Ur Apastron

Ljusets bronserade strängar darrande sig in genom
Mont Saint Michels höga gotiska fönster, långsamt
trevande men strax fångade mellan
skuggornas pendlande
bläckfiskarmar
Så länge sedan, dag av Chablis
ostron, kärlek. Det gamla timglaset som gnistrade
till när det nåddes av en sista solreflex
just innan regnets tid
Vi väntade på att tidvattnet skulle vända igen
I mörkret som växte ur de tjocka väggarna
kunde jag kisande se hur sanden rann till glasets botten
Korn efter korn, gyllene, i mjuk ström
ljudlös, doftlös
Ett vackert glas med korslagda knotor
konstfullt smidda ur metallen
Min röst som dröjande gungade
ovan mig under valvens bågar
“Det som är har alltid varit”
Sic transit gloria mundi
Memento mori
finstilt, nästan oläsligt
och din röst, en uttunnad ringning
från en klocka av glas
spröda kristallvibrerande toner sjungande
sjunkande genom bränningarnas stegrande dån
Havet vände ut igen
Havet vände ut igen

–

Ur Mats Gellerfelts diktsamling Apastron från 1981. Gellerfelt har lämnat oss. Jag har skrivit kort om honom några gånger här i bloggen, och borde vidareutveckla det nu.

Laurie Ossman & Steven Brooke: Great Houses of the South

Rizzoli, 2010 (Go to the publisher’s website or amazon and buy the book; links will be added here asap.)

Book Description:

OssmanAn exquisitely photographed collection of the great houses and mansions of the South. In the tradition of Rizzoli’s Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley and Great Houses of New England, Great Houses of the South features a stunning array of newly photographed homes that range over three centuries and are distinctive examples of the architecture of the region. While in popular imagination the “Southern Style” is embodied in the classic Southern plantation house with its Greek Revival detailing – its stately white columns, wide porch, and symmetrical shape – the houses themselves are much more various and engaging, as shown in this important volume. From stately Stanton Hall of Natchez, Mississippi, one of the most magnificent and palatial residences of antebellum America; to Longue Vue House and Gardens of New Orleans, the luxurious Classical Revival–style home of Edgar and Edith Stern; to the fabled Biltmore of Asheville, North Carolina, the opulent French Renaissance–inspired chateau and Gilded Age estate of George Washington Vanderbilt, this lavish volume is comprehensive in scope and a landmark work of enduring interest to homeowners, architects, architecture historians, and all those who love fine architecture.

About the Authors:

Laurie Ossman has served as the Deputy Director at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. Her previous positions include Chief Curator at The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida, and Curator and Restoration Project Manager at Ca d’Zan, The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

Steven Brooke is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome and winner of the A.I.A. National Institute Honor Award for photography. He is the photographer of Rizzoli’s Aqua, Seaside Style, and Miami: Mediterranean Splendor and Deco Dreams.