the architecture of nostalgia
85
first a vision
of an idealized longing
sensed in blueprints where
lines intersperse with dreams
in domes and vaults,
in doorways and arches.
then a pain of
the bittersweet kind is
born as the winter from
the marble floor or old wood
harks back at memories
measured in length of beams
or weight of stone.
but there is no return,
no grand staircases nor
dark tunnels that lead to
a terrace of a younger world
only columns and pillars
that stand as proud
as you are able to recall.
else, they too shall
fall apart. like the
unfeeling walls that
once shielded or the
roof that not too long ago
(or was it?) sheltered.
and there is no comfort
looking the other way, to
another window that
faces still water or a tree
for all speak of familiar
sounds and colors
that came to pass like
your secret places
behind oak doors.
alas, you run your fingers
through bricks and tiles,
grooves and cracks,
like you would a lover's
hair and you christen
them melancholia --
at least a name
for the pain.
The Dunguaire Castle in County Galway, Ireland. The 16th century tower house is found along southeastern shore of Galway Bay.
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Built by artisans in 1750, the Summer Palace is famous for its architectural and landscape garden designs. It is found in Beijing, China.
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The Parthenon is a temple for Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Located in Athens, Greece the structure, built in 5BC, is famous for its Doric columns and cultural significance.
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Iconic and romantic, the Empire State Building in New York City was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon and was completed in 1931. The skyscraper is a towering example of Art Deco. Who wouldn't get caught between the moon and...
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Lying on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt are the Giza Necropolis or the Great Pyramids. Built during the reign of King Khufu (2551 BC-2528 BC) in the desert west of Giza, the great structures still carry a sense of majesty and mystery.
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Built around the 1740s, the windmills of Kinderdijk in the Netherlands are part of a drain and polder system for the Lek and Noord rivers.
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Certainly the biggest French icon, the Eiffel Tower, which stands proud beside the Seine River in Paris, was designed by Gustave Eiffel and constructed during the period 1887-1889.
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A mud house in Kabul, Afghanistan.
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A lonely spot in a monastery somewhere in Barcelona, Spain.
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A glimpse of the Horyu-ji Buddhist temple and pagoda in Ikaruga, Japan through a wall of sakura flowers (cherry blossoms).
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Completed in 1973, the Sydney Opera House is a vision of arhitect Jorn Utzon. A bold example of the Expressionist movement, the performing arts centre stands elegant on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour in Australia.
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Inside the Round Tower, an observatory connected to the Trinity Church in Copenhagen, Denmark commissioned by King Christian IV. The tower has no stairs or steps but a spiral walkway.
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Considered as one of the greatest works of Roman architecture, the Colosseum in Rome, Italy was an amphitheatre whose construction saw through the reigns of three emperors: Vesparian, Titus and Domitian.
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The facade of the La Casa Rosada (The Pink House), the presidential palace of Argentina in Buenos Aires.
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Emperor Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built in 1632 in Agra, India in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. No other testament of love is grander. And in his own words:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory.
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People on the streets and the houses where they live in Old Havana, Cuba.
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All photographs are products of google search but were nostalgically modified.
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hey I am first, just got home 1.24am from a mexican party, not sure what exactlyt I was drinking, but it was a good party, and will have to read the poem again when I wake up but I liked the pics. Shouldn't you be in bed this time of the morning?
Sheena
Hey you! You're up late! (and so am I! LOL) Oh well, just something I wanted to share. No music? I just checked and there is. Try again later! :D
cindy
I think Sheena beat you to it. You must be a little tipsy! LOL Yeah be sure to come back again tom. yeah I should be, but had to put this one out. :D
You sure? It says embedding disabled. Maybe, it's not available in my country? LOL
Btw, I listened to it in youtube. I'm growing melancholic by the minute I listen to your song.
Note: I"m trying to use melancholy and see if I feel comfortable with the word. LOL
ahhhh we posted at the same time, anyway, goodnight, am going to try and climb the stairs to my bedroom, or might just sleep on the couch
Sheena
Ooops, I downloaded mine so I can hear! You're probably right! Anyway here's the link if you want to download it instead - it's a nice version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pg3U2Zv1Pk
cindy
I hope you make it to your bedroom! Goodnight my friend, I guess I'll be putting on my PJs too in a li'l while. See ya tomorrow or whenever! Haha :D
Love the "nostalgic" modification. Color photos can't conevy the sense of timelessness these sites deserve. But did it really take 111 years to finish the Eiffel Tower??? ;D
Jama
Ooops that should be, er, two years! LOL Thanks for pointing it out - it's corrected. Yeah nostalgia calls for a mood - a sepia-colored one! Thanks for dropping by :D
Wow what incredible beauty in your words!
I agree with Jama. Black/white pictures and sepia are the only way to really see architechture. I will never again look at a brick or timber the same way. Many hugs!
Hi Cris,
Melancholia - at least a name for the pain.....Whew, beautifully said though very sad. The buildings here say it all - yup: nostalgia indeed! Taj Mahal as described by Rabindranath Tagore:. ...teardrops in the cheek of time.. I had the rare chance of visiting Taj Mahal. Indian Activists aren't enthusiastic about Taj Mahal... It will leave a scar in your heart to be reminded that Shah Jahan ordered the beheading of the slaves who built this tomb- around 22,000 in all (22,000 widows!) so that no one would ever be able to replicate Taj Mahal as an idea.
As always, a beautiful poem!
TM
Thanks for the nice compliment.
Candie
We three are in agreement then. Hugs back to you :D
france
Wow that should be an experience - seeing the Taj Mahal in person. Lucky you! Anyway, I didn't know about that sad fact about Shah Jahan and the beheading. I guess it's a love that left the heart and messed the brain. Thanks for sharing that info and Tagore's description, too. Thanks for dropping by :D
I love sepia photos! We just bought a new camera a few months ago and we're still learning how to use it, but I'm dying to take some photos of great architecture! Thanks for sharing these Cris!
I too love sepia photos for their nostalgic qualities. Like dreams, memories. Things you keep close. My mother used to play at the Parthenon as a child. So many stories I remember her telling. I got to see it myself, but it's hers that stand out to me more, because I imagined them for so long. The first poem of yours was wonderful. Slow, beautiful read, like a walking through moments, memories. The video brought back memories too. That song played quite often in my younger years over my father's radio from the "easy listening" station he always listened to. So, nostalgic hub for me too. Well done.
"you christen them melancholia" -- bloody brilliant line, Cris. Love this poem and the photos just incredible. As noted by others, the sepia tone really gives otherwise "neutral" photos a strangely haunting and evocative feeling. Keep up the amazing work, my friend. MM
KCC
Wow that's cool! Start learning the tricks so you can start shooting and posting! I could just imagine the hubs you'll come up with :D
Frieda
It seems we all do love sepia photography as it really tugs at heartstrings - some sad, some bittersweet, some can make us smile wistfully. I think you have a very personal hub in the making - in the way that only you could tell :D
MM
That was bloody kind of you! LOL Yeah, evocative is word! I'll keep up with my hubbing if you promise to keep on reading! :D
Cris, the poem is so, so special. So amazing, it takes my breath away, as were the photos. I love black and white or sepia photography. And, it was perfect for this story imparticular, so that one is not distracted by color and can, therefore, focus on the strength and beauty of the architecture. Thank you.
Cris, definitely enchanting hub. You are consistently raising the bar with each hub you publish. Forever an inspiration, well done.
Again, I had to look once more. The photographs are stunning as each accentuate every written line. Ovations!!
Bloody brilliant! (*grins*)
Well something for everyone there, well done.... churning these hubs out, we were in Galway two weeks ago, just thought I would share that with you..... speak soon Brenda x
This is a kick @$$ hehheheh...g.reat one my friend . I serisiously loved the images below .
well this is what we have in Lebanon, if u stop by LOl dont miss those:
Byblos (Jbeil)
The city of Byblos has constantly been inhabited since the sixth century BC. The actual town is made up of the old town, surrounded by medieval walls along with the modern town that progressively expands towards the mountains
http://www.steveislost.com/files/2007/11/Baalbak%2
Baalbek, Lebanon, The City of the Sun http://images.google.com.lb/imgres?imgurl=http://www.steveislost.com/files/2007/11/Baalbak%2520(13).JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.steveislost.com/blog/2007/11&usg=__
byblos saint john church http://www.bacsoftwareconsulting.com/projects/2007
Yes in the end when the echoes die; the silent stone will remain.
When I saw that you had written a hub, I had to open the link right away, as I knew I was going to be in for a treat. The poem and photos managed to alter my mood, made me feel a longing... I love architecture... so love it. The Round Tower is a place I would love take a walk around and around would probably imagine myself in the past.
Nice job. Great selection of pictures. Nice poem.
For an online junkie, you do spend your time fruitfully. Lovely pics Chris...and nostalgia should always be in sepia tone! :)
UR HOTT LOL SO WHATS UP LOL LUV UR PIC UR MY FAV SO ADD ME ASHLEYEMOBAE
alek
Thanks for reading and the nice comments. Yeah I agree with you, the more subtler the photographs are the more nostalgic they become.
Sandy
It's my pleasure to enchant you my friend. And talk about inspiration...when's your next hub? :D
Teresa
That was bloody kind of you pal.
Brenda
Maybe you should hub about your visit? How about it?
Uriel
I like kicking those! LOL Thanks for the links, I'll check them out. And while I do, why don't you hub about them places?
Pete
I like that, when echoes die... so resonant.
Violet
I'm glad this didn't disappoint. Yeah, isn't the Round Tower amazing. I believe it's the oldest observatory in use in Europe.
Ralph
Thanks for reading and commenting.
FP
Exactly the thing I like best about being an online junkie - I have all the time in the world in front of the PC
ashley
LOL thanks, I think? :D
Thanks, you guys for dropping by :D :D
memories...measured in length of beams...or weight of stone....
you've conjured up the magic of memories and melancholia in stone and brick and marble in the most beautiful possible way! Yes, sepia does make it nostalgic...and I've always loved Johnny Mathis's rendition of that song - beautiful!
love the pictures Cris.....sepia was the right way to go. You did some good work there with the modifications.You have an amazing way with words.
Okay, Cris my man, read it properly and it is excelent. brilliant in fact! I loved it and
Shalini
I know, this hub reeks of nostalgia - just the way we like it! Haha Thanks for the very generous comments. :D
diana
I agree, sepia does have magic. thanks for dropping by :D
Miss SinDivine
Good day to you! Glad to see you sober LOL No hangover? Anyway, thanks rereading :D
What sights! What treat! Took me back there, amigo mio! I think the Parthenon and the EBS are the ones where the mood changes best with the errrr photo art! :-) I so wish you had included one of Guell's pieces, maybe Parc Guell's colonnade or Casa Batlló!
Elena.
Thanks! I'll check out the places you mentioned. :D
A personal longing for the past is something everyone feels sometime. Thanks, Chris.
Ah I guess there will always be that place in the heart. Thanks for reading, Sir :D
I would not bore too many people with a hub of Galway.... I could tell you a little about my weekend there, if you were interested, but I dont find Galway interesting, most of Ireland has too little life in it for me...... If you like the country life, cows, sheep , shallow minds, hundreds of visitors from America, tracing their routes, and looking for a mall, when there is not a mall in sight well there you have it really..... there is music at night, and drugs but I usually opt to stay in ..... there whether you liked it or not.......... X
brenda
That's Ireland in a nutshell! LOL I likes it :D
I know poor me.......
Hey you can wallow in misery or write about your misery... I say write is the better option :D
You have a gift,there just isn't any other way to describe your poetry.I want my ghost to haunt that spiral walkway,after I die on a rainy wednesday ;-)
Very evocative - you are so right about ancient walls stirring the emotions and you said it as well as anyone can. Great photos and perfect choice of music.
TMB
Thanks. The more I read comments like yours the more I realize that hey, it must really be a gift. LOL now that would be a romantic proposition, the ghost in the Round Tower :D
Iphi
The past, the ancient, the yesterday always do that to us don't they? Well I try to always go for the sensory juggernaut! LOL Thanks for reading :D
I could feel the old walls and tiles whisper under my fingertips of times long gone. Your poetry transforms reality .... my hat is off, way off.
wow that's a poem in itself. thanks, glad you liked this :D
Exquisite photos and the sepia is a gorgeous touch. Thanks for another fine Hub.
Thanks for dropping by James. Glad you like this :D
I'm glad you stayed up to get this out.... beautiful words and the pictures are wonderful. :)
KF 97
With comments like yours, yeah I sure am glad I did :D
Yes! Perfect title for the pictures. I love your third stanza the most, just packed with thought provoking beauty. I always preferred the word reminiscence to nostalgia though. Guess they don't mean exactly the same thing. Write more poetry! Your stuff is the best I've seen online.
Beautiful poem and I loved the pictures! Perfect how you nostalgically modified them. I loved the Round Tower, and I'm with Benjimester, I love the third stanza the most (and your poetry is the best around). Absolutely, positively a beautiful hub all around. I am going to have to work on making my hubs encompass a little of the class your's show. They are works of art! :D
benji
I think reminisce is the act of feeling nostalgic, is it not? Anyway, that just the way I see it, Alright I will just as long as you keep reading them. LOL Thanks for dropping by my friend,
k@ri
It's kind of you to say that, thanks. But you do have your own style which I like. And I think you should share some more. Thanks for reading and commenting :D
While reading your lovely poem, I was imagining I was in those B&W photos wearing a white flowing dress, the wind is blowing all over me, my hair and my dress is all over the place. Huh what a breeze! Great great hub!
Charia
What great imagination your have! That's some vivid imagery. Thanks for feeling this poem. Glad you like it :D
Great pictures, i love Taj Mahal I think you didnt cover Pisa Tower.
oh yeah the leaning tower is a great architectural piece too. maybe next time? thanks for dropping by :D
Cris - this was simply beautiful. The poetry, the pictures that you chose (and nostalgically edited of course) and accompanying descriptions made for a very pleasant reading experience. Of the pictures, I loved the simplicity of the mud house in Kabul.
It was in start contrast to the architectural design of all the others but in itself was equally beautiful in print.
Big thankyou :)
FD
Yeah the mud house, in its small size and lack of grandeur - it sure does bring some nostalgic thoughts. Hey, thanks for always hopping onto my hubs! I really appreciate it :D
This one speaks with volume to me. Unfortunately its telling me its ok and very human to form emotional attachments with buildings. Meanwhile I've been telling myself, "Its just tile and stone, beams and panes. Leave it." Now I'm deeper in my quagmire of indecision.
beautiful hub! thank you for sharing it!
you know you're old when you start feeling nostalgic, eh?
I love that feeling, it's bittersweet, as you so eloquently said.
RB
It is indeed very human to feel such things. Why, even dogs feel attachment to places and homing pigeons find their way back. Thanks for reading.
Betsy
Glad you like it. Thanks for dropping by.
Koby
It must be that! LOL Oh well, nostalgia dwells in the heart.
:D
Beautifully Nostalgic! ... Cris why is your poetry getting more and more difficult for me to understand? Are you getting smarter or am I getting dumber ... or something like that?
nazish
You ask the most difficult questions! Really! LOL Lemme see... well it's probably because we are currently on different planes, I mean in terms of mood? Anyway, thanks for dropping by as always buddy :D
I am in a boogie mood today; not that it was much of a choice! You are a little nostaligic ... different? yeah, you could say that!
I missed that church in Copenhagen. Feels like a hobbits home. I'm going back to check it out next year.
nazish
I was over at you boogie hub and that confirms it, we're currently not on the same plane. I'm feeling a little nostalgic and well you're boogie-ing! :D
jewels
Yeah, I;ve seen pictures. It's a really nice place. And take pictures when you make the visit :D
Dude, excellent poem! You are gifted. Keep 'em rolling. 'nuff said.
Pay a visit for a few poignant minutes : http://hubpages.com/hub/Beauty-Appeared-Again-And-
christian
I'll see what I can do about that! LOL Thanks again for reading and commenting. :D
So many different styles. It is amazing the variety of things people can come up with.
pete
that's why i love diversity! thanks for reading and commenting :D
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sheenarobins says:
6 months ago
I'm the first! LOL. Cris, my man! You are making love with the words again. You are the best!
Btw, no music on the video. :(