ONCE on the kind of day called “weather breeder,”1
When the heat slowly hazes and the sun
By its own power seems to be undone,
I was half boring through, half climbing through
A swamp of cedar. Choked with oil of cedar
And scurf of plants, and weary and over-heated,
And sorry I ever left the road I knew,
I paused and rested on a sort of hook
That had me by the coat as good as seated,
And since there was no other way to look,
Looked up toward heaven, and there against the blue,
Stood over me a resurrected tree,
A tree that had been down and raised again—
A barkless spectre. He had halted too,
As if for fear of treading upon me.
I saw the strange position of his hands—
Up at his shoulders, dragging yellow strands
Of wire with something in it from men to men.
“You here?” I said. “Where aren’t you nowadays
And what’s the news you carry—if you know?
And tell me where you’re off for—Montreal?
Me? I’m not off for anywhere at all.
Sometimes I wander out of beaten ways
Half looking for the orchid Calypso.”
Robert Frost
Your entry reminded me of the beginning to The Divine Comedy:
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
ché la diritta via era smarrita.
(Mid-way through the journey of our Life
I found myself in a dark forest
for I had lost the True way.)
Flâneur Gardener read my post..Accidents – good and not so good
A great beginning – espcially so in Italian
Oh what gorgeous photography, especially love the tree from the ground level…great perspective!
Amanda read my post..The Acer Photo Booth : Friendship
makes us look small too
Hi Laura,
Such an enchanting post.
I love the photographs, especially the one looking up at the tree….magical.
fell upon the poem almost by accident Cheryl and already had the images to fit
that – is synchronicity. And a blogging mindset. Well met.
Elephant’s Eye read my post..Wildflower Wednesday in the Groot Winterhoek
and even more so as I was visiting your wildflowers when you stopped by for an encounter
Somehow this reminded my of the Robert Frost poem Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood. Lovely pics of lovely trees.
Bridget read my post..On the lane…
there are definite overtones of that here Bridget- I suppose he aways took the road less travelled!
Your photos beautifully illustrate a wonderful poem, and your post is very appropriate today! Here, the sun is fiercely hot and the air so thick that a haze rises from the drive. I see dark clouds forming on the horizon, and as I write I can hear thunder. Someone will get rain. I hope it is me!
breeding weather your way Deb – some of our rain clouds that have made it the wettest June since 1860
simply beautiful x
Island Threads read my post..EoMV and worst and best of June
This post is the perfect way to start my day. Thank you.
Mary Pellerito read my post..A Garden As A Canvas
Lovely photos and a great start to the new month. Lets hope we get better weather this month than we did previouly.
Diligent Gardener read my post..A New Month and some flowers…
so far it’s not looking promising
fabulous musings and with my fav poet and your lovely images
Donna@Gardens Eye View read my post..Gardens Eye Journal-July 2012
The pictures and words mesh perfectly. Strange how trees can look so alive at times – they catch the imagination.
easygardener read my post..End of the month view – June 2012
Ah yes, a hot summer day, one of my favorite things. Our winters are long and cold, so we try to treasure that summer heat. But this year, the weather has gotten carried away. It is currently 102F! Whew, even I am a bit weary of this hot and dry summer. My kingdom for some rain!
RobinL read my post..Oh my poor garden!