________ To Heritage Oaks ________
Treasures rooted deep in history ––
Overarching grandeur, glorious ––
Hold us spellbound. Nature’s mystery
Exhibits wonder, makes delight victorious.
Refreshing though these specimens may be
Imply they too an urgent sense of duty
To guard their lives in perpetuity,
Adore them, and preserve their natural beauty.
Gracious, irreplaceable, the tone
Each ancient oak bestows on the community
Ought to be enshrined within a zone ––
A sacred status granting them immunity —
Keep them free from every form of depredation ––
Secure them to enjoy with veneration.
~ FreeThinke (3/31/18)
And now please listen to
tenor John Aler sing what may well be the most blessed Secular Benediction ever written;
an evocation of Peace and Good Will
second to none.
an evocation of Peace and Good Will
second to none.
Where e'er you walk
Where e'er you walk
Cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into a shade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into shade
Where e'er you walk
Cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into a shade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into shade
Where e'er you tread
The Blushing flowers shall rise
And all things flourish
And all things flourish
Where e'er you turn your eyes
Where e'er you turn your eyes
Where e'er you turn your eyes
Where e'er you walk
Cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into a shade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into shade
Where e'er you walk
Cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into a shade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into shade
~ From the Opera Semele
Music by George Frederich Handel
Sung by Tenor, John Aler
Sung by Tenor, John Aler
Excellent sonnet, FT! And perfect for spring as our trees here are beginning to leaf.
ReplyDeleteSo many of our "heritage oaks" in Northern Virginia have died as a result of too much bulldozing and too much pavement.
In fact, "my" heritage oak at the old general store which stood a few miles from me perished a few years ago, when the road was widened. The life of this majestic tree was choked out of it -- and now more and more people who have no knowledge of this oak have moved into their megamansions on sterile handkerchief lots.
All that said, we have Facebook pages with excellent photos of "my" heritage oak.
A friend in California "commissioned" me to write a poem for the Historical Society in her town about the need to preserve THEIR Heritage Oaks. She and her husband, who was one of my classmates from 1948 on, have written a book about their town, and wanted me to b part of it. Very flattering. f curse the ece myst be approved by committee first, so it may not be used. I've promised to write another frim a dufferent perspective in order to give them a choice.
DeleteMeanwhile, the blog is always crying out for decent material.
I hope you took time to listen to the Handel? John Aler is a SUPERB lyric tenor.
PS: I'd love to see the pictures of "your" heritage oak.
DeleteABOUT JOHN ALER, the SINGER in this SUPERB VIDEO:
ReplyDeleteJohn Aler was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 4, 1949 He attended Catholic University where he studied voice with Rilla Mervine and Raymond McGuire and graduated with a B.A. in music and an M.M. in Vocal Performance. He went on to attend the Juilliard School in New York from 1972 to 1976 where he studied with Oren Brown. He also attended the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood for several summers. You can find CDs on Amazon
A beautiful SEA FAN, I believe. is that right?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you seen the remarkable piecesof "sultpture" that appear after someone has poured molten aluminum into an ANTHILL?
You must let the molten metal cool thoroughly, then very gently dig it ot of the ground, and carefully clean away any particles of earth or other debris that may still be clinging to it.
What we see when all the debris is ccleared away is a gracefyl, uniquely beautiful piece of "sculpture."
A bit tough on the ants to be sure, but a lot more rewarding to us –– and no more cruel –– than merely drowning the poor things in boiling water.
Mark Otto said
ReplyDeleteI'd like to have that beautiful song performed at my funeral, but only if if there's someone around who can sing it really well.
I can't think of anything that would give me or anyone else a sweeter, more loving sendoff.
I've had that same thought, mtself, Mark.
DeleteAs sea fan of sorts. A false colour image of a delta as seen from space.
ReplyDeleteDon't get too excited about RN announcing his leaving. He has publically announced he was quitting blogging numerous and I mean numerous times, only to resurface soon afer....he is the true "bad penny."
ReplyDeleteI know, Rusty. He's been sniffing around here trying to make trouble ever since I stupidly repeated his "announcement." I shouldn't have taken the "bait," when "someone" said last night wrote that he'd "bitten the dust."
DeleteTHE LESS SAID ABOUT HIM THE BETTER
No thoughts from you about the beauty and importance of trees?
As a fellow Garden Stater I'd think that would be right up your alley.
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Delete:P
DeleteSorry, Joe, but I insist that comments must relate to the topic posted.
DeleteOver a period of nearly twenty years in the blogosohere I have seen what total freedom and non-censorship is bound to produce. CHAOS –– an ATMOSPHERE WHERE NOTHING SALUBRIOUS COULD HOPE O SURVIVE.
NON-CENSORSHIP is like PURE DEMOCRACY.
DECENCY quickly DISSPATES and soon descends to MOB RULE.
Astonishing! I could have sworn ...
ReplyDeleteIncredible the way Nature repeats her patterns in the most unexpected ways!
Beautiful any way you slice it. Beauty is all that really matters to me.
I thought it look d a bit like an oak... :)
ReplyDeleteDorian Harwood said
ReplyDeleteThe impressionistic looking images that go with the video are interesting. I've never seen camera work like that before. Too bad the hand held camera is so unsteady. After a while the constant trembly motion makes you feel a little woozy. The music sure is beautiful.
It looked EXACTLY like a SEA FAN in the original image you linked –– largely FLAT and TWO-DIMENSIONAL.
ReplyDeleteHowever, come to think of it, some sea fans could be said to have at least a superficial resemblance to an oak tree in silhouette.
Apparently, Man did not invent trompe l'oeil –– NATURE did!
S____U____R____P____R____I____S____E____!
Thank you for helping to expand my "inner vision."
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ReplyDelete