Category Archives: Poetry

Lighthouse Poems, Prayers, Texts and Graphics

Lighthouses, Music, Poetry, Religion, ,

 Below are numerous poems, prayers texts and graphics I have collected over the years – all with a lighthouse theme. The lighthouse as a guiding light for our lives as well as our ships seems to be prevalent throughout history.

I am posting some now just for interest. If you have any contributions not listed here please send them to me, and I will add them to this post. It will be interesting to see what turns up. I have given a source or link where I could – if you could do the same it would be appreciated.

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Lighthouse Keeper by David Grimaldi

Towering over
With its powerful beaming light
It could be seen for miles
It was so bright

Operated by an old sea captain
Old man Magee
He never had a wife
His mistress was the sea

He didn’t have much money
His diet was fish and bread
He took pride in his Lighthouse
Warning sailors of the dangers ahead

Old and wise
The mysterious type
With a long white beard
Always smoking a pipe

And when he passed of old age
His spirit may have been free
But his soul was still in the house
Watching over the sea

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Poetry – The Lighthouse Keeper Wonders

Books, History, Lighthouses, Poetry, Reprint, Worldwide, , , ,

This is too good not to reprint. The Lighthouse Keeper Wonders by Edgar Guest (Wikipedia article on Edgar Guest). This is one the better lighthouse poems. I sometimes wonder too – all those beautiful lighthouses destroyed because of automation.

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The Lighthouse Keeper Wonders
by Edgar Guest (1881 – 1959)

The light I have tended for 40 years
is now to be run by a set of gears.
The Keeper said, And it isn’t nice
to be put ashore by a mere device.
Now, fair or foul the wind that blow
or smooth or rough the sea below,
It is all the same. The ships at night
will run to an automatic light.

The clock and gear which truly turn
are timed and set so the light shall burn.
But did ever an automatic thing
set plants about in early Spring?
And did ever a bit of wire and gear
a cry for help in darkness hear?
Or welcome callers and show them through
the lighthouse rooms as I used to do?
‘Tis not in malice these things I say
All men must bow to the newer way. Continue reading Poetry – The Lighthouse Keeper Wonders →

Are You Looking for Lighthouse-Related Items?

Advertisement, Books, Books, Children, Christmas, Glass Balls, Hobbies, Information, Jewellery, Jewellery, Lighthouses, Models, Ornaments, Ornaments, Paintings, Paintings, Photos, Poetry, Recipes, Stained Glass, Stained Glass, USA, , , , , ,

When I was browsing a crafty website called Completely Coastal which I reviewed earlier I came across an advertisement for Etsy. Searching for things lighthouse, I typed that into the Etsy page search box. The page in the picture below came up.

It is page one (1) of two hundred eighteen (218) pages of lighthouse-related items, for a total of 8,696! Enjoy! Tell us what you bought!

Clicking on the photo below takes you to the lighthouse search items on Etsy.

Mise Tales Eight

Art, Lighthouses, Poetry, Reprint, Travel, USA, , , , , , ,

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

 

I love lighthouse wallpaper. I have never heard of Pinterest, but combine the two and you get something like the photo at the left. The Pinterest  name is derived from “pin your interests” – sort of a neat idea. Anyways, this is a display that someone made of lighthouses, with links to their sources. Quite nice!

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new Zealand house photos

OK, you like lighthouses. What if you had lots of money? What would you build? A couple in New Zealand built a house that resembles a lighthouse . . . well, a little bit! Take a look. There are two sources; the first copied from the second, but unless you can read Russian, the first is better!

Lighthouse In Marine Style In New Zealand

Бегущая по волнам: 3 маленьких дома в настоящем морском стиле из Испании и Новой Зеландии (Running on the waves: 3 small homes in the nautical style from Spain and New Zealand – translated by Google Translate). The website is called Design Remont in English.

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Mise Tales Seven

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If you do not know what Mise Tales are then please see Mise Tales One.

 

Lovely Desktop Lighthouse Wallpapers. Lots of photos.

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The Lighthouse by Mathew Welch

Submitted: Saturday, November 25, 2006
Edited: Saturday, November 27, 2010
from the Poem Hunter

Into the night like a cold staring eye
It lights the way for the crew
Up on the cliff it sits so high
Creating safe passage and view
All through the night

Into the harbour the ship lays at rest
Unscratched and afloat
The work of the house was at its best
To give guidance to the tiny boat
In the dark, it was the light 

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The Lighthouse Keeper – A Day in the Life

Adult Memories, Advertisement, Books, Foreign, Lighthouses, Poetry, Scotland, , , , , ,
Scottish lighthouses

In December 2011 I received a Guestbook entry from a Scottish ex-lighthouse keeper who said “I was made redundant from the service in 1992 and the last Keeper retired from the service in 1998 . . .” His name is Peter Hill and he has written a few poems about his life and also a book. The poem I like the best is reproduced below. 

Peter was a keeper in Scotland and I was a keeper in Canada, and we have never met before, but he wrote in the poem below:

“I dress in darkness yet know my style, my clothes on dresser neatly piled.”

Now only a lighthouse keeper would write about this fact about dressing in the darkness to go on the morning shift. I did the same thing, as it allows our eyes to adjust to the darkness so we can see better before going outside to observe the weather for the upcoming weather report.

I hope you enjoy the poem as much as I did.

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The Lighthouse Keeper – A day in the Life

In softest echo and muffled beep, I am awakened from my shallow sleep
Anticipating that very call! It’s a wonder how I sleep at all
Accustomed and by ritual seed refreshed in body by slumbers need
My motions slow and gentle take, while sleeping Mags, am careful not to awake
I dress in darkness yet know my style, my clothes on dresser neatly piled.
Shirt and jumper left till last, washed and ready for my watch.

Just as quietly as before, I open out the double door, closing soft and handle gripped on well oiled hinge in jam it slips Continue reading The Lighthouse Keeper – A Day in the Life →

Lighthouse Quotations

Hobbies, Lighthouses, On The Job, Poetry, Recreation, , , ,

I wasn’t going to do this page because there are not too many lighthouse quotations out there. The only two good ones I found were: 

Lighthouses are more helpful than churches. – Benjamin Franklin

 

I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve. – George Bernard Shaw

Does anybody know of anymore? Send them on and I can add them here, and give you a credit for finding them.

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Song – Lighthouse by Runrig (with videos)

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A friend found this for me, and sent me the links. It is nice song, and the photos are so beautiful that I just had to share it. There are two versions with different photos. I have inserted the lyrics in between the two videos so they are available for both.

The first video has the lyrics embedded over the photos, while the second video has no lyrics visible. Enjoy!

Lighthouse

This world’s not my home
I’m a stranger to the storm
Save me, save me
Where the race is quickest
The tide runs strong Continue reading Song – Lighthouse by Runrig (with videos) →

Lighthouse Poetry

Lighthouses, Old Website, Poetry, , ,

I am not a poet, or I should re-phrase that and say that I can write about lighthouses, but I cannot write poetry about lighthouses, so I went on the Internet and started looking.

On my old site I had two links to lighthouse poetry, but only one seems to be working now.

Dan’s Lighthouse website has quite a few poems, most with a religious tone to them, but interesting reading. His poetry webpage is found here. Continue reading Lighthouse Poetry →