What Shape Does the Darkness Have? (Ode to a Grecian Urn)
"Beauty is truth, truth is beauty—
That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know."
—John Keats, Ode to a Grecian Urn
What shape does darkness have?
It's surely immense because it holds both the beautiful and profane in the same space.
And light?
Exposing and revealing what was seemingly hidden in the dark?
Beautiful and profane alike?
What if our movement through life isn't about alignment with dark of night or light of day, but rather our movement away from the profane?
Towards the beauty of life in whatever way...
Because after all, isn't truth found in the night and the day?
Integrity, grace, and love?
What if answering these questions brought in a new day?
Consider Exhibit A—
How about a snow covered field graced by delicate moon light?
Moon flowers blooming at night?
Or a moon beam over a waterfall?
Are true words not spoken during both the night and day?
Do lovers not embrace in the shadows, under the brilliance of the sun, or whatever shades of the day remain?
The profane boldly shows itself in the light of day with every self serving act, greed, and corruption...bloodshed.
Does the natural world and order of things not have profound wisdom to teach us—
If we only observe and listen?
Was all of it not created from darkness of the void?
July 13, 2025 | baccusbee
Words are mine. First image created with starryai. Second image created with Grok. My content used with both to create the images.
Keats got stuck in my head and I let my pen follow through.
There were so many books on the shelves of my uni library that were based on the derivative of "Beauty is truth, truth is beauty" etc. About three metres of shelving worth. It was an Art library, so it had all the things - poetry, theory books, rambling philosophical prose on Art, and so on.
But that derivative quote of Keats is definitely one that sticks with me, so it made me pay more attention to your post :)
As a photographer in my other life (I have too many lives) the shape of darkness is a place I can add mystery or hide things, or, if I'm being really skilled, suggest at the presence of something else - and if I'm being the most skilled I possibly can be, in that darkness tell the viewer exactly what they're going to see, and feel, based on what isn't in the light.
There is always something in the shadow - and that's entirely a good thing - that is where we can find hidden detail, meaning, feeling, and messages that are not always apparent. If we investigate both the shadows and the light, then and only then, can we have the full picture, because without the stuff in the light, we would never get the shadow.
I love the way you relate use of the dark and shadows with photography. I've seen some of your photos and you have a good eye! I'm not a great photographer, but when the mood strikes me I like playing with light and shadows. They are beautiful dance partners and well suited for each other. Nature is a perfect match maker.
Keats is one of my favorites.
Long before I held his works in my hands his verse left a lasting impression on me with a .50 prism sticker out of a vending machine that had this same verse from Ode to a Grecian Urn accompanied by the image of a unicorn. I was a teenager and put the sticker on a place of prominence as a young girl..on my makeup case.(lol)
Poetry marked me for life.
And so it should!
@baccusbee, I paid out 0.013 HIVE and 0.000 HBD to reward 2 comments in this discussion thread.