Watching Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet (yeah, the Titanic star) as casts for the nth time made me rekindle my past affinity with Alexander Pope. I first had a taste of his writing when I was in highschool. There was this project called poetry analysis in an English class where we had to write a term paper-like presentation of three poems of our choice. I really am not sure now if one of which was Pope's work but I am pretty sure that I did consider "An Essay on Criticism". I was a bit attracted to the poem the first time I read it after realizing that he was the on who penned the famous line "To err is human, to forgive is divine".
I became busy with "academic" stuff when i entered college that my literary thirst for Pope's work wasn't adequately quenched. My fascination with his pieces reached climax after seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The title was really catchy. Eventually i learned that it was an excerpt of Pope's Eloisa to Abelard. Gee, reading that piece gives me this unexplainable feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. Thank God for his talent. I don't know why it has that effect on me. i learned this lesson from the movie though-the memories you had with a person is part of your individuality, of who you are.
To those who never had a taste of Pope's work, I am reposting a part of his eternal "Eloisa to Abelard", the stanza where the line from that movie title was taken. Let us together feel the spirit of his work converge into our souls and be one with his words.
Eloisa to Abelard
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
"Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;"
Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day.
To read the entire poem, here's the link. http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1630.html
For his biography, just click on the text after the dots..http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/pope.html
