...Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" which begins,
The curfew tolls the knell of passing day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;
It must have been on such a night as this that Thomas Gray stood in the churchyard and was inspired to write these lines as he pondered the meaning of death.
@terryliv It amazes me the length of time lines like these stay with you. I was home alone this afternoon and the sunset was so silent and calm except for the noises of the farm, the crows and the cockatoos. Hope its not an omen for what is to come with this low that's developing in the Coral Sea.
@ubobohobo Those two lines have always stuck with me. Nanna and I are both genealogists and I can't help but think of them and their meaning whenever we go into a cemetery/graveyard.
The last report I saw was that the low is heading straight for you. They were still not certain that it was going to form into a cyclone. Either way, you should get a mountain of rain out of it.
Cyclone Lam is going to arrive at the tippy top of Aussie and move south west! You aren't away up there, are you? The other Low is east of Rockhampton and is just a Low at the moment but there is a severe warninng current there! Nothing to do with churchyards and that beautiful elegy!
@maggiemae The low developing in the Coral Sea is the one we are watching. It's path at the moment has it is passing right over us. I was reflecting on the stillness and silence of yesterday afternoon...just like being in the eye of the cyclone.
I remember reading this in junior high school. It must have made an impression on me since I have remembered it all these years. Great photo to go along with it.
@terryliv Still all calm here but the turkeys have taken to the trees for the night. They've never done that before so don't know if that is an omen. They woke me before the earthquake struck on Monday morning. They seem to know something is coming. Thanks for thinking of us.
"Many a gem a purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear"
Nice shot Margaret
The last report I saw was that the low is heading straight for you. They were still not certain that it was going to form into a cyclone. Either way, you should get a mountain of rain out of it.