Tuesday, January 08, 2013

capturing moments in time


you may have noticed that i gave up on the small stones thing. it didn't feel like me. my noticing moments in my daily life are the photos i take. i've trained myself carefully and dutifully in that for four years, so i'm just going to go with it.

the other reason i'm abandoning the project is that i'm reading another david whyte book. the three marriages. it's essentially a book of deep philosophical self-help and to underline his ideas, he uses a lot of poetry. he quoted a long section of wordsworth. a poem in which wordsworth documents a walk and a spiritual awakening of sorts. and i'll admit it made the small stone thing seem a little hollow and empty. here's the wordsworth:

The Prelude

Two miles I had to walk along the fields
Before I reached my home. Magnificent
The morning was, a memorable pomp,
More glorious than I ever had beheld,
The sea was laughing at a distance; all
The solid mountains were as bright as clouds,
Grain tinctured, drenched in empyrean light;
And in the meadows and the lower grounds
Was all the sweetness of a common dawn,
Dews, vapours, and the melody of birds,
And Labourers going forth into the fields.
Ah! need I say, dear Friend, but to the brim
My heart was full; I made no vows, but vows
Were then made for me; bond unknown to me
Was given, that I should be, else sinning greatly,
A dedicated Spirit. On I walk'd
In blessedness, which even yet remains.
tell me, what do you think?

somehow wordsworth manages to capture a moment in time and preserve it in poetry - far more powerfully than any small stone.

more about the whyte book soon. i'm only about 1/3 of the way through.

~~~

whoa, some seriously creative textile art going on here (scroll down for the hair nest).

3 comments:

will said...

A long time ago I listened to an interview with John Lennon. Lennon was asked what music he listens to and he replied, "my own". He went on to say in his formative years he listened to all sorts of music but when he's creating his own songs he didn't want to be influenced by others.

I understand that. It like a person spends a lifetime accumulating experiences and words, then at a personal tipping point, the ah-hah moment, everything you do is your own creativity. Yes, influences can be seen in one's work... but it's also different ... it's your take on things.

Elizabeth said...

this book is well-worth your time! :)

paris parfait said...

I, too, am a fan of this book - and your gorgeous foggy image!