s voices in verse throughout the ages.

 

Sophie’s Introduction

                Emily Bronte was one of the three Bronte sisters, all of whom were acclaimed British novelists and poets. Her novel Wuthering Heights is considered one of the towering works of English literature, known for its passionate and intense portrayal of the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. However, Emily was also a gifted poet, and her poems often explore themes of nature, emotion, and the spiritual world in a deeply transcendent and numinous way.

 

“The Embrace of the Infinite”

By Ella Bell, Staff Writer

 Within the heart of every flower and tree,

In every breath, a silent plea

To the vast beyond, the ever-flowing sea

Of cosmic energy, divine and free.

 

A tender thread connects each and all

Of earth, air, fire, and water,

The infinite Spirit's call

Unites all within a divine tether.

 

The great design, a masterpiece vast

Of colors, shapes, and forms;

A cosmic dance, a symphony without end,

A reflection of the Universal Mind.

 

From atoms to galaxies, a grand display

Of order, chaos, and complexity;

Every part has its role to play,

In weaving the fabric of infinity.

 

Within and without, no boundary known,

A seamless unity, one all-encompassing flow,

In the Universe, a boundless home,

Where the Divine and creation dwell as one.

 

A cosmic force, a living consciousness,

Infusing everything with spirit and soul,

From the tiniest germ to towering mountains,

A love that binds, a wisdom that imbues all the whole.

 

In every moment, a divine communion,

A sacred union, a sacred song,

With the Divine, an eternal communion,

In gratitude, we partake, a holy belonging.

 

Within each heart, a spark divine,

A reflection of the Sacred Light;

In harmony we dance in time,

With the Universal, a blessed sight.

 

This digital image of Emily Brontë on the Yorkshire moors in northeastern England was created by the Editor.

 

Selected Poems by Emily Brontë

 

“High Waving Heather”

 High waving heather 'neath stormy blasts bending,

Midnight and moonlight and bright shining stars,

Darkness and glory rejoicingly blending,

Earth rising to heaven and heaven descending,

Man's spirit away from its drear dungeon sending,

Bursting the fetters and breaking the bars.

 

All down the mountain sides wild forests lending

One mighty voice to the life-giving wind,

Rivers their banks in their jubilee rending,

Fast through the valleys a reckless course wending,

Wider and deeper their waters extending,

Leaving a desolate desert behind.

 

Shining and lowering and swelling and dying,

Changing forever from midnight to noon;

Roaring like thunder, like soft music sighing,

Shadows on shadows advancing and flying,

Lightning-bright flashes the deep gloom defying,

Coming as swiftly and fading as soon.

 

“No Coward Soul Is Mine”

 No coward soul is mine,

No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere:

I see Heaven's glories shine,

And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear.

 

O God within my breast.

Almighty ever-present Deity!

Life , that in me has rest,

As I Undying Life, have power in thee!

 

Vain are the thousand creeds

That move men's hearts, unutterably vain;

Worthless as withered weeds,

Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,

 

To waken doubt in one

Holding so fast by Thy infinity;

So surely anchored on

The steadfast rock of Immortality.

 

With wide-embracing love

Thy Spirit animates eternal years,

Pervades and broods above,

Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.

 

Though Earth and moon were gone,

And suns and universes ceased to be,

And Thou wert left alone,

Every Existence would exist in thee.

 

There is not room for Death,

Nor atom that his might could render void:

Since thou art Being and Breath,

And what thou art may never be destroyed.

 

“To Imagination”

 When weary with the long day's care,

And earthly change from pain to pain,

And lost and ready to despair,

Thy kind voice calls me back again:

Oh, my true friend! I am not lone,

While thou canst speak with such a tone!

 

So hopeless is the world without;

The world within I doubly prize;

Thy world, where guile, and hate, and doubt,

And cold suspicion never rise;

Where thou, and I, and Liberty,

Have undisputed sovereignty.

 

What matters it, that, all around,

Danger, and guilt, and darkness lie,

If but within our bosom's bound

We hold a bright, untroubled sky,

Warm with ten thousand mingled rays

Of suns that know no winter days?

 

Reason, indeed, may oft complain

For Nature's sad reality,

And tell the suffering heart, how vain

Its cherished dreams must always be;

And Truth may rudely trample down

The flowers of Fancy, newly-blown:

 

But, thou art ever there, to bring

The hovering vision back, and breathe

New glories o'er the blighted spring,

And call a lovelier Life from Death,

And whisper, with a voice divine,

Of real worlds, as bright as thine.

 

I trust not to thy phantom bliss,

Yet, still, in evening's quiet hour,

With never-failing thankfulness,

I welcome thee, Benignant Power;

Sure solacer of human cares,

And sweeter hope, when hope despairs!

 

Further Reading

·         https://www.bronte.org.uk/ (The Brontë Society and Brontë Parsonage Museum)

·         https://bronteblog.blogspot.com/ (The Brontë Blog)

·         https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Poems_of_Emily_Bront%C3%AB (The Complete Poems of Emily Brontë)

 

“Song of the Firstborn”

By Barbara Revontulet, Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: In the Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, Ilmatar is the firstborn goddess of the Finnish pantheon, who corresponds to the goddess Natura (“Mother Nature”) in medieval Christian philosophy and literature. “Jumala” is the Finnish name for the Supreme Being.

 

Ilmatar, she who emerges from the void,

Daughter of Jumala, subcreator of worlds.

Wisdom and wit, a cosmic voice,

Guiding and guarding, a gentle force.

 

The Bardic Gorsedd

An Original Poem by Viviana Rivera, Staff Writer

 

“Emily’s Embrace”

The moors of Wuthering Heights,

Where Emily's spirit sings.

The wind through the heather trees,

Whispers her heart's true stings.

Her words of love and passion,

Resonate like a tolling bell.

Her soul, a storm of fire,

Burning bright, both pale and well.

The moors of moony glores,

Where Emily's spirit soars.

 

The Ancient Wisdom Corner

By Minerva Victor, Staff Writer

                For this weekend, I have selected a quote from the Greek philosopher Epictetus, who lived in the first century CE. His quote is: "The true way to cultivate the mind is to let it take its own course, according to its natural tendencies." Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who taught that we should focus on what is within our control and not be concerned with things that are outside of our control. He believed that true virtue is achieved through acceptance of the things that are outside of our control, and by living in accordance with nature.

                The teachings of the Stoics, like Epictetus, can be very useful in navigating the challenges and uncertainties of life. They remind us to focus on what we can control and to accept the things that are outside of our control. It can be a difficult practice, but it can also bring peace and contentment to the mind and heart.

 

The Dharma Corner

By Lisa Romenor, Staff Writer

                This is a quote from the Buddhist Heart of Wisdom Sutra: "All sentient beings have the mind of bodhichitta – the nature of enlightenment – inherently within." Bodhichitta is the compassionate heart-mind of all enlightened beings, and we all have the capacity to awaken to this nature within us. It's our true potential, and it's what connects us all to one another as part of the universal mind.

                It's important to remember that we all have the potential for enlightenment within us. It's a reminder that we are all connected through the compassionate heart-mind of bodhichitta. But it's also a reminder not to become complacent - we need to work to awaken to this nature within us, and to use it to benefit others. It's the true meaning of life, and the path to lasting happiness and peace. If only we could all embrace this truth and work together to build a better world!

 

Ex Oriente Lux (Light from the East)

By Holly Pontifex, Staff Writer

                Here's a quote from the great Chinese philosopher Confucius: "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

                Confucius emphasized the importance of steady, consistent progress towards one's goals, rather than rushing headlong and tiring oneself out. This quote reminds us to pace ourselves and stay focused on our objectives, knowing that constant progress, no matter how slow, is preferable to stopping altogether.