Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Classical Sunday

Hope on the horizon

A peninsula people,
born with the tang of brine
teasing their nostrils
and the wave-sound
soothing their cradles,
seafarers, or sea-watchers, by nature,
but landlocked these many months
and down on their luck,
months of mountains and dust,
the unfriendly sun on their backs,
now, cresting a ridge, they see
in the distance shimmering bright
the memory of home,
and an electric ripple of hope
races through the long weary column
so that even those down below
still at the foot of the slope
who have not yet seen
the familiar stripe of blue
between land and sky
taste its heady joy –
though still far from sanctuary,
a promise of journey’s end –
and the whisper becomes a shout,
ten thousand hearts and voices
swelling as one:
“The sea! The sea!”


Does anyone get the reference?  [Well, apart from you, Weeble.]  If uncertain, and intrigued, look here.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

For some reason Sun Tzu came to mind, but upon further investigation I find I am on the wrong continent with the wrong century.

Froog said...

Welcome, new reader.

I still have only very intermittent and bothersome access to my blogs - my own or anyone else's - so I haven't had a chance to check out your page on Wordpress yet. Forgive me.

Anonymous said...

::WARNING::

You needn't bother, truly. I wouldn't have included it except I wasn't sure how to post an identity except the one I have. What there is of it. My blog is histrionic female vitriol at the mo, so I highly recommend you STEER CLEAR.

::END WARNING::

But I am enjoying perusing yours. You make my insomniac nights a bit more enjoyable.

Froog said...

Ah, I missed your WARNING. Now it is TOO LATE. I have been over to THE DARK SIDE. I will SCARRED FOR LIFE.

EVEN MORE SCARRED.


Actually, I thought it was a tremendous read. You write very well.

Froog said...

By the way, "You make my insomniac nights a bit more enjoyable" is one of the nicest things anybody's said about me (recently).

(Well, it reminds me a bit of something an old girlfriend once said to me....)

Would you mind if I transcribed it on to my (rather neglected) Review me! page?

Anonymous said...

"Dark Side"...said in that Darth Vader-ian rasp, I hope?

And Sir Froog, thank you for the lovely compliment. Truly. You got a glimpse into my alternate personality who doesn't make an appearance often. I am rather more taken up with a dullard day career that sucks the life from me. But that's a post for another day.

As for your request, it's been handled. VoilĂ ! Ask and ye shall receive.