The Island-Fish

-
Image
  “O ye passengers, whom may God preserve! come up quickly in to the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since times of old; and when ye lighted the fire upon it, the fish felt the heat, and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape before destruction, and leave the merchandise.—The passengers, therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots; and some reached the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and descended...

Ode To Big Blue

-

 Feeling “Lightfoot” lately


The oceans of the world were the home of Big BlueHe was the greatest monster that the world ever knewAnd the place that he loved bestWas the waters to the westAround the blue Pacific he did roam
Big Blue moved alone for a mighty blue was heAnd the battles of the whales was an awesome sight to seeAnd he took them one by one and he drove them all awayIn the mating of the day he was the king
Big Blue had fifty wives and he sired forty sonsThough most of them fell victim to the cruel harpoon gunsAh but he was too much wise to get caught by the gunners' eyesAnd so he lived at sea a hundred years
His mouth was as large as a tunnel so they sayHis hide was thick as leather and his eyes quick and smallAnd his back was all scarred by the times he got awayAnd he knew the smell of whalers did Big Blue
Big Blue passed away to his natural decayBeside the Arctic Circle as he travelled up that wayAnd there never was a man who was born with a gunner's handWhoever took a pan to Big Blue
Now the gray whale has run and the sperm is almost doneThe finbacks and the Greenland rights have all passed and goneThey've been taken by the men for the money they could spendAnd the killing never ends, it just goes on
The oceans of the earth were the home of Big BlueHe was the greatest monster that the world ever knewAnd the place that he loved best was the waters to the westAround the blue Pacific he did roam

—Gordon Lightfoot 

Popular posts from this blog

Rock Me, Epictetus!

-
Image
“Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?” EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.6 b –8 
Read more

The Smooth-flowing Life

-
Image
Legend has it that the astronomer Ptolemy (1st century A.D.) suggested that falling stars were caused by the gods moving in the heavens, thus knocking stars out of their places. Somehow people reasoned that that if the gods were moving, they must be getting close to earth so they would lift their "prayers" or "wishes" (literally, "desires") whenever they saw the stars falling in hopes the gods would notice and grant a favorable answer. But how does one wish on falling star? Once you see it, it's gone before the wish or prayer can be made! The answer is simple: meteor shower. That's how to get your wish. Mrs. Ann Hodges had a wish fall right into her lap. Sort of. In 1954 Mrs. Hodges was sleeping on the couch when a 8 1/2 pound meteorite fell through her house and into her living room where it bounced off the radio and struck her left hip leaving her with a bruise. Not sure what she was wishing, but that's not how to do it. Epictetus hel...
Read more