Wulf and Eadwacer

I have blogged this poem before, some years ago. But it speaks so powerfully of the tragedy we, the human family, have been living in since the loss of Eden, that I want to blog it again.

Wulf and Eadwacer

Anonymous

The men of my tribe would treat him as game:
if he comes to the camp they will kill him outright.

            Our fate is forked.

Wulf is on one island, I on another.
Mine is a fastness: the fens girdle it
and it is defended by the fiercest men.
If he comes to the camp they will kill him for sure.

            Our fate is forked.

It was rainy weather, and I wept by the hearth,
thinking of my Wulf's far wanderings;
one of the captains caught me in his arms.
It gladdened me then; but it grieved me too.

Wulf, my Wulf, it was wanting you
that made me sick, your seldom coming,
the hollowness at heart; not the hunger I spoke of.

Do you hear, Eadwacer?  Our whelp Wulf shall take to the wood.
What was never bound is broken easily,
            our song together.   

English - 10th century - translated by Michael Alexander

https://voetica.com/poem/5813

There are many translations of this, but Michael Alexander's is my favourite. It is a cry of pain from the past, its sadness and longing are so immediate, so vivid.  Its meaning is not quite clear beyond that.  Nor do I know how to pronounce Eadwacer.  I suppose scholars of Anglo-Saxon English would know.

The pic that heads the blog is of Strumpshaw Fen, in Norfolk. It is from Col's photo gallery of course.  We had a couple of holidays there in our early retirement, when I could still get about - and WALK!

We were hunting the wild Swallowtail butterfly.  And we were, as we thought, on our own on a boardwalk amidst the marshy Fen, when one landed in front of us!  Immediately hordes of middle-aged Butterfliers appeared from the rushes, with cameras, and it was well and truly photographed. 

And a very sad bit of news.   The identity of the three young women found drowned on one of our local beaches has finally been revealed. They were sisters, Londoners, down here on holiday.  It seems that no-one else was involved, this was an accident, of awful proportions.  My guess would be that they were paddling on the slippery pebbles, all moving in the undertow, close to a drop-off they did not know was there, and one of them slipped into the deep water and the others tried to help...   And it was dark and cold...  Well, God bless them and remember them when the time comes for the resurrection, so that they will next open their eyes in the restored earthly paradise.

My condolences to their family.  What a terrible loss.

But how sad things have been since the loss of Eden, the sadness expressed by the writer of Wulf and Eadwacer  all those centuries ago - and we still have continuing clan warfare, only on a titanic scale, and then these daily tragedies.

And on a much much more minor note, I am feeling really sick as I try to adjust to a new bp medication.  I have to give it 3 weeks at least. I had hoped to get to the Kingdom Hall Thursday night, but had to hitch up my pixels and go on Zoom. Col took one look at me when I got back and said I was not going anywhere.  

We had hoped to visit Jacks on Friday morning, but I am still not up to going anywhere.  The balcony is as far as I have gone all week. And what a privilege to have that, with its constant view of the ever changing English Channel.

And, right on time for the Bank Holiday weekend, a heatwave arrived.  Both beach and Green are going to be very busy.  

Captain Butterfly came back early from his metal detecting.  HE CAME BACK EARLY.  Apparently it was just too hot.  And this is  a man who has spent days in the Saudi desert  - in Summer.  So, yes, this is quite a heatwave we are having. There is not a parking space left locally as myriads have headed for the beach.

I just hope for no more beach tragedies.

Moonpenny Daisies

 

The Moonpenny daisies are lining the roads and filling the fields now, along with all the splendid flowers of May.

There once were some daisies of Moon,

resplendent in their Springtime bloom,
by the roadside in drifts, 

they are paradise gifts,
and they do help to lift all the gloom.

Monday was a day of Zooms (to continue the rhyme scheme).  We both Zoomed with our siblings - well, not with Nute as she was working.  And i also had three Zoom sessions with friends.

I managed a bit of studying and witnessing, but still feel very drained from the last three weeks, which ended with that tiring trek to the hospital on Friday.

We woke up to stormy weather on Tuesday - the rain was much needed I must say. Though, as I begin to write this blog, we are wondering if Col's Tuesday session with the archeologists will go ahead or not. It's a really fierce storm!  Anyway he did trek out into the storm, laden with metal detectors and his sandwich lunch.  Next stop K2!!  (Or maybe not.)

And he had some very interesting finds.  He brought them home in photo form only, and they should be appearing on his blog in time.  Bea rang to get the name of the scented flowers we have on our balcony - Nemesia.  We are having to grow them from seed this year - and they are sprouting up well. They are like a little green forest on the balcony, soon, hopefully to be a forest of scented flowers.

Our Bible Study went well - I think. And we are welcome to come back next week.  I continue with my Not Home letters, and also am slowly doing the block of flats I was given for my territory this month. Every day that goes past, makes the Kingdom preaching work that Jesus left for his followers to do more urgent.

I had such a strange vivid dream in the early hours. Col's alarm clock when off at 4:30 - as it often does on Detecting days - but I managed to fall into a deep sleep almost straightaway - well into a vivid dream anyway.  I had had some kind of fall, just leaving me mildly bruised, but I had been sent to A & E and was now in the operating theatre awaiting an operation to make me more steady on my feet.  All the nurses and technicians were getting themselves dressed up in this vivid stripy garb. I really did not want the operation. But I remember thinking that if the worst came to the worst, and I did not make it through the operation (which I doubt I would), then as long as Jehovah remembers me, I would next open my years in the paradise earth.

That was a very comforting thought, but I was glad to wake up and find myself in my own bedroom, not in an operating theatre.

The Bow in the Cloud

 

There was a double rainbow on Wednesday, arching from sea to land. You can see a glimpse of the double bow in Captain B's photo.  And the Moonpenny daisies are out everywhere now, lining the roads as we drove to Worthing for my latest hospital appointment.  All went OK.  But but but - how many more times am I going to see the splendid flowers of May?

Of course, if I inherit the earth, as Jesus promised, I will never have to leave them behind. But that remains to be seen. It is not in my power to grant.  As things are now, I have very few Springs left - if any more at all.  I have to keep reminding myself that, at my advanced age, I can't expect to feel wonderful, and just to be grateful still to be here.

The first Biblical reference to a rainbow is in the account of the covenant God made with Noah and his offspring after the Flood survivors came out of the ark.  (Genesis 9:8-17)  This splendid sight of itself would have been reassuring and an indication of peace to Noah and his family.

But of course the ransom and the rule of the heavenly government, the Kingdom of God, were still centuries away.  So rather than peace on earth we have - well, watch any episode of the News.

And here is a strange and startling headline from today. Rioting over a watch...  ?

From the online Daily Mail today, under the heading SWATCH STAMPEDES:

Violent scenes erupted across Britain, Europe and the US this weekend after the launch of Swatch's latest limited-edition watch - sparking overnight queues, mass crowd surges and police interventions. Thousands of desperate shoppers camped outside stores for days in the hope of securing one of the £335 'Royal Pop' watches - a collaboration between Swatch and luxury brand Audemars Piguet. But the frenzy quickly descended into chaos, with fights breaking out, police dog units deployed and stores forced to shut their doors after crowds overwhelmed security staff.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15825625/brawls-globe-WATCH-Violent-scenes-Europe-UK-US-Swatch.html

That is so sad - if true - and the photos do look distressing.  But it reminds me of an expression the Bible uses:

Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. - 1 John 2:15.16

The phrase the showy display of one's means of life seems to describe the Designer Label culture very well.

There was a first for our Moth Hotel when we checked the guests out this morning.  We had a pair of honeymooners - two Shuttle-shaped Darts, clearly very much in love.  I hope life goes well for them, and their many children.

A Lunar Double Strike

 

This moth, found in our moth hotel on Sunday morning, is a very rare sighting indeed (for our location)- and for sure it is new to our balcony. Col was thrilled.  It is beautiful and has an amazing name too : the Lunar Double Strike. It could be the title of a best selling SciFi Novel.

We went early to our student on Wednesday morning and had a good session.  She does seem to be so much more receptive now.

Bea called  - and I also emailed her as I was rather distracted while Col was talking to her as I was looking for the paper for the printer which seemed to have disappeared.

Spoke to Bea again Thursday morning, and we sent each other various emails,  and made the usual apple crumble, and the (fairly) usual mushroom curry.  And realised that I would have to Zoom to the meeting this evening and do my part on the dreaded Zoom cameras.

And an idea for a limerick suddenly came to me - re the crumble:

There once were two apples so green

flour, sugar, butter (not margarine)
all crumbled somehow
Colin said "Wow!"
then they disappeared from the scene.

If only I had thought to get out my scary Smartphone and photograph it while it was still in its pristine state!  On the other hand, all that might have done is added to my collection of photos of me looking especially gormless while saying "How does this work?"

There was a tragedy occurring on a local beach on Wednesday morning. The bodies of three women were found floating in the water.  At first it was assumed they must have been swimmers who got into trouble, but as the day went on it seems they may likely have been from a student party that was apparently happening at a beachfront nightclub the previous night.  Very strange either way - and especially tragic in that they are all so young.

There wasn't really a nightclub culture in my student days, for which I am very grateful.  

However, it now seems they were all relatives - sisters? - all down from London and what may have happened is that, not knowing the beach, they went for a paddle, not realising that there was a sudden sharp drop off and powerful currents, including undertow.  I didn't know about the drop off myself.  It could be that one of them got into trouble and the others tried to help.

What a frightening and dangerous world it is for us, the children of Adam, since the loss of Eden, so that even what should be a pleasant paddle in the sea can turn into such a tragedy.

I hope the family of the girls know that they are not lost, but are sleeping safe in "the everlasting arms".

Jehovah will wake them from the dreamless sleep of death when the time comes, but not until the whole earth is restored to paradise, under the loving rule of the Kingdom of God. They will wake in perfect safety then, with nothing to distress them.

Visitors - Human and Moth

   

As I start this blog, we are expecting visitors, old friends from our Uni days - such old friends that we were at each others' weddings, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. So I chose a picture of Dunstanburgh Castle.  It's close to where they used to live.  We had some fun visits there. The beaches are stunning.

Bob and Judy arrived safely on Saturday afternoon.  I checked online and they were last here in August 2015, blogged as The Walnut Tree.  And Jacks joined us for supper!  How things change as you get older.  Jacks can no longer visit us and we will not be able to visit her in her Home this coming Friday either as, once again, my medical appointments interfere - this time a hospital trip.

Sunday was a quiet day. Rob and Judy went for a walk along the beach after breakfast, after witnessing the checking out of our guests from the Moth Hotel. There was an exciting new visitor which will appear in my next blog.  If I live that long... this beastly cold followed by that even more beastly flare-up has left me feeling very down.

Monday they all went off to Portsmouth to visit the Mary Rose and the Other Ship (whose name escapes me).  I had two Zoom sessions in the morning, plus a phone call to the Lady of the Flowers to ask if we could come a bit earlier on Wednesday. She said we could come at 5 o'clock in the morning, as long as we came!  So that was nice.

I also had a medical appointment, by phone, in which I managed to sort out the problem of my bp medication. So I should have yet another pill to add to my pantheon by the end of the week. How grateful I am for the NHS

But how much I look forward to the restored earthly paradise in which "No resident will say 'I am sick'".

Then I tried to rustle up some kind of soup for the returnees to have in the evening, out of the leftover chicken, some lentils, veggies, and spices.  It was edible and hopefully filled a gap.

And they left this morning after a long and leisurely breakfast over many cups of coffee. Col is driving them to Arundel as they are having lunch with a friend there, and then they head home.  It has been a great three days - and it will feel a bit flat without them.

They have taken three copies of my books with them - paying for two, the third being a bonus. I am hoping they will find them to be page-turners, books that make you want to know what happens next.  That is what I always aim for when I am writing.

I hope we will see them again. This is yet another thing you don't realise about old age when you are young - how many people you will lose.

I had another Zoom in the afternoon, rehearsing my part in the School on Thursday.  And I also had to prepare for our Bible study tomorrow morning.

A Very Painful Flare-up

This beastly cold has led to the worst arthritis flare-up I have had for some years, giving me a night and day of such intense pain. I remember how angry I feel at these times that we are not allowed effective pain killing.  Because the pain is severe and relentless. You are not able to sleep or eat - not that you want to eat - and there is no way to be comfortable.

I didn't even get to the Thursday meeting in Zoom.  I wasn't able to be at the computer chair.

A friend of my mother's actually killed herself during one of these intense and painful flare ups... so far I hang to the knowledge that Jehovah will help.  But if you don't have that knowledge, that help? 

So couldn't there be some effective pain killing made available.

My leg, left upper, is still very painful today but at least I can get about again.  I am exhausted though and will have to pace myself carefully.  I have to make the mushrooms into a soup, cook the chicken (the stuffing is done) and finish tidying up my paperwork. 

The mushroom soup gave me the idea for a photo for this blog, one of fungi in a field. For sure I would not risk eating them though.  Even expert mushroomers can make mistakes, and those mistakes can be fatal.

Though one of the things I picture myself doing in the paradise earth is wandering through Autumn woods, gathering mushrooms to make soup for supper.  In paradise there will be no lethal mistakes.

I am on the school next, as assistant. This is our brief:

(4 min.) INFORMAL WITNESSING. In a previous conversation, the person mentioned that he had recently lost a loved one in death. (lmd lesson 4 point 4)

There was a young lady

There was a (not so) young lady of Rye

who wished she had wings and could fly

her legs would not go

her zimmer was slow

and she envied the birds in the sky.

I am the star of this limerick, but I had to move my place of residence further down the coast for the sake of the rhyme.  No doubt Edward Lear could have done something wonderful with my real address, but I am not up to his standard.

I chose this photo Col took of a pelican in flight on a trip to Oz (many years ago) as I thought it was quite dramatic.  It is hard to remember the energy of youth, all that travel...   

Col has given me an amazing life really, as I was towed along in his wake.  And here is something else I didn't think about when we were young.  If you stay married, you end up with lots of running jokes, which seem to get funnier as the years go on.

On the less doubleplusgood side, we are very old now - and so have our running jokes run their course?

Well, not if we "inherit the earth" and live forever upon it, as Jesus promised.  So who knows?

It is still fairly cold but sunny - and the Green looks a bit more cheerful now after the rain on Saturday.  I had my usual two Zoom sessions on Monday morning, friends and family.  It is such a good way to keep in touch.

I am still full of this cold and had to cancel the lady of the flowers today.  Well, we did not cancel her, but I won't be going.  We have old friends visiting at the weekend so I do need to be over it by then.  So I rang her on Tuesday to explain that I would not be coming, but two other sisters who she knows would.  I hope it will go well.

Col is getting rid of a load of stuff, to Charity Shops and what have you.  Which we have badly needed to do for a while. I have donated a large pile of books, which are all good, but which I won't read again.

The situation in the Middle East continues to surge and spin dangerously causing suffering now -  with the promise of even more to come.  And of course it will have consequences for those who make their living in the holiday trade, as it seems that holiday travel will be somewhat limited due to the oil crisis - the difficulties at the Strait of Hormuz.