I am sitting in a children's swing on the sun-embraced beach, letting the warmth caress my face. Eyes closed, I am listening.
The sound of the gentle waves coming to the shore. The cry of a gull, then a splash as it catches a fish from the surface of the water. A duck quacks somewhere. The warm hum of a bee as it happily buzzes by. Birds in the forest, four... no, five different songs. I wish I could recognize birds by their singing. A crow decides to break their concert with its hoarse croaking. A pheasant joins in, no less coarse. Now a boat's motor is buzzing somewhere beyond the nearby islands. People's voices. Perhaps at the nearby school yard? The hum of traffic, but distant, muffled...
My solitude is broken by the arrival of two mothers with baby carriages and the excited cries of a toddler as he hurries to inspect the play ship 'Antti I' which is set up on the beach.
The sound of the gentle waves coming to the shore. The cry of a gull, then a splash as it catches a fish from the surface of the water. A duck quacks somewhere. The warm hum of a bee as it happily buzzes by. Birds in the forest, four... no, five different songs. I wish I could recognize birds by their singing. A crow decides to break their concert with its hoarse croaking. A pheasant joins in, no less coarse. Now a boat's motor is buzzing somewhere beyond the nearby islands. People's voices. Perhaps at the nearby school yard? The hum of traffic, but distant, muffled...
My solitude is broken by the arrival of two mothers with baby carriages and the excited cries of a toddler as he hurries to inspect the play ship 'Antti I' which is set up on the beach.
8 comments:
I had this beautiful picture in my mind at the start of your lovely beach post.....and like a dream that last paragraph jolted me out.
What a day, I really enjoy sitting in peace and listening to nature around me. There is alot g oing on when you stop and really listen.
I enjoyed reading this, Maria. We're all very "sonic" people, it seems.
I love so many sounds. Where to begin. One I enjoy is the sound of a red-winged blackbird in the marsh. Sounds so "reedy". It's not a particularly pretty call, but there's just something about it that puts me in a place of peace and wilderness. Do you have those birds in Finland? OK, I checked WikiP and it appears not. But you can check out their call online!
P.S. I'd like to invite you to my blog (to visit as you may have time), but I don't have an email for you. (I recently privatized it).
P.S. Here's a wonderful site of birdcalls. I've linked to the red-winged blackbird once again.
Hi Grace,
That's so true. I think many people don't really stop to listen, in the busy urban life.
Hi Lucy,
Ah, I'll go check the bird song!
My email is in my blog profile.
Ah of course! Thanks, E.L. :-)
Will email you straightaway. Then I'll be back with a passage I think you'll like...
OK. I've been reading this WONDERFUL book called "Modoc" about a boy and his elephant.
Today I came across this passage which made me think of you (and TBWHM) (:-))
(Here, an Indian elephant trainer is speaking to the boy, discussing a moment of enlightenment the boy had when encountering a special "white elephant" (Atoul) in the palace.)
I love the imagery.
"I end by telling you to listen and hear the vibration, the song of nature. The sounds of nature are its music, its lyrics, and it comes from all living things. The subtle violin whispers of the wind in the pine forest, the howling bassoon of the violent monsoon, the clarinet of the birds, the drums of the earthquakes and volcanoes, the cymbals of lightning and thunder, the harp of the oceans, together they play God's song--early morning dripping of water from a night storm, the songbirds in the meadow druing the sunny afternoon, the owl, the roar of a lion, the evening breezes blowing through the trees. It is a true song. Not a story. Not a fable with a point at its end. But a song that sings within and without all living things.
"I hear the music; I learned it through Atoul. I know it is always in sync--the harmony; the melody are perfect and are always there to hear. That is the way it is. Perfect. It is everywhere at all times.
"It can never be stopped or disrupted. It is in our sleep, yet does not awaken us. We are all musical instruments in God's orchestra. The music is never the same, it changes from minute to minute.
"Man must learn to tune in. It will be his nature to try to change it, but he cannot create something better than the Creator. Teach your fellow man to listen, especially your enemy. Hear nature's symphony. The blind can see it, the deaf can hear it. To listen to the sounds of nature is to hear Creation at its beginning, middle, and end at the same time, together and apart. For man, nature and God are one."I highly recommend the book.
What a lovely piece of reflection Maria. I was with you there, hearing the bird song, the crow and the pheasant, and then the dream was broken by the child's voice. Lovely piece of writing, dear Maria!
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