Postcards from Paradise: from “A Virgin a Day series ~ Joan of Arc

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Vaucouleurs to Chinon, February-March, 1429

"I was born for this."

"Fear not: what I do, I do by commandment.

My brothers in Paradise tell me what I must do."

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©2009 nicolas evariste

Domremy, February, 1429

"But since God had commanded me to go, I must do it. And since God had commanded it, had I had a hundred fathers and a hundred mothers,

and had I been a king's daughter, I would have gone."

"It pleased God thus to act through a simple maid in order to turn back the King's enemies."

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©2012 Thomas Hawk

The Trial, February-May, 1431

"Had I known the hour and that I would be taken, I should not have wanted to go.

But I would have done their bidding in the end, no matter what was to befall me."

"As to whether victory was my banner's or mine, it was all our Lord's."

"There was neither sorcery or any evil art in anything I have done."

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©2009Nicolas Evariste

Joan of Arc

by Leonard Cohen

Now the flames they followed joan of arc
As she came riding through the dark;
No moon to keep her armour bright,
No man to get her through this very smoky night.
She said, I’m tired of the war,
I want the kind of work I had before,
A wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite.

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Well, I’m glad to hear you talk this way,
You know I’ve watched you riding every day
And something in me yearns to win
Such a cold and lonesome heroine.
And who are you? she sternly spoke
To the one beneath the smoke.
Why, I’m fire, he replied,
And I love your solitude, I love your pride.

tendresse evariste

©2009 nicolas evariste

Then fire, make your body cold,
I’m going to give you mine to hold,
Saying this she climbed inside
To be his one, to be his only bride.
And deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And high above the wedding guests
He hung the ashes of her wedding dress.

Angels nicolas evariste

©2010 nicolas evariste  

It was deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And then she clearly understood
If he was fire, oh then she must be wood.
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
I saw the glory in her eye.
Myself I long for love and light,
But must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?

 infinite universe evariste

infinite universe ©2009 nicolas evariste

 

Underwater nicolas evariste

underwater ©2009 nicolas evariste

"She was truthful when lying was the common speech of men; she was honest when honest was become a lost virtue; she was a keeper of promises when the keeping of a promise was expected of no one; ... she was full of pity when a merciless cruelty was the rule; she was steadfast when stability was unknown, and honorable in an age which had forgotten what honor was; she was a rock of convictions in a time when men believed in nothing and scoffed at all things; she was unfailingly true in an age that was false to the core; ... she was of a dauntless courage when hope and courage had perished in the hearts of her nation..." Mark Twain,Joan of Arc

 

 

About the Photographer

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Brenda K. Stumpf

I've been Creative Director for the past 15 years at Prime8 Interactive.

Our work has been featured and/or won awards in publications such as CMYK magazine,

Flash Visual Jumpstart, The One Show, Promax Broadcasting, the Addy's, and How Magazine.

I recently turned my creative attention to photography, with a focus on underwater imagery.

I am currently working on projects both in the US and abroad.

 

Note from Noelle Renee:  Please visit Brenda’s website where you can view more of her incredibly beautiful photos here at www.bstumpf.com

My gracious thanks to her for allowing me to post her phenomenal work here on The Angels Wear Fins.

 

*Note~

Quotes from Joan of Arc are taken from the book Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words. Using only material compiled from her trial transcripts and testimonies, translator Willard Trask arranged her exact words in this unique autobiography. The signature is what remains of her actual historical signature.

Comments

  1. dear sweet noelle,

    glorious! a celebration of a heart who knew only resolute courage, passion and cause. the photographs...amazing! so inspired. then the smokey nostalgic voice of leonard cohen..and the haunting violin. girl you have gotten me on every sensual level of delight!
    truly a post of posts!
    thank you for your thoughtful pursuit to always all ways shower us in light.

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  2. Nice. Wonderful to read and see!!!

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  3. dear
    sweet noelle, glorious! a celebration of a heart who knew only resolute
    courage, passion and cause. the photographs...amazing! so inspired.
    then the smokey nostalgic voice of leonard cohen..and the haunting
    violin. girl you have gotten me on every sensual level of delight! truly
    a post of posts! thank you for your thoughtful pursuit to always all
    ways shower us in light.


    i want to also thank you for returning to your original blog format. when i come to the angels wear fins i come to be near you. this format is so intimate and imbued with "noelleness" . that i am immediately  flooded with the comfort of coming home to you. 
    the very essence of beauty and thoughtfulness that comes from you lives in every aspect of your blog-home for this  i thank you with all my heart!
    xoxoxoxoxoxo

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  4. Thank you rebecca! You are very welcome. There is nothing I want more than to give you and others a sense of belonging when they come here, to make them feel as if they have come home.  Thank you for your beautiful comment as well. I am so touched!

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  5. Yes, thank you, Brenda and Noelle-this is is insanely beautiful and really speaks to me. St. Joan of Arc is one of my top heroines. I often think about how she did what she did and merely a teenager! I think of this when I am struggling towards a goal and my troubles seem trivial next to what she must've faced.

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  6. Thank you Paula. I am glad that this meant so much to you and that Joan is someone who resonates so deeply with you.
    so glad you stopped in :)
    ~Noelle

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  7. wow wow wow
    Noelle
    gorgeous
    so much passion in this post!
    and you know
    how I love fire...

    xox - eb.

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  8. eb,
    Thank you so much my friend. I was beginning to think that no one saw it. I thought of you and wondered how you would like it. Thank you for your kind words and your sincere appreciation. It means a lot to me coming from someone who has such a keen eye for beauty in all its forms.
    xox,
    Noelle

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  9. I agree with Rebecca....and your "Noelleness" is such a welcome place to be..here...now

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  10. I thank you for everything here...you gathered all the pieces for me.
    Even Leonard!
    How thoughtful.
    And the photography is truly remarkable♥♥♥ 

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  11. Thank you so much deb. I really appreciate your kindness. Thanks for stopping by.
    xo,
    Noelle

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  12. You are so welcome, Lisa. It is my distinct pleasure. Coming from an artist like yourself this is high praise. I feel blessed and happy. Thank you :)
    xo,
    Noelle

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  13. I had to come back and visit again, I was so taken with the Joan of Arc photos and Leonard Cohen's song. No problem getting on your site now either, so I'm glad you were able to switch back. Hopefully you'll recapture your comments. I tried the old one with a few browsers. Sometimes I got in and sometimes I didn't. 

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  14. Oh fran I am so glad. That whole time I didn't realize people were having trouble. Thanks so much for your kindness and for coming back to comment! I love what you are doing for the 12 days!
    xo,
    noelle

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  15. A wondrous posting and sharing!  So powerful and reminding us of our Soul's Purpose!  thank you thank you thank you

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  16. Awesome! This is amazing:)

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  17. You are very welcome, Hetienne. So good to connect with you on this level too. Talk to you tomorrow.
    Peace,
    Noelle

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  18. Glad you like it, Gill :). I thought it would mean something to you.
    xo,
    Noelle

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  19. i am sleepless
    in florida
    loving this posting
    reading it ALL twice,
    thinking on the power of woman
    Then & now

    ~~~she was steadfast when stability was unknown~~~

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  20. Dear Noelle, this is my second comment on this your most beautiful post, not sure what happened to the first one!  I have read it twice whilst listening to Leonard, it truly brings the past to life again!  

    Thank you so much,

    Sue x

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  21. Magical Mystical TeacherDecember 5, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    A flamboyant Joan!

    Imperturbable
    Mary

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  22. Sue dear,
    Thank you so much. I am so happy you liked it! I love Leonard Cohen as well. I am sorry about the comment thing. Disqus is working on it!

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  23. Thank you so much for your deep insight somepinkflowers. What you have said means a lot to me, to all of us really.
    xoxo,
    Noelle

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