photo by John Sandel
My apologies to Percy Bysshe Shelley
Bozymandias
I met a neighbor from a nearby street
Who said: "One torn and faded doggy bed
Lies on a front porch... On it, in the sun,
Eyes closed, a sleepy visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and snore of old command,
Tell that his owner well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on this listless dog,
The hand that fed him and the heart that loved;
So I told my neighbor all about my dog:
His name is Bozymandias, Dog of Dogs,
Look on his works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that beloved wreck, boundless and bare
The long and level street stretch's far away.
29 comments:
A fabulous portrait in both words and photograph.
Dog of Dogs indeed. World renowned, universally admired; I wonder if Boz knows how many fans he has around the planet.
No apology needed.
Wonderful, just wonderful.
Kudos to your hubby for taking that awesome photo! Love the angle, framing he created using what surrounds Boz's face... Sharp detail of paws, and the expression is priceless!. Definitely frameable!( is frameable a word????) :-)
So... meditative!
Dog of Dogs indeed. Boz looks so comfy on his bed on the porch.
Apologies? He should thank you. Boz looks amazing and sweet, as always.
I never set out to make Boz famous, but sometimes fame is thrust upon us. He handles it well. He is often recognized upon the street (by the neighborhood kids), and he's always gracious to his fans.
He has dignity, somehow. What a fine fellow.
Ode to Boz. Love it. And that's a fabulous photo to go along with it.
And a gentleman, besides. You'll never see pictures of him being taken out from a bar.
My fave line - "and snore of old command".
John somehow caught a bit pensiveness around the eyes. Love it.
Sophisticated Boz with beautifully groomed toes. Shiny and dark, like his eyes.
Oh my gosh, I adore his toes.
What a star! What of great photograph.
Who cares what Shelley thinks, he's dead. As for that photo - beautifully composed. I saw another one that John did. FB? maybe...black and white with two surface planes meeting (tabletop and window?) evocative
John is a great photographer. He's been my teacher since I started.
PA, I think I know the photo you mean. He sees light in unusual ways. Chaos, too.
Such a sublime photo of Boz. Great poem too. I like the faded doggy bed part.
Thanks, Katie. Boz likes the faded doggy bed, too.
He's such a lovebug. Sweet boy. Love the poem!
Thanks, Ann!
Thanks so much for stopping by The Lair.
Covers are strange. Sometimes it is just because I know the author. Maybe it's a title that grabs me first. Bright colors can do it, maybe something twisted. Eye catching but not too busy?
um, sorry, guess I'm not much help.
Why did I pick Devil's Food Cake Murder? I needed a cozy mystery with a food item in the title ;-)
sending virtual good luck! I'm looking forward to your book.
Don't you hate it when you get an e-mail quoting your text in a comment and to your horror the second sentence (above) doesn't make any sense. Must do better...proof read, proof read, proof read :)
Really great paraphrasing of that wonderful poem. It's not easy to do, and I wonder how long it took you. Did John and Boz help? Yes, I think Boz did, and I know which lines he suggested.
BD, your reading pace is amazing and the Lair is a wondrous place.
I spent some time in Vroman's looking at covers and found I'm attracted to titles more than anything else. Color is a factor, and a sloppy cover turns me off. If I've heard of a book or read a review, of course that's huge. But I was surprised how powerfully a snappy title works on me.
LOL, I knew exactly what you meant! And of course I have never, ever made a typo.
Thanks, Bellis. John's Tuesday inspired us, but Boz and I did the work ourselves.
What a great photo! And I love your Shelley re-write, "Bozymandia, Dog of Dogs", and "The long and level street stretch's far away."
We tried to walk it earlier today but we got too hot. So we walked it after dark, and it didn't seem so far.
I've picked up a book because of the cover and put it back because of the title before.
I've also picked up a book I had heard about/read reviews and then not purchased because of the cover.
Shallow? maybe but I didn't want to have THAT cover on my shelves or be seen with it. Long live ebooks lol
I've done it, too. Some titles/covers are so bad you just don't want them telling the world "that" about you.
such a sweet pic!!! He definitely does deal with his fame with dignity!!!
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