![view through a snow covered lane in the Fishertown](https://tranature.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/lr-5493-tnb.jpg)
The smaller lanes still pure with snow
where lanterns cast their final glow
the moon will blink before she sleeps
the blue sky’s here to steal her show.
The gritter weaves through narrow streets
winter’s flown here now and greets
the wood smoke curling into day
through chimney pots, their smell so sweet.
The fisher folk who used to stay
in homes along the coast and bay
would know how strong the wind can blow
the way life changes, when we play.
© Xenia Tran
![view through a narrow snow covered street in the Fishertown](https://tranature.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/lr-5491-tnb.jpg)
![view down a snow covered street in the Fishertows at day break](https://tranature.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/lr-5506-tnb.jpg)
Frank at dVerse Poets invites us to write a Rubaiyat with a Winter theme and I’ve created an interlocking Rubaiyat following the aaba, bbcb, ccac format.
You can find an example of a ruba’i (a classical Persian quatrain with 13-syllable lines) in One More Glance on our sister blog.
Wishing you all a very happy Friday and a wonderful weekend,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, Settings: f/5 – 1/20 s – ISO 1250, f/4 – 1/40 s – ISO 640 and f/5.6 – 1/100 s – ISO 640.
dVerse Poets: Poetry Forms – The Rubaiyat
Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Fish
This reads beautifully and so are your photos to match the winter scene. Love the sensory delight here:
the wood smoke curling into day
through chimney pots, their smell so sweet.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Grace 🙂💖 xxx
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lovely, and stunning photos
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Maureen 🙂💖 xxx
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Fantastic photos (romantic to my eye) and poem to match. I had to look up ‘gritter’ – our word is ‘sander.’ I think ‘gritter’ sounds better. 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Eliza 💜 We have grit boxes on the corner to get grit for the narrow lanes and pavements and gritters who drive through the wider streets, releasing grit as they go. I’d never heard of ‘sander’ before, thank you for teaching me a new word too! 🙂💖 xxx
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It seems to me the word gritter might have come from the time when everyone burned coal for heat and the left over ashes were used in the street for traction.??
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Thank you Dwight, the word ‘grit’ evolved from the old English ‘greot’ (which was used to describe sand, dust or gravel), which in turn evolved from the Germanic ‘greutan’ (crushed rock), the old Frisian ‘gret’ and old Norse ‘grjot’ (rock, stone). The grit we use here today comprises of crushed rock salt and gravel. It’s possible ashes were used here in the olden days too! 🙂
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Wonderful poem. Lovely pictures. The sky against the snow is quite lovely.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Anita 🙂💖 xxx
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I really liked this poem! Your wonderful snow photos are really great! I was not sure about the meaning of your last line!?
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Dwight 🙂 In a general sense the final line relates to the difference between work and play and every reader can attach their own meaning to this. For the original inhabitants of the Fishertown life was often tough and at the mercy of wind and sea. Men, women and children all worked hard. Especially for the working children, life was very different when they could play 🙂
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Thank you for your explanation. Life was so hard for many back in the day… especially children!
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You’re very welcome Dwight 🤗
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Beautiful poem and beautiful photos Xenia, wonderful post! 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Rob 🙂
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Pure and still, a country calling to me, I think. Lovely.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Kathy, the Scottish Highlands have a way of calling us 😉💖
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i like these two lines:
“the moon will blink before she sleeps
the blue sky’s here to steal her show.”
and the last line. i like the sensory nature of your poem
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Jade 🙂💖
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You are welcome 🙂
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Lovely photos, Xenia. How could anyone mess up that scene with footprints!
I thought rubiayat was a place name, lol.
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Haha, thank you dear Tracy 💜 It looked like someone had already walked there with their dog 🙂💖 xxx
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I love a snow day! always feels like a gift. You capture it so well here, love all the little sensory details.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Sarah 🙂💖 xxx
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The whole thing obviously but loved the last stanza particularly.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Petru 🙂💖 xxx
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Very nice sound and photographs. I like the tetrameter lines.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Frank and for hosting this lovely challenge 🙂
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Such a lovely poem with atmospheric photos. The second picture with the verse that matches it is wonderful 💖xxx
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Cathy 💜 Hope you are all warm and cosy and much love from our house to yours 🤗💖🐕 xxx
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Thank you 🤗 We are 🔥 Hope you are too. Much love to you all ❤️🐕xxx
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Thank you Cathy, all warm here too! 🙂💖🐕 xxx
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Utterly delightful! Looks like a fairytale village.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Laurie, it’s part of a conservation area and there’s so much history here 🙂💖 xxx
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This is your village?
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Yes dear Laurie, we stay here in the old part of town 🙂💖 xxx
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Oh, my gosh! Is it as enchanting as it looks?
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It truly is Laurie, especially at this quieter time of year 🙂💖 xxx
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Wonderful! Sigh.
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🙂💖 xxx
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i love snow and maybe should come here to be totally enchanted, your rubaiyat sings beautifully and tells a simple touching tale, you used the form well to me
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Gina 🙂💖 xxx
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a pleasure for me
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This is so very atmospheric… and each poem tells it’s own story with the last one reminding us how much we lost to comfort with our modern way of life.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Bjorn 🙂
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Stunning images to illustrate your words. But the words stand alone to create a picture in my mind’s eye. Love the first stanza and most especially the use of the word “gritter”.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Lillian 🙂💖 xxx
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Very nicely penned.
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Thank you dear Rosemary 🙂💖
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Wonderful pictures! And I loved the Rubaiyat, which is a new poetry form for me. Beautiful post!
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Helen, much love to you and Dylan from all of us here 🤗🐾💖🐾 xxx
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I like the variety of visuals you give us here, each holding more to wonder and imagine. The last stanza reminds me of Newfoundland where we visited last year. Many tiny fishing villages along the ocean that have dwindled in population over time.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Mish 💜 Those fishing villages sound lovely and I hope some of the people who left will return and live there again one day 🙂💖 xxx
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I’m afraid I’ve got around to reading a little bit late, Xenia. So glad I checked back as your Rubaiyat is delightful and I love the pictures. Is that where you live? So beautiful in the snow and I imagine in all other kinds of weather. I especially love the stanza about the fisher folk. xx
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Kim and yes, this is where we stay. These were originally fishermen’s cottages and some of their descendants still live here. It’s been lovely to hear their stories and in the Winter months especially, it feels like stepping back in time 🙂💖 xxx
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🙂 xx
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a lovely evocation of winter (K)
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Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂💖
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This is truly a poem for the senses.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Sara 🙂💖 xxx
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wow! what else can I say? the pics, the form. gotta go back and read again. wow
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Zander, it means a lot 🙂🙋♀️
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