Heirloom Jewelry

TURQUOISE, EMERALD, JADE
ACCUSTOMED, CERMONIOUS

The Little Treasure Chest
Władysław Czachórski (1850 – 1911)
Polish artist and master of rendering luxury fabrics and jewelry

A CONTINUATION OF LAST TIME'S THEME:
MORE PRECIOUS JEWELS . . .

Jewels in my Hand

I hold dead friends like jewels in my hand
Watching their brilliance gleam against my palm
Turquoise and emerald, jade, a golden band

All ravages of time they can withstand
Like talismans their grace keeps me from harm
I hold dead friends like jewels in my hand

I see them standing in some borderland
Their heads half-turned, waiting for my arm
Turquoise and emerald, jade, a golden band

I'm not afraid they will misunderstand
My turning to them like a magic charm
I hold dead friends like jewels in my hand
Turquoise and emerald, jade, a golden band

By Sasha Moorsom (1931-1993)
Written shortly before she died of cancer

Lady With Jewels (1890) ~ Władysław Czachórski
[The green jewelry box appears in all three paintings: here, above, and below]

Post-War
In France there was some heirloom jewellery,
Smuggled and hidden in the Nazi years,
Now found again and mostly ownerless.
It crouched inside my palm as family

Survivor. I recognised the bracelet
And the ring, Victorian brooches set in
Filigree with weeping rubies. Secret
Histories escaping in a tin

From gas and ash, divorced from neck and arm,
The warmth that cradled them in Kaiser's time
Or later in the 20s decadence.
Now, in this island's twilight, life or chance

On certain days will bring these items out
To give them air, to mourn, to celebrate.

Lotte Kramer (b 1923)
Written in recollection of her parents, lost in the Holocaust

The Letter (1896) ~ Władysław Czachórski

Next Fortnightly Post ~ More jewels to come!
Wednesday, June 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com

Re: Jewel, Rainbow, Splendor

JEWEL RAINBOW SPLENDOR
ACCUSTOMED, CERMONIOUS

Remember this beloved quotation from Joan Baez? Back in high school, I had a small poster that looked almost like this, hanging on my bedroom wall. Despite my archival tendencies, I somehow or other have failed to retain my old paper copy. However, I was successful in using the internet to track down the above version that nearly resembles mine from the 1970s.

I also came across this rendition and could not help wondering why it is attributed to Corita Kent — when we know the words are by Joan Baez? Well, it’s because Corita Kent was the amazing artist / nun who made the silk screen of the Joan Baez lyrics . . .

. . . and the 1985 USPS Love Stamp:

I also loved these Joni Mitchell lyrics,
but never had the poster:

"And the sun poured in like butterscotch
and stuck to all my senses
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses . . . "

I discovered this gorgeous unique
jewel of Nature in my own front yard!

I can never think of jewels, precious jewels, without recalling this soulful old hymn that my grandmother used to sing. It seemed like a children's song to me at the time, and I can still hear it, ever so faintly as a lullaby:

Precious Jewels
Sung by Alison Krauss

When He cometh, when He cometh
To take up his jewels
All his jewels, precious jewels
His Loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning
His bright crown adorning
hey will shine in their beauty
Bright gems for his crown.

He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom
All the pure ones, all the bright ones
His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning
His bright crown adorning
They will shine in their beauty
Bright gems for his crown.

Little children, little children
O love their Redeemer
All the jewels, precious jewels
His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning
His bright crown adorning
They will shine in their beauty
Bright gems for his crown

Words by William O. Cushing (1823–1902)
Music by George F. Root (1820–1895)

And, in closing, this beautiful verse:

My Love

Although I conquer all the earth
Yet for me there is only one city.
In that city there is for me only one house;
And in that house, one room only;
And in that room a bed.
And one woman sleeps there,
The shining joy and jewel of all my kingdom.*

from Subhashitavali p.21
compiled Vallabhadeva 10th C
translated from Sanskrit by John Brough

above: Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
below: International Art Museum of America, SF

Many thanks to my friend Eve for
sending this connection back in 1987:

Of the Kingdom
by John Ciardi

If you will let people be wrong,
most of whatever lov is
may begin. Justice will hang
all of us yet. Waft mercies
the guilty may walk on whn
trugh grows absolut. The trees
from which we shall dangle then
are everywhere. And since
not all trees can be cut,
all men ma hang. But once
let love in, mercy out, ah, then
a bird song may defend us,
a mote -- can you dream it? -- heal!

Next Fortnightly Post ~ More jewels to come!
Sunday, May 28th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com