But give them me, the mouth, the eyes, the brow!
Let them once more absorb me! One look now
Will lap me round forever, not to pass
Out of its light, though darkness lie beyond:
Hold me but safe again within the bond
Of one immortal look! All woe that was,
Forgotten, and all terror that may be,
Defied, no past is mine, no future: look at me!Robert Browning
Writing for art, or ekphrasis, has held a special place within my thought since undertaking an undergraduate course in Bristol led by Stephen Cheeke, whose first book on the subject, Writing for Art: The Aesthetics of Ekphrasis, was published by Manchester University Press in 2008.
Can I follow in the footsteps of such a role model? It is not beyond the realms of possibility to apply for a post-doctoral project thinking about Marvell in this light. In the first instance, there is a small chance that writing and art might combine in my professional life. I’ve applied for a role as a resident writer at the Hartlepool Art Gallery. How desperately do I want this chance?
But give it me: the talk, the choice, the nod.
Let your decision absorb me! Let those Gods
Who sent me to Geneva not let me pass
Out of their sight, though darkness fell within.
Make me but safe again within my skin
With one immortal chance! All woe be glass
In shatters, and all terror that may befall,
Recoil. The past resigns, the future waits your call.KaM
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