An Artist’s Model and Other Poems
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Here’s a Carol
Here’s a carol, a Christmas tune That says Christmas Day will be here soon; When the night has gone with the stars to rest, The world will awaken to feeling she’s blessed By the spirit of Christmas, who’s coming home To India, China, Venice, and Rome.
And here is a chorus, ringing and clear, That says that Christmas Day is here; While the moon still hung high in the Western sky, The East had awoken with welcoming sigh, And the spirit of Christmas had filtered down To Australia, Greenland, and London Town;
So here is a toast to today’s Christmas Day: Long live the holidays! Long may they stay!
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About the Book
In An Artist’s Model and Other Poems, preferring to portray his model—a woman with whom he has fallen in love—in words rather than in paint, author David J. Murray off ers an extended hymn of praise to her, expressing unresolved yearning throughout.
Following a prologue setting the scene, he presents her with four gifts, each consisting of a set of twelve poems. Th e fi rst set of poems describes what it’s like spending Christmas without her; the second set of poems compares her to the Greek goddess Athena; the third set of poems likens her to a ballerina; and the fourth set of poems, written in summer, compares her to the beauty of the season.
Between each set are entr’actes consisting of several poems that comment on the complexities of their situation. Th e collection ends with an epilogue that recalls the mood of the prologue.
Reflecting the conflict between Murray’s emotions and his sense of propriety with regard to his model, An Artist’s Model and Other Poems presents a cycle of poems that are unabashedly of the high-fl ung romantic genre.About the Author
David J. Murray has published seven books of poetry. Born in 1937 and raised in Manchester, England, he earned a doctorate at the University of Cambridge. Now emeritus professor of psychology at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and a resident of Toronto, he has published scholarly books, articles, and encyclopedia entries.