This section is dedicated to the memory of...

When lady Diana Spencer died the whole world mourned. To us all Diana was a symbol of kindness and undeserved sorrow and then, suddenly, she was no more here to remind us that sometimes even the most generous person does not get happiness and love from life, no matter how good, rich or famous they are.

• How to find information in a text
• how to read a poem

The famous rock star Elton John dedicated to her one of his old hits which had been originally written for Marylyn Monroe, another unlucky icon of our times.

Candle in the Wind

to Lady Diana Spencer

By Elton John  

 Goodbye England's rose;

may you ever grow in our hearts.

You were the grace that placed itself

where lives were torn apart.

You called out to our country,

and you whispered to those in pain.

Now you belong to heaven,

And it seems to me you lived your life

like a candle in the wind:

never fading with the sunset

when the rain set in.

And your footsteps will always fall here,

along England's greenest hills;

your candle's burned out long before

your legend ever will.

Loveliness we've lost;

these empty days without your smile.

This torch we'll always carry

for our nation's golden child.

And even though we try,

the truth brings us to tears;

all our words cannot express

the joy you brought us through the years.

Goodbye England's rose,

from a country lost without your soul,

who'll miss the wings of your compassion

more than you'll

(The chart is below the poem)

In Time

Rising up from this small bed

I reach high

but not high enough to reach her arm

mother's hair blows softly in the wind

and I rock

I see her cry with her favourite novel

the one with the worn edge

and watermarked pages

it's the one with the happy ending

the one that dreams are made of

but destiny destroyed

mother once said time healed all wounds

in time mine will heal too

Dedicated to the late Princess Diana

and Her children who will be remembered

in many hearts. God bless Her

Now get back to Elton John’s song and find as many metaphors as you can and write them in a chart like the one above. A suggestion for your search: start from the title...

Why don’t you try to write yourself a poem to Diana’s memory? After doing this activity you might discover you’ve got a natural talent…

Follow these steps:

• Compare the text on the left with its poetical equivalent on the right

• Insert the missing sentences in the text on the right by substituting the words with a metaphor – remember to find your images from different sensory channels (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic)

A promise

Old age will never touch you

Your life will be yours for ever

And happiness will be with you

Youth will never leave you

And you’ll never know sadness again

In my true love you will find your peace

and together we’ll ignore false friends and journalists

This is my promise to YOU

And I state my words are as

true as my feelings

A promise

Falling dried autumn leaves will never linger on your face

And nobody will  hush the murmuring of your running river

Or stop children games before your door

Your……………………………………... will never wither

And you’ll never meet…………….………………..again

My …………………….. will be your friend

In my heart you will find  your ……...…

And together we’ll defeat  hyenas and …………..

This is my promise to you

And my words are as true

as it is true that ………….. is in the sky

or the ………….. are in the ocean

Do you see what kind of magic happens when you use metaphors? Now think of something which is particularly precious to you: a friend, a place, your mum (why not? ;-) ) Write a short paragraph about that. Just take care of starting a new line for each concept as it happens in poems. Then underline the concepts which can be substituted with a metaphor. Just see what happens...

Examples of metaphors:

Winter: an empty fridge

Summer: a broken air conditioning system

Videogames: paradise lost

A lie: a knife in the back

Homework: a pain in the neck!