Below is my 1,000 words in progress. I have it down to 1024. Still some decisions to be made.

Click here to view the examples that were the inspiration for this assignment.

First Amendment to the constitution (45 words)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

 

Freedom of speech (and religion) has to come first in this appreciation of words.

1 Corinthians 13:4- (95 words)

Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never beautiful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

Psalm 118:24 (16 words)

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

These two passages from the Bible were highlighted in my mother’s Bible (a paraphrased translation). The verse from Psalm 118 was the theme of my eulogy at her funeral. I read the passage from first Corinthians as a part of the eulogy as well. Each captured an important aspect of who she was.

Angel on the television show Angel (60 words)

Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It’s harsh, and cruel. But that’s why there’s us. . . . It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what is should be, to show it what it can be.

Angel, the vampire with a soul, is referring to heroes in this quote, but it seems to provide a good way for anyone to approach a world in which things seem ugly. I've had this quote taped to my computer for a couple of years.

Excerpt from The Battle of Maldon, (Old English poem, translated—90 words)

Byrhtwold grasped his shield and spoke.
He was an old companion. He brandished his ash-spear
and most boldly urged on the warriors:
“Mind must be the firm, heart the more fierce,
courage the greater, as our strength diminishes.
Here lies our leader, hewn down,
an heroic man in the dust.
He who now longs to escape will lament for ever.
I am old. I will not go from here,
but I mean to lie by the side of my lord,
lie in the dust with man I loved so dearly.”

William Shakespeare, from Henry V (132 words)

This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

* * *

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

These two passages from literature are the words of soldiers facing a hopeless battle. Byrthwold is an old warrior in the middle of a fight in which he will shortly die. Henry is a young king about to lead a small army against an overwhelming French force. (The English win a miraculous victory with few losses.) At the point of what seems certain death, each expresses what makes life good.

William Blake, Proverb of Hell from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (10 words)

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom

This very famous line is usually quoted out of context—just as I have done. I may include some of the other Proverbs eventually. But it expresses the idea that excess can be good. Simply put, you don’t know what moderation is until you have gone overboard.

Indigo Girls, “Get Out the Map” (63 words)

Get out the map get out the map and lay your finger anywhere down We’ll leave the figuring to those we pass on our way out of town Don’t drink the water there seems to be something ailing everyone I’m gonna clear my head I’m gonna drink that sun I’m gonna love you good and strong while our love is good and young.

This is the chorus to “our song” for my wife and me. “Get out the map” is kind of a motto for us. (I have typed up the lyrics just as they appear in the cd, even though it doesn’t present them as lines of poetry as one would expect.)

Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone” (214 words)

 

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel

How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home

Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

The last half of a great song from my youth.

Geoffrey Chaucer, The opening lines to The Canterbury Tales, (128 words)

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swith licour
Of which vertu endendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne.
And smale foweles maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
(So Priketh hem Nature in hir corages),

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes.
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
Who hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

Simply, the most beautiful lines ever written. They express the renewal of spring. And surviving the winter was a big deal 600 years ago. Chaucer speaks to me more than any other writer. Sorry that it's in Middle English. I'll find links to a reading and to a translation.

Geoffrey Chaucer, Also from The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, (8 words)

And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.

This line sums up the clerk, one of the pilgrims on the journey to Canterbury. It is a teacher’s, or scholar’s, motto if ever there was one. I think you can read this one in Middle English.

Dialogue from the movie Casablanca (163 words)

Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.

Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you.

Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking at you kid.

Rick’s words express the value of sacrifice, that there are more important things than one’s personal happiness—even when it is about love. There are many famous lines in this passage, but I'm not sure they capture much out of the context of the movie.

Henry David Thoreau,

I'm thinking about some potential passages from Walden and/or “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau’s ideas were very important to me when I was young.