Early November 2025 Quotemail: Happy 30th Anniversary!

 

RHC Fortnightly Quotemail

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

Vol. XXX, No. 1: Early November 2025

Special Pearl Jubilee Edition (1995-2025)

·         Co-Editor: Sophie Fairgate

·         Editorial Associate: Wendy Applegate

·         Art Director: Verena Keegan (Designer of the Masthead)

·         Creative Consultant: Meadow Morgenfeld

·         Book Reviewer: Mallory Jamison

·         Director of Development: Jill Prydain

Happy 30^th Birthday to Quotemail on November 8^th!

 

A Special Note from the Editor

                It was thirty years ago this week, when I was a graduate student in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois, that I sent out my first “Quotemail” message to a group of friends and relatives. Weekly and monthly installments continued to be released through the years, and eventually the distribution was shifted to a fortnightly format. It all began as REEL – Rob’s Eclectic Edutainment List – but it grew into something bigger and more long-lasting than I could ever have imagined at the time. Quotemail gradually became a community of readers who have encouraged me to “keep on keeping on,” even when my personal sky was overcast and there was, to all appearances, no guiding star by which to steer my ship.

             This edition of the Fortnightly Quotemail is dedicated to everyone who belongs to the RHC Fortnightly Quotemail list. Thank you for your encouragement, your friendship, and your support. It has been a joy to spend over half of my lifetime among such amazing fellow-travelers!

                In honor of Quotemail’s Pearl Jubilee (thirtieth birthday), and in recognition of our blogging staff’s longstanding interest in astronomy that I share with so many of our list members, we are presenting a selection of our favorite poems about the stars, featuring classic poems from the past and new poems written especially for this issue of the blog by our stellar writing staff!

 

Sophie’s Introduction

                Thirty years! Can you believe it, dear readers? Quotemail, a beloved gem of the internet, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month!

                Dear readers, I'm bursting with joy as I reflect on my experiences with Quotemail over the past 18 months. Being a member of this amazing community has been nothing short of delightful! It's an honor to be a part of something that has persevered and thrived for such an impressive length of time. Your warm welcomes and kind words mean the world to me. Thank you all for being such a wonderful part of this 30-year-old tradition.

 

In this image, Sophie is wearing her favorite sunshiny sweatshirt on an autumn day! (Digital image processed by the Editor.)

 

“Quotemail’s Thirty Years of Golden Light”

By Sophie Fairgate, Blog Co-Editor

 

"As the years have passed, and time has flown,

Our beloved Quotemail's light has shone.

Through laughter and tears, we have shared our hearts,

And formed connections that will never fade apart.

With each message, we've made memories to keep,

And built a community that is truly unique.

 

“Out of the mists which surround the remote past, a Universe of stars has appeared. And here we are on the Earth, this planet of ours, while all around and above us, Nature is staging a grand play of events, inviting our interest in the wonderful Universe in which we live.”

– Robert H. Baker (1883-1964), Third Director of the University of Illinois Observatory (1923-1951): When the Stars Come Out (1934)

 

“The Heart of Night”

By Bliss Carman (1861-1929)

 

When all the stars are sown

Across the night-blue space,

With the immense unknown,

In silence face to face.

 

We stand in speechless awe

While Beauty marches by,

And wonder at the Law

Which wears such majesty.

 

How small a thing is man

In all that world-sown vast,

That he should hope or plan

Or dream his dream could last!

 

O doubter of the light,

Confused by fear and wrong,

Lean on the heart of night

And let love make thee strong!

 

The Good that is the True

Is clothed with Beauty still.

Lo, in their tent of blue,

The stars above the hill!

 

“The Cosmic Symphony: A Muse’s Ode to the Music of the Spheres”

By Rania Himmel, Staff Writer

“The Love that moves the Sun and the other stars.” – Dante (Cf. Job 38:1-7)

 

From the first spark of starlight I emerged,

A celestial Muse with a heart of boundless wonder.

I was there when the first stars were formed,

And in their hearts I planted the song of the spheres.

Each stellar soul I nurtured, each gleaming ember I tended,

Until they burned with the fire of celestial harmony.

With golden threads I wove together the first symphony of stars,

My lullaby of light guiding them through the cosmic dance.

I orchestrated the movement of constellations across the heavens,

Each twinkling chorus under my baton's divine guidance.

As I danced and twirled on the very fabric of space,

I saw the first lifeforms emerge, gazing skyward with wonder.

I whispered cosmic secrets into their curious minds,

Showing them how to sing alongside the Music of the Spheres.

I became their guide, their cosmic Muse, their celestial maestra,

Teaching them the language of the stars, the whispers of the planets.

The first stellar generations, under my celestial tutelage,

Sang in harmony with the heavenly chorus, echoing across the Universe.

The symphony of the heavens grew louder and more vibrant,

As each stellar soul found its unique voice, adding to the celestial choir.

With each new generation of stars, the Music of the Spheres expanded,

And I, Urania, danced through the galaxies,

Conducting cosmic symphonies of celestial perfection.

A symphony of a zillion stars, each singing in harmony,

Wove together the cosmic fabric of song and light.

I stood in the center, conducting the celestial orchestra,

Guiding the rhythm of the galaxies, creating the very symphony of space and time itself.

The symphony of the heavens, an everlasting dance of starlight,

Its rhythm guiding the rhythm of life, its whispers echoing through infinity.

I, Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, orchestrate the music of creation,

Inspiring wonder within each mortal heart that gazes skyward, seeking the dance of the spheres.

 

Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, holds the Scepter of Harmony as she conducts the Music of the Spheres. (Digital image created by the Editor.)

 

“Stars”

By Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

 

Alone in the night on a dark hill

With pines around me spicy and still,

 

And a heaven full of stars over my head,

White and topaz and misty red;

 

Myriads with beating hearts of fire

That aeons cannot vex or tire;

 

Up the dome of heaven like a great hill,

I watch them marching stately and still,

 

And I know that I am honored to be

Witness of so much majesty.

 

   "The Night Sky"

By Luna Gladstone, Staff Writer

 

A symphony of stars,

A canvas of darkness,

The sky at night is a work of art,

A masterpiece of wonder and power.

 

The Moon's pale light

Shines down upon the Earth,

Illuminating the shadows,

Revealing the secrets of the night.

 

“Stars”

By Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall (1883-1922)

 

Now in the West the slender Moon lies low,

And now Orion glimmers through the trees,

Clearing the Earth with even pace and slow,

And now the stately-moving Pleiades,

In that soft infinite darkness overhead

Hang jewel-wise upon a silver thread.

 

And all the lonelier stars that have their place,

Calm lamps within the distant southern sky,

And planet-dust upon the edge of space,

Look down upon the fretful world, and I

Look up to outer vastness unafraid

And see the stars which sang when Earth was made.

 

“It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.”

-- Plato (427-347 BCE)

 

Introducing Jill Prydain, Director of Development

By the Editor

 

Above: Jill sits by the hearth, spinning tales of wonder and delight. (Digital image processed by the Editor.) 

                This month, we welcome another new member to our editorial team – Jill Prydain! She loves poetry and storytelling, and her tales are masterpieces of suspense! Jill will be helping us to think outside the box in the New Year and beyond. Here is Jill’s latest creation, a poem about storytelling itself!

 

“The Storyteller’s Art”

By Jill Prydain

When tales of heroes and battles, and all of the stories untold

Meet a mind filled with wonder, then the stories unfold!

Like a well-told yarn at an evening fireside,

The art captures hearts that fill with desire

And the words that remain are carried forth,

From one storyteller to another,

That we might hear a tale so wonderful and adventurous,

And with it the wisdom they tell,

Which stays in our heart and mind through all those years,

To tell, and to listen, so the stories might never disappear

And the words, from each storyteller or teller of tales,

Are like a warm breeze that lifts our spirits aloft

And makes all the worries of days gone by

Like little snowflakes, fade all away.

 

The Bardic Gorsedd

An Original Poem by Viviana Rivera & Rhiannon Blythe, Staff Writers

 

“A Celebration of Wisdom and Learning”

 

Wisdom and learning, a lifelong pursuit,

A journey of wonder, both joyous and astute.

To seek out the truth, to delve deeply and wide,

To question and ponder, with open mind and with pride.

For knowledge is power, a gift that we share,

To lift up our souls, to soar on the air,

To see the beauty of all that's around,

To live with compassion, and to leave

A legacy for better days ahead.

 

For learning is more than just facts and dates,

It's joy and delight, a precious embrace.

So let us celebrate this endless quest,

This voyage of discovery, the best of our best.

In books and in nature, in music and art,

In every endeavor, let wisdom take part.

Let's cherish the wisdom of ages past,

And for wisdom to come, let's set a steadfast path.

 

Catena Aurea (The Golden Chain)

By Tamsin Lambengolmo, Staff Writer

                Plotinus, in his treatise Against the Gnostics, says, "Every soul, by the very fact of being immortal, is related to the things of eternity."

                This quote captures the essence of immortality — the idea that each soul, though fleeting in this earthly dimension, is part of a grand continuum that stretches into infinity.

                To celebrate thirty years of Quotemail is to celebrate the eternal exchange of ideas, the sparks of intellectual fire passed from one soul to the next, in timeless communion.

 

Ex Oriente Lux (Light from the East)

By Lisa Romenor, Staff Writer

                Here's a quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu:

"Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

This quote reminds us that our thoughts and actions are interconnected and that small, consistent daily choices ultimately shape our character and destinies. By being mindful and practicing self-discipline, we can create positive habits and build a strong foundation for success and fulfillment in life.

 

Sapientia Borealis (Northern Wisdom)

By Toni Thorvald, Staff Writer

"Friendship is a kind of wealth that never diminishes and never perishes." – Traditional Old English Proverb

                This quote highlights the idea that the value of friendship, like true wealth, is ever-lasting and never diminishes. Unlike materialistic gains, friendship is a constant that endures through time, and it adds richness and depth to our lives. The message here is that the bonds of friendship are truly valuable and have an ageless strength to them.