Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Rilke Belt and Something for you, L

When my husband and I got married a little over two years ago, we had a wealth of quotes from which to choose for our ceremony: bits of antique wisdom we wanted to
include.

Shakespeare's 116th Sonnet was so important to me.... I am a huge fan of Sense and Sensibility, and a reformed theatre major.

When I was a sophomore in college (getting that degree in Theatre) my dearest girlfriend Amy spoke of "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rilke, referencing its lines in an almost biblical way...

A few pages in a few years on and I completely understood.

That book and the man who wrote it have genuinely influenced my life
for the better.

Time after time, I have recalled his tender, encouraging words as though they were written only for me, this young artist so scared and proud
just beginning to be husked by life and determined to 'win', whatever that means;

'win' is a word for races or reality shows: it has no place in art.

Lately the word "bravery" has been on my mind; the women and men I admire so, the trials and heroics of modern life, and this Rilke Quote comes to mind:

'Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are waiting to see us once brave and beautiful'

I will be tooling that phrase and inlaying it into the above leather belt (red and aqua: is there a pair of colors that is (are?) more gorgeous together? hmmmm....)

It will be like my scarflettes, lacy and supple, lined in the aqua suede....


Secondly, there was a parcel delivered to my home that I purchased on the world wide interweb:
a few porcelain cabochons painted waaaaaaay back in the day.

Given the age and the style of these pieces, I would date them right around 1900, making them over 100 years old.

There are pieces of black paint worn off; I like to imagine they were beloved and cherished pieces in the jewelry box of a sweet lass, worn in the fashion of the day...

years later here they are in my hand,
awaiting their rebirth into a sterling case
for another generation to marvel at their beauty.... how lucky am I to be that artist who gets to gently tuck a bezel around their edges and settle their bones into a soft cotton-filled box bound for their new beloved?

This one is a garland of blue flowers, shaped into a 'L'.

I wanted to post this here and see whom this lovely piece belongs to.

It's sizeable with a big dome and a good weight: this ain't no pansy porcelain - it's awesomely strong.

can't you just see the painter holding it up under the lamp after it was done?
Do you see the powerful smile this beautiful piece created in its finished glow?

L, come claim your beautiful necklace :)

I leave you with the Rilke quote I chose for our wedding:

"The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development. But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky"

xoxoxo,
Allison

11 comments:

L.J. Lowe said...

the L and the words are absolutely beautiful. L is what my first name begins with. i can't wait to see what you do with it. will you post it when it's complete?

Cassie said...

You had me at Rilke. What a lovely quote to inscribe on the belt. Thank you for this. You just spoke to my fear. xx

UmberDove said...

You inspire me.

Still Lily said...

I have been poking into this lovely space of yours for a spell now, I am often on the shy blog comment side...but to see you quote Rilke, who I so admire and connect with, well, i just had to say Thank You...a delightful post indeed, lovely L and that leather belt...well, words cannot describe, oh my.
My husband and I also quoted Rilke at our wedding over 10 years ago! Thank you for this inspirational space.

Allisunny S. said...

TS: Yes, indeed I will :) And thank you for finding me :)

ASOS: Aw, yay :) Rilke is amazin :)

Umber: MUAH.

SL: I don't mean to bring out more shyness by saying 'hello', but thank you so much for writing here :) xoxo

MrsLittleJeans said...

Aahhh....i love that quote, it is going on my wall xoxo

Gregarious Hermit said...

Dear Allison, I am so joyous to read you are a fan of Rilke, and Letters to a Young Poet! His writings are very inspirational, but even better they are such a comfort in this crazy mess of a world, which is rare. I can't wait to see the finished product!

-A

Michele said...

Allison --

I've been listening to your music while driving around town the last few days. I am not a religious person but I can't help singing along with "So Much Grace". Your voice is contagious.

Is there any chance that the piece of red leather for this Rilke belt is long? Long enough for a belt for an ample, round woman? I would so love to wrap it around a green tunic purchased from Israel.

Allisunny S. said...

Michele: hi :)
the belt fits up to 40 inches, I believe: I will check on that for you :)
and interestingly enough, so much grace is written about a boyfriend: all of the hallelujah- ing makes people think it is about Jesus, but I have no formal religion...

Isn't that something, huh ;) ?

Michele said...

I did the same thing ... assumed that it was about God/Jesus because of the hallelujahs but I did hear it the other way as well (I just thought that I was wrong!).

It's a wonderful song.

Corinna said...

It must be the mark of a true and tender genius to have so many people across time and space be so moved by your words, and to feel spoken to so uniquely and directly.

I'm talking about you, Sunny, and Rilke too of course!!

I have turned to the Letters once every number of years, and they move me again and again each time. Protecting someone's light / solitude / uniqueness / place of becoming--it is the highest form of love, and the most that we can strive for in any relationship, be it with your partner, your friend, or your child.

So thank you for sending Rilke out and about in the digital age.

XO