My favorite poem

As the year comes to a close, I think back of the times I enjoyed most. And for me it really is this:
A warm summernight, me and some friends are sitting on our roof watching the stars and the lights of Vienna, when I get the idea of reciting a poem to them. Not any poem of course, but one of my favorite ones, The Old Astronomer to His Pupil by Sarah Williams.

I do believe poems have a special property when listened to. I used to spend hours listening to Dylan Thomas reading his poetry.
When reading poetry I always read it out loud, which ocassionally causes weird stares in public transport, but also the ocassional great conversation. Below you will find the text of the poem as well as an audio of me reading it, underlined with some great music made by Daniel Birch. Further down there will be some short notes on the text as well as the original author, Sarah Williams.

The old Astronomer to his Pupil

The poem I want to show you has a very special setting. It is a night in the spanish mountainside, sometime in the early 17th century. An old man looks up at the stars while a young man sits anxiously by his bedside. They are astronomers, in a time long before that was a reputable profession. The sound of cicades and howling wind fill the air, and the old man speaks:

Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, -- I will know him when we meet,
When I share my latter science, sitting humbly at his feet;
He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how
We are working to completion, working on from then till now.

Pray, remember, that I leave you all my theory complete,
Lacking only certain data, for your adding as is meet;
And remember, men will scorn it, 'tis original and true,
And the obliquity of newness may fall bitterly on you.

But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learnt the worth of scorn;
You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn;
What, for us, are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles?
What, for us, the goddess Pleasure, with her meretricious viles?

You may tell that German college that their honour comes too late.
That they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate;
May my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too dearly to be fearful of the night.

What, my boy, you are not weeping? You should save your eyes for sight;
You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night.
I leave none but you, my pupil, unto whom my plans are known.
You "have none but me," you murmur, and I "leave you quite alone"?

Well then, kiss me, -- since my mother left her blessing on my brow,
There has been a something wanting in my nature until now;
I can dimly comprehend it, -- that I might have been more kind,
Might have cherished you more wisely, as the one I leave behind.

I "have never failed in kindness"? No, we lived too high for strife, --
Calmest coldness was the error which has crept into our life;
But your soul is untainted, I can dedicate you still
To the service of our science: you will further it? you will!

There are certain calculations I should like to make with you,
To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true;
And remember, "Patience, Patience," is the watchword of a sage,
Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age.

I have sown, like Tycho Brahe, that a greater man may reap;
But if none should do my reaping, 'twill disturb me in my sleep.
So be careful and be faithful, though, like me, you leave no name;
See, my boy, that nothing turn you to the mere pursuit of fame.

I must say Good-bye, my pupil, for I cannot longer speak;
Draw the curtain back for Venus, ere my vision grows too weak:
It is strange the pearly planet should look red as fiery Mars, --
God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars.

-- Sarah Williams

On Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahé , referenced to in the first and second to last stanza, was an astronomer at the Danish court, who is considered one of the finest empirical minds of his time, his predictions being up to five times more accurate than those of his contemporaries.
Two trivial facts about Tycho, that always amuse me:

• He had an artificial nose, probably made of brass. The Original Nose was lost in a duel in December 1566, when he was a student at the university of Rostock.
• He died because he was too polite to pee. Since it was considered rude at the time to excuse yourself to go to the toilet, he just held it in until his bladder exposed. As absurd as it may sound, this has been invaluable advice to me: Always listen to your body, no matter the social implications.

The author

Sarah Williams, the author of the text, was born in 1837 in London, the daughter of a Welshman and an English woman. She published several volumes of Poetry under the Pseudonyms Sadie and S.A.D.I, which came from an early inability to pronounce her own name right.
She was very close to her father Robert, and through him incorporated several Welsh phrases and terms into her poetry. When Robert died it hit her heart, and together with an onset of cancer her condition quickly deteriorated. She decided to undergo surgical procedure to get rid of the cancer, being aware that it would most likely kill her. She died as a consequence of the operation on April 25, 1868.

Some final words

The poem speaks to me because of it's timeless themes of science and the utter humanity of the brave men and women doing it. There is something eternal in it, and something very fleeting. I hope you too can see that!

So this is my first post on here. I am really excited about this website and the new approach to content sharing it offers. I hope some of you find this interesting and worth your while, and I would ofc be honored by any upvotes and follows. If you like this type of content, be sure to let me know, I'll gladly write up some more for you.
I wish you all the best in the days to come.

Resources used:

• 'Dreams are for living' by Daniel Birch under CC licence, found here.
• The poem 'The Old Astronomer to his Pupil' by Sarah Williams, more or less recollected from memory.
• Some pictures i took with my old phone from our rooftop in Vienna.
• A picture from Wiki.
• Information from the Wiki Articles on Tycho Brahe and Sarah Williams.
• This great guide by Hive account@minion on how post editing on this website works. Thanks mate, you've been invaluable!
• Audacity for audio recording.