They live

April 8, 2007
iranian.com

THEY LIVE
Books are not people
Yet they stay alive

Monuments crumble
Nations fall
Civilizations die
Of all our creations
Nothing outlasts books

The little sheets of paper
They speak to us
They are windows to the world
Messages from the dead
The very heart of ages past
The engines of change

Books are distant voices
They are the legacies
Great minds leave to humankind
They are presents to the posterity
To all those who are yet unborn

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PEOPLE AND BOOKS
What we become as persons
Depends partly on what we read

There is no greater fortune
Than to have a genuine love
For good books and reading
There is no greater happiness
No greater gift

Such a person is usually
More cultured and refined
Than the rest of us
With more lofty thoughts
And elevated opinions

The person who does not read
Nor knows any good books
Is no better off than
And has no advantage over
Those who cannot read at all

Such a person usually
Has poor judgment
Lacks strength of character
Lives in confusion
Fearing the unknown

-Rotterdam, Netherlands

March 14th to 24th was book week here in the Netherlands -- ten days dedicated to literature with book readings, competitions, and give a-ways.