I've been reading and enjoying Robert Fitzgerald's translation of the Odyssey. I think the following excerpt will resonate with anyone who has looked for a safe landing on a rugged coast. Odysseus has been shipwrecked and is looking for a way to safely get ashore on the rocky shore of Skheria Island... During this meditation a heavy surge was taking him, in fact, straight on the rocks. He had been flayed there, and his bones broken, had not grey-eyed Athena instructed him: he gripped a rock-ledge with both hands in passing and held on, groaning, as the surge went by, to keep clear of its breaking. Then the backwash hit him, ripping him under and far out. An octopus, when you drag one from his chamber, comes up with suckers full of tiny stones: Odysseus left the skin of his great hands torn on that rock-ledge as the wave submerged him. And now at last Odysseus would have perished, battered inhumanly, but he had the gift of self-possession from grey-eyed Athena. So, when the backwash spewed him up again, he swam out and along, and scanned the coast for some landspit that made a breakwater. Lo and behold, the mouth of a calm river at length came into view, with level shores unbroken, free from rock, shielded from wind-- by far the best place he had found.... He crawls ashore, finds a dense thicket to sleep under, and ...Here Odysseus tunnelled, and raked together with his hands a wide bed--for a fall of leaves was there, enough to save two men or maybe three on a winter night, a night of bitter cold. Odysseus' heart laughed when he saw his leaf-bed, and down he lay, heaping more leaves above him. So, he had land survival skills, too. Next time you are sipping wine by your campfire, spill a little for Athena and for Poseidon, too! Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This is something I've thought about on more than one occasion, especially when I've been on the east coast of the big Island viewing the sea bashing against lava cliffs. The thought of somehow miraculously surviving some horrible shipwreck only to be blown ashore to some totally inaccessible shore. Similar to surviving a plane crash at sea and knowing noone will ever find you. Gotta love the Sea! Mark -----Original Message----- From: cholst_at_bitstream.net During this meditation a heavy surge was taking him, in fact, straight on the rocks. He had been flayed there, and his bones broken, had not grey-eyed Athena instructed him: he gripped a rock-ledge with both hands in passing and held on, groaning, as the surge went by, to keep clear of its breaking. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Some of the best reading time spent for me in the past few years are relatively recent translations of Homer. Thanks for bringing that back. On to Vigil! On to Cervantes! Cheers, Rob G In a message dated 3/23/2007 4:30:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time, sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com writes: This is something I've thought about on more than one occasion, especially when I've been on the east coast of the big Island viewing the sea bashing against lava cliffs. The thought of somehow miraculously surviving some horrible shipwreck only to be blown ashore to some totally inaccessible shore. Similar to surviving a plane crash at sea and knowing noone will ever find you. Gotta love the Sea! Mark -----Original Message----- From: cholst_at_bitstream.net During this meditation a heavy surge was taking him, in fact, straight on the rocks. He had been flayed there, and his bones broken, had not grey-eyed Athena instructed him: he gripped a rock-ledge with both hands in passing and held on, groaning, as the surge went by, to keep clear of its breaking. ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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