Poetry

Über allen Gipfeln Ist Ruh, In allen Wipfeln Spürest du Kaum einen Hauch; Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde. Warte nur! Balde Ruhest du auch. — Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Over all the mountain peaks Is peace, In all the treetops You sense Scarcely a breath; The little birds fall silent in the woods. Only wait! Soon You too shall find rest.

since feeling is first who pays attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you; wholly to be a fool while spring is in the world my blood approves and kisses are a better fate than wisdom lady I swear by all flowers. Don't cry — the best gesture of my brain is less than your eyelids' flutter which says we are for each other: then laugh, leaning back in my arms for life's not a paragraph And death i think is no parenthesis — e. e. cummings

But those who hope in the Lord    will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint. — Isaiah 40:31

Nu är flamman slocknad, bara tidens långa flöde glider jämt förbi. Vara samman, skiljas, fara, det är så vart öde är bestämt att bli. — Bo Bergman

Now the flame is extinguished, only time's long tides glide for ever past. To be together, to separate, to journey, it is thus our fate is destined to be.

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed by the salley gardens on her little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree; But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree. In a field by the river my love and I did stand, And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. She said to take life easy, as the grass grow on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears. — William Butler Yeats

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogroves,  And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  The frumious Bandersnatch! He took his vorpal sword in hand:  Long time the manxsome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree  And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood,  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,  And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head  He went gallumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?  Come to my arms, my beamish boy! Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"  He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogroves,  And the mome raths outgrabe. — Lewis Carroll

Il brilgue: les tôves lubricilleux Se gyrent en vrillant dans le guave. Enmîmés sont les gougebosqueux Et le mômerade horsgrave. «Garde-toi du Jaseroque, mon fils! La gueule qui mord; la griffe qui prend! Garde-toi de l'oiseau Jube, évite Le frumieux Band-à-prend!» Son glaive vorpal en main, il va- T-à la recherche du fauve manscant; Puis arrivé à l'arbre Té-té, Il y reste, réfléchissant. Pendant qu'il pense, tout uffusé, Le Jaseroque, à l'oeil flambant, Vient siblant par le bois tullegeais, Et burble en venant. Un deux, un deux, par le milieu, Le glaive vorpal fait pat-à-pan! La bête défaite, avec sa tête, Il rentre gallomphant. «As-tu tué le Jaseroque? Viens à mon coeur, fils rayonnais! Ô jour frabbejais! Calleau! Callai!» Il cortule dans sa joie. Il brilgue: les tôves lubricilleux Se gyrent en vrillant dans le guave. Enmîmés sont les gougebosqueux Et le mômerade horsgrave.

Es brillig war. Die schlichten Toven Wirrten und wimmelten in Waben; Und aller-mümsige Burggoven Die mohmen Räth' ausgraben. »Bewahre doch vor Jammerwoch! Die Zähne knirschen, Krallen kratzen! Bewahr' vor Jubjub-Vogel, vor Frumiösen Banderschnätzchen!« Er griff sein vorpals Schwertchen zu, Er suchte lang das manchsam' Ding; Dann, stehend unterm Tumtum Baum, Er an-zu-denken-fing. Als stand er tief in Andacht auf, Des Jammerwochen's Augen-feuer Durch turgen Wald mit Wiffek kam Ein burbelnd Ungeheuer! Eins, Zwei! Eins, Zwei! Und durch und durch Sein vorpals Schwert zerschnifer-schnück, Da blieb es todt! Er, Kopf in Hand, Geläumfig zog zurück. »Und schlugst Du ja den Jammerwoch? Umarme mich, mein Böhm'sches Kind! O Freuden-Tag! O Halloo-Schlag!« Er schortelt froh-gesinnt. Es brillig war. Die schlichten Toven Wirrten und wimmelten in Waben; Und aller-mümsige Burggoven Die mohmen Räth' ausgraben.

Flashes of Wisdom

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody is looking. — H. L. Mencken

If you make every game a life-and-death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot. — Dean Smith, UNC basketball coach

Always remember to pillage before you burn. — Unknown

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. — Mark Twain

In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane. — Mark Twain

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. — Douglas Adams

Diplomacy is the art of letting other people get your way. — Unknown

If you can't convince them, confuse them. — Harry S Truman

The difference between theory and real life is that in theory, there is no difference between theory and real life, but in real life, there is a difference. — Marshall Spight

A meeting moves at the speed of the slowest mind in the room. (In other words, all but one participant will be bored, all but one mind underused.) — Dale Dauten

Language Virtuosity

"Hello," he lied. — Don Carpenter quoting a Hollywood agent

... A solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity. — Mark Twain

On Society

The greatest question of our time is ... whether men can live without God. — Will Durant

An eye for an eye only ends in making the world blind. — Gandhi

Marriage is not so much finding the right person as it is being the right person. — Charlie W. Shedd

Happiness depends on what you can give, not what you can get. — Unknown

First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. — Gandhi

On Science

In a congressional hearing: "When asked how particle physics contributes to the defense of our country, Robert Wilson replied that it makes the country worth defending." — Shu, p.101

I take it by your lack of an actual measuring device that this is more of an art than a science. — Adrian Rollett

Foolproof systems don't take account of the ingenuity of fools. — Unknown

Quantum Mechanics: the dreams that stuff is made of. — Unknown

Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines. — Enzo Ferrari

On Computers

Because user errors often produce unpredictable results, the user should try to avoid them. — IBM MVS/XA System Programming Library

Contrary to popular belief, Unix is user friendly. It just happens to be selective about who it makes friends with. — Kyle Hearn

A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God. — Unknown

Windows 95: n. 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition. — Unknown

Computers are useless; they can only give you answers! — Picasso

On Music

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. — Charlie Parker