They said it could not be conquered
guarded by silent eyes and fierce hearts.
~ How tight is your grip son
thrust here – strike low
find the tendon release it from the bone ~
Who comes to such a place
there was no prize here.
Why did you come
across Poseidon’s plateau?
This castle was not the heart of the people!
The fort may have been their body
ringed
in complex configuration
but each blade of grass was their soul
planted
in rapacious repetition.
~ For it will come to pass
mark my words true
Belatucadros has spoken
All hail the god’s vengeance!
We may slip into his arms this day
but our souls will never be taken
We look out to our enemy and know
that for every one of their victories
we take two for our own! ~
Persephone Vandegrift
The Heritage Trust
Preserving the Past for the Future
About Me
- Littlestone
- Studied art and design at Swindon School of Art, Wiltshire, England and afterwards Japanese painting and calligraphy at Kyoto University of Fine Arts, Kyoto, Japan. In 1966 I was a lay monk at the Zen Buddhist temple of Ryozen-an in Kyoto and practiced under the guidance of its Director, Ruth Fuller-Sasaki and senior monk Dana R Fraser (co-translator of Layman P'ang: A Ninth Century Zen Classic). Also present at Ryozen-an was the author and poet Gary Snyder. Gary Snyder was one of the first Westerners in Japan to study Zen Buddhism and was the inspiration for Jack Kerouac's book, The Dharma Bums. I was assistant conservator (paintings) at Kyoto National Museum from 1969-1980 and Chief Conservator (Eastern Pictorial Art) at the British Museum from 1980-1986. Japan Foundation Fellow 1973-1974 and Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works since 1985.
1 comment:
"'Maiden' derives from the Celtic Mai Dun, which means great hill. It was known to have been the stronghold of the Durotriges tribe, until it fell to the 2nd Legion Augusta, under Vespasian, during the Roman invasion in AD43. The battle for the fort was a bloody one, and centered on the eastern entrance. Excavations carried out in the 20th century uncovered the bodies of 38 Iron Age warriors, who had been laid to rest by their Roman victors, along with food and drink for their journey into the after life."*
*http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/early%20ages/maiden%20castle.htm
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