On Love

by Woody Allen

Is it better to be the lover or the loved one? Neither if your cholesterol is over six hundred. By love, of course, I refer to romantic love- the love between man and woman, rather than between mother and child, or a boy and his dog, or two headwaiters.

The marvelous thing is that when one is in love there is an impulse to sing. This must be resisted at all costs, and care must also be taken to see that the ardent male doesn't "talk" the lyrics of songs. To be loved, certainly, is different from being admired, as one can be admired from afar but to really love someone it is essential to be in the same room with the person, crouching behind the drapes.

To be a really good lover, then, one must be strong and yet tender. How strong? I suppose being able to lift fifty pounds should do it. Bear in mind also that to the lover the loved one is always the most beautiful thing imaginable, even though to a stranger she may be indistinguishable from an order of smelts. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Should the beholder have poor eyesight, he can ask the nearest person which girls look good. (Actually, the prettiest ones are almost always the most boring, and that is why some people feel there is no God.)

"The joys of love are but a moment long," sang the troubadour, "but the pain of love endures forever." This was almost a hit song, but the melody was too close to "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy."

-The Early Essays, Without Feathers

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"Hope is the thing with feathers." -Emily Dickinson

9 comments:

escape @ October 22, 2008 at 4:13 PM

ayan. nakabalik ka na pala sa blog. buti na lang bakasyon na.

Anonymous @ October 24, 2008 at 9:34 PM

At first I thought I landed at the wrong blog. Hm...I'm never been and will never be in love so I'm finding it hard to relate with the poem you featured on your blog. I hope you're doing well, my friend! =D

Leoj @ October 24, 2008 at 10:00 PM

@theDong..oo nga eh nakabalik na rin ako. yung weekly update naging monthly update.hehehehe


@shareMyPointOfView...hehehe. From the very beginning, I wanted my site to be all black, though green is also my favorite color. Anyway, i didnt post the essay, my partner did(actually cross-posted from her multiply site). Myself too, Im finding it hard to relate. But unlike you, I am not obstructing myself to experience the feeling of being in love.lol. And yeah, Im doing fine. :)

escape @ October 25, 2008 at 2:09 AM

ey leoj, just in case you want to visit beautiful places near your area, i can suggest some places. just send an email to i.dongho@gmail.com

Anonymous @ October 26, 2008 at 8:47 PM

hard to relate ka jan! che!

uy, pakiayos naman `yung format nung entry. nagmukha ngang tula `yung itsura. kelangan ng spaces at indentations.

Anonymous @ October 27, 2008 at 2:28 PM

welcome back allen!!!!

nice comeback post! about love!

Anonymous @ November 1, 2008 at 9:21 PM

Hello sa inyo! wahahaha nice post :)

BTW leoj and ayang me delay yung feed na 3 days bago magpadala sa email ng kopya ng post sa blog nyo, wala lang...

Kita kits nalang sa enrollment. Pu***ng crs yan binago nanaman ang scheme, were like f***'n guinea pigs...

Hehehe:)

Leoj @ November 2, 2008 at 10:23 PM

andres o andrew?hehehe.

kitakits na lang sa pasukan. sa friday na. tsk. busy na naman!

ayos naman ang crs ngayon ah. nakuha ko kasi lahat ng subjects ko.nyahaha. at karamihan din ng mga naririnig ko eh nakuha din nila lahat sa crs. :)

Anonymous @ November 3, 2008 at 4:39 PM

hi! your blog is very interesting :)
moreover, i am new to this blogging. i like to you to visits my site in your free time ..and give suggestion to improve
if possible add me in your blog roll. i will return my favour!!