Monday, April 19, 2010

Tatting To-Day by David Law Proudfit

(the frame is a collage of photos I've taken in the last year)


Tatting To-Day

With figure demure, and a downcast face,
And a tranquil air of quiet grace,
Her delicate fingers deftly wrought
A pattern as fine as a fairy’s thought,
Tatting that day!

O maiden fair, with the silken hair,
And the shining eyes of a luster rare,
What abracadabra’s mysterious spell
Is thy flying shuttle weaving so well,
Tatting to-day?

Ah, sir, I work to have my way
In the perfumed air of a gracious day;
My nimble fingers are weaving a snare
To entangle human hearts.  Beware
Of my tatting to-day!

So the lily fingers entrancing flew,
And the lustrous eyes were heavenly blue;
And the silken hair was shot with gold,
And down in a golden glory rolled,
Tatting that day.

And she had her will on a gracious day,
All clad in a cloud of white array;
And I bless the day and the perfumed air
That kissed her cheek as she wove her snare
Tatting that day.
                                      David Law Proudfit

11 comments:

  1. That is an awe-ful and inspiring poem! I love it and will print it out to keep me motivated to tat every day!

    Thank you so much for sharing.

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  2. Where the heck did you find that? I've NEVER seen poetry about tatting before. I love the photo behind the poem.

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  3. Thats such a beautiful and unusual tatting poem, I will print it too.

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  4. Cindy - I found it through a Google Book search. It is in an anthology of poetry he published in 1877 called Love Among the Gamins: and Other Poems.
    :) Ann

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  5. That's a sweet poem and I love the frame you made. I had to look up David Proudfit -- he was a poet and lithographer, which is a nice combination of talents.

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  6. Speaking of poems, there is a website that has a whole collection of "Tatting in my Pocket" poems created by tatters back in the late 90's/early 2000's.
    Noelene Lafferty started it and then several tatters added their own. I don't know where the collection is now though. Here's Noelene's current site:
    http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nlafferty/custom_001.htm

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  7. Here's one of Noelene's poems:
    http://www.mail-archive.com/lace-chat@arachne.com/msg01850.html

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  8. Hi Gina!
    Thanks! I enjoy poetry. Noelene's poems are very clever!
    :) Ann

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  9. Nary a word the kind that fly between my grimaced lips,
    Laden down with hot frustration, Teeth clamped tight with steely jaw,
    To stitch that blasted DS tatted.

    Even though it's not a sonnet,
    You know what I'm raging on it.

    Bardish Fox : )

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  10. LOL, Bardish Fox! That's VERY good! I take it we are feeling less than "tranquil" tonight with our tatting... I am about to pick up my shuttle and may be joining you in grimace and frustration as I am working out MY OWN PATTERN!
    :) Ann

    Yes, you read that right...

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