Thursday, September 16, 2010

TIGER TIGER BURNING BRIGHT

Our annual festival when hordes of people 'balik kampong' are never short of griefs as accidents take their roll. SYAWAL 1431 / SEPTEMBER 2010 seems an epic month for sensational news as it record accidents on the road plus the 'burning' sensations in the country and outside. The small township of 'BANTING' in Selangor captures world attention. So too in Jakarta, New York and Sydney when the 'burning sensations' took precedence where ' the Flag' and the holy 'Koran" became victims. Alas at the township of Banting, less than an hour from Putrajaya, the loss and death of four persons at one instant in the most tragic way will be the talk of the town and that of the country for a long time. Soon when the court sits, the whole will be exposed much to the shock and wonder of many. Who would believe such sordid affair can occur in our country?

Going through some old books a few days ago, I came across several quotations that speak of 'fire'. These and that of William Blake leaves a lingering question.

" What is to give light must endure burning" ( Victor Frank)

" When the heart is afire, some sparks will fly out of the mouth" (Thomas Fuller)

" How can we extinguish a fire if we don't first cut off the fuel that ignited the inferno?" (Arun Ghandhi)

" Whenever books are burned, sooner or later men also are burned" ( Heinrich Heine)

" A thought often makes us hotter than a fire" ( Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

"I am glad I don't have to explain to a man from Mars why each day I set fire to dozens of little pieces of paper, and then put them in my mouth" ( Mignon Mc Laughlin)

" The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer" ( Victor Borge)

" There are worse crime than burning books. One of them is not reading them" (Ray Bradbury)



William Blake

THE TYGER

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps of skies
Burnt the fire in thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did He smile his work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Dare its deadly terror clasp?

William Blake ( Nov 28, 1757 -Aug 12, 1827) English poet, painter, print maker.

( I equate the above poem to the tragedy that happened in Banting, realizing that humanity in all glory still have marauders who stalk around as animals: heedless to what Blake meant)

3 comments:

Al-Manar said...

KotaStar,
Ini semua gara gara 'bakar' mercun atau 'fire-crackers' untuk mmeeriahkan suasana bukan merisaukan.
I think we should no longer worry over what we is happening. Let us look at the bright side of it all -api yang memberi cahaya.
Salaam, Pakcik

KotaStar said...

Always the optimist: always focusing on the good sides. Thanks. Sebenarnya tak risau dengan apa yang berlaku di Jakarta atau US tapi hal di Banting menggemparkan kerana manusia terpelajar boleh bertindak sedemikian. Tapi apapun kita mesti berhati-hati dalam apa urusan sekali pun.Antara 'quote' ada yang membawa maksud membina. Salam Macam mana Sambutan Hari Raya disana?

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