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Blue-Tinted Scenes Observed During my Trip to Taboga
Pictures of clouds always remind me of a 1969 song of Joni Mitchell dubbed, “Both Sides Now” from her vinyl album “Clouds“. When I was growing up, Joni Mitchell, was a regular in our house, as well as Peter, Paul and Mary. I will never forget their music and contribution in shaping up my character and personality. I was 23 then and was starting to learn the life of an adult in the seventies.
Before closing this blog post, I consider it proper to include a quotation of Jacques Costeau on the wonder of the oceans of our planet. “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Good Day.
2 thoughts on “Blue-Tinted Scenes Observed During my Trip to Taboga”
I give you this in contrast to Costeau, by someone else who knew an awful lot about the sea and wrote about it better than almost anyone else, Joseph Conrad. This was written after he had returned to his ship from a rescue mission to a dismasted ship in a storm:
Already I looked with other eyes upon the sea. I knew it capable of betraying the generous ardor of youth as implacably as, indifferent to evil and good, it would have betrayed the basest greed or the noblest heroism. My conception of its magnanimous greatness was gone. And I looked upon the true sea–the sea that plays with men till their hearts are broken, and wears stout ships to death. Nothing can touch the brooding bitterness of its soul. Open to all and faithful to none, it exercises its fascination for the undoing of the best. To love it is not well. It knows no bounds of plighted troth, no fidelity to misfortune, to long companionship, to long devotion. The promise it holds out perpetually is very great; but the only secret of its possession is strength, strength–the jealous sleepless strength of a man guarding a coveted treasure within his gates. ~ The Mirror of the Sea.
Very powerful words exquisitely chiseled by Joseph Conrad. I know how much you have read about him and how well he wrote in a language that was not his own. I wonder how they can write so well. It’s absolutely amazing what they are able to do with words, similar to what a sculpture does with stone.
I understand Conrad was a Polish author who wrote in English after settling in England. He was granted British nationality in 1886, but always considered himself a Pole.
Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English,though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties (and always with a marked accent).
(I obtained this information in Wikipedia Encyclopedia)
Lingua Franca 
I give you this in contrast to Costeau, by someone else who knew an awful lot about the sea and wrote about it better than almost anyone else, Joseph Conrad. This was written after he had returned to his ship from a rescue mission to a dismasted ship in a storm:
Already I looked with other eyes upon the sea. I knew it capable of betraying the generous ardor of youth as implacably as, indifferent to evil and good, it would have betrayed the basest greed or the noblest heroism. My conception of its magnanimous greatness was gone. And I looked upon the true sea–the sea that plays with men till their hearts are broken, and wears stout ships to death. Nothing can touch the brooding bitterness of its soul. Open to all and faithful to none, it exercises its fascination for the undoing of the best. To love it is not well. It knows no bounds of plighted troth, no fidelity to misfortune, to long companionship, to long devotion. The promise it holds out perpetually is very great; but the only secret of its possession is strength, strength–the jealous sleepless strength of a man guarding a coveted treasure within his gates. ~ The Mirror of the Sea.
Morning Richard:
Very powerful words exquisitely chiseled by Joseph Conrad. I know how much you have read about him and how well he wrote in a language that was not his own. I wonder how they can write so well. It’s absolutely amazing what they are able to do with words, similar to what a sculpture does with stone.
I understand Conrad was a Polish author who wrote in English after settling in England. He was granted British nationality in 1886, but always considered himself a Pole.
Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English,though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties (and always with a marked accent).
(I obtained this information in Wikipedia Encyclopedia)
Thank you for these inspired words about the sea.
Regards,
Omar.-