Leaving Curtis Pond By Isabella Fiske Mc Farlin
A beautiful poem by sublime Isabella Fiske McFarlin©️2023 aka Ladybelle, created inspired by Curtis Pond, Maple Corner, Calais, Vermont Photograph(with gracious permission)by beloved Allen I. Sherman©️2023 Yvonne's Voice Music by Alex Productions We thank you, dear listener
Transcript
Leaving Curtis Pond,
The starry floor,
The watery shore,
I'll given thee till break of day.
William Blake.
There is no farewell to these unending waters,
Or to these white lilies like candles in starlight,
Invisibly closed in invisible evening.
Nymphaea speak never of loss or of sorrow,
Though sunlight has fled from both petal and stamen.
At least,
Not in any sad tongue that I know of.
I moor my canoe at the sun-colored cottage,
Where bullfrogs call deep as the full moon arises.
I spend one more night in the house of rejoicing,
Spend one last night with the wind and the water.
Here I have written,
Have loved,
And have listened to the birds,
To the rain,
To the voices of children,
Who call as they swim at the pine-sheltered inlet.
Winter shall part me no more from their laughter.
After these years by the wind and the water,
The time comes to leave here.
Yet what is departure?
All things are impermanent,
So said Siddhartha.
Formless is form,
Form returns to the formless.
Once more to the dock,
Here the full moon's reflected,
In looking-glass water,
Where sunlit clouds questioned which is real,
Which reflection,
This earth or its vision.
Here is the answer,
O clouds on the water,
So many years later and so many partings.
I am at one with the wind and the water.
Here is the heart of the heart of all being.
I say no farewell to the lake,
To the joyous,
Like shadows that fade as the full moon arises.
All parting is form,
Changing into the formless.
Benedictus,
O wind in the trees on the shoreline,
Light that flows over the reed and the flower,
Grant unto those who come after me vision.
Let them have passion and joy for their hour.
Small scarlet boat in its half-hidden mooring,
Crimson-jewelled dragonflies rose tinted like red leaves of October in graceful reflection,
And unto all lovers sweet,
Sensuous delight.
The lady of the lake lived long upon the shore.
She held each changing season in embrace,
And to the pilgrim generous was and kind.
She guided me in goodness to this place,
The long sought home of all my many dreams.
Deep in the looking-glass of heart and mind,
The gazing eyes,
One with the gazed upon,
There may the essence of her thought convene,
Which,
With you,
New dweller,
On the singing pond,
And,
If you will,
To others lend this peace.
May wonder and compassion never cease.
Now in this house of dreams your own dreams spin.
Who after me shall seek the water and the wind?
Neither death nor time nor this last parting changes the joy in life I've found here,
Nor strangers.
By Isabella Fisk McFarlane,
Also known as Ladybel.
We would like to thank Alan Sherman for the use of his absolute astonishingly beautiful capture of the scenery around where this was written.
Thank you so much.
We appreciate you.
And then Isabella dedicates this specifically to Trudy,
The lady of the lake,
And to Trudy's family and obviously to Isabella's family and friends and to you.
This is a deeply moving part of Isabella's existence,
Time spent here became part of her and hopefully we have been able to paint the picture of the joy,
The beauty and a teensy bit of loss with the departure from such a heavenly place.
May we always feel the presence of the beauty and splendor Earth provides and may we keep it alive in our existence.
Thank you Isabella.
I love you.
And Brian,
Thank you.
I love you too.
Blessings everybody.
Until next time,
Can't wait to do this again.
Love you.
We love you so much.
Thank you.
4.9 (53)
Recent Reviews
Victoria
September 16, 2025
Wow. So beautiful. I've not heard of Isabella or this lovely poem. Thank you so much for introducing me and your lovely reading. 💫✨💫
Rajendra
June 15, 2025
Wonderful words, background sounds are good and creates good environment 😊
Isabella
July 1, 2024
Most beloved Yvonne, this is more than perfect. ✨✨✨ Thank you so much for your work , for our unity and love , & for your making my poetry available to everyone. 🎻🎶 Thanks to you, Allen, for letting us use your beautiful photo...❤️I appreciate the support you and Marion gave to my time at the House of Dreams at Curtis Pond. ⭐️🦋🦋 This poem encompasses loss, but also the realization that there is nothing that is lost, and there is no one to lose it. In this Zen emptiness is peace. “He who kisses the joy as it flies, lives in eternity’s sunrise. “– – William Blake. This is my favorite of the Curtis Pond poems. Dearest Yvonne❤️, it’s marvelous , and I love you! 💓 And thanks to the 🐸 frogs & 🕊️birds! Much love always. And thank you everyone for listening! ⭐️🌺 In Vermont, many know the magic of the Pond, of its loons and starry water lilies🪷🦆. Much Love to all , and dearest Yvonne❤️, a shining crown of radiant joy to you!!! 👑 Unconditional love always. Dear Yvonne❤️, thank you for your loving reply.💗 Thank you, dear friends , for listening. I hope that you enjoy it!... To those who have written reviews, thank you so much. It means a lot to us.🦆🦆 Jean, thank you for your review! Curtis Pond is a special place to many people. I’m not the only one who feels or has felt its magic. For more information: https://curtispond.org/ I hope you enjoy the beautiful voice of my beloved friend, Yvonne❤️, my other self. No one else could have read this poem, which is not a simple poem, with so much sustainment & understanding. Please donate to Yvonne❤️ if you feel so inclined and can afford to? I know that a donation to her would be received with gratitude!! My dear friend, thank you for putting my name on the poems. Dear One , I am just listening to this poem again. I think its more than just a nature poem or a poem about losing something you love, it's about transcendence. With your Amazing and sensitive voice, and Allen's beautiful picture, it really comes to life. Thank you, beloved Yvonne❤️, I hope all is well with you.🩷 July 2024: listened again, and was moved and also deeply affected by your beautiful voice. Thank you so much for all your work on my poems… Especially this one. With love and 🙏 gratitude, Isabella 🌿🌟🌟❤️🐸
Emma
February 10, 2023
So evocative, so beautiful. This is one to listen to again and again. Such beautiful words and voice and image. A real beauty bath for all the senses filled with a truly palpable sense of love. 🥰
Faith
February 6, 2023
Beautiful 😍 I love the colors and the sound of the frogs.
Jean
February 5, 2023
Really enjoyed your reading of this, Yvonne. Your voice is very soothing. And Isabella, I had to do some googling on the pond and saw that the residents are trying to save the pond by rebuilding the dam. I hope they are successful. I got the same feelings hearing this as when I think about our family's old rental cottage on Cape Cod, lots of wonderful memories tinged with the sadness of loss. Very moving.
Stefanie
February 2, 2023
Yvonne's beautiful voice led me through a calming, restorative journey through nature that I enjoyed deeply 🌿🍂🐸
Frank
February 2, 2023
Oh, it's exquisite! The words, your voice the sounds of the pond, it all brings tears to my eyes. Very moving. Thank you Yvonne!
Claude🐘
February 2, 2023
Magnificent. I loved it. Thank you Yvonne for saying this poem so beautifully . Thank you Isabella for this jewel 💜🙏💜✨✨✨✨✨