A thousand miles beyond this sun-steeped wall
Somewhere the waves creep cool along the sand,
The ebbing tide forsakes the listless land
With the old murmur, long and musical;
The windy waves mount up and curve and fall,
And round the rocks the foam blows up like snow –
Tho’ I am inland far, I hear and know,
For I was born the sea’s eternal thrall.
I would that I were there and over me
The cold insistence of the tide would roll,
Quenching this burning thing men call the soul, –
Then with the ebbing I should drift and be
Less than the smallest shell along the shoal,
Less than the seagulls calling to the sea.
~ Sara Teasdale
(Sea Longing)
Yet another beautiful painting Barbara, accompanied by a meaningful poem.
I was just reminded of a long forgotten memory….growing up I lived about two hours drive from the coast, and my mother always made sure I had a seashell in my room, to put up to my ear and listen, for whenever I wanted to hear the sounds of the ocean. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne. You were lucky your mother found an enchanting way to keep you within earshot of the sea! My grandmother had one in her home for the same purpose, and I still remember how amazed I was when she showed me how to listen to the ocean. 🙂
Hi,
What a lovely painting, I like how the artist put the sailboat and birds in like it was a bit of an after thought, and lovely poem as well.
Thank you, Mags. The sailboat and birds do seem like an afterthought… I didn’t notice them until I was adding the painting to the post. It’s fun to be absorbed in something simple at the beach – with me it’s usually a book – and having the sounds of the waves and the calls of seagulls in the background…
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Thank you, Laurie. I thought so, too… 🙂
Yes, beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you, Ellen Grace. It’s nice to know so many of us appreciate the feeling of sea longing…
I’ve never seen this painting before – it’s really unique! And so perfectly paired with the poem…lovely read, thank you 🙂
anne
Thank you, Anne. I had never seen this painting before, either, but it called to me the moment I laid eyes on it. 🙂 And now I’ve discovered WikiPaintings – the internet is a treasure trove!
“For I was born the sea’s eternal throe”. Yes. Pausing beside the ebbing tide and admiring the painting, your sharing, the way the earth cycles round and round, dear Barbara.
Thank you, dear Kathy… As Jacques Cousteau so eloquently observed, “the sea … holds one in its net of wonder forever.” It’s a blessed captivity for us here, as our little ocean blue planet spins around its sacred star…
Just stoppin’ by to see if you’ve knit a new blog By the Sea…
I have my nose buried in research these days, Kathy, but I found a way to knit a little of that into another post. Thanks for stopping by – I love your visits!
Beautiful! I love the painting. Its pretty, and I’m very much sure the knitting done by her would turn out class! The sand & the sea is all within us, the coastal living souls. And that is what we cherish forever. What a lovely poem. Thank you so much, Barbara 🙂
We do cherish the sand and the sea as part of our souls, don’t we, Sonali? Sometimes I say Cape Cod is my soul place because that is where I feel 100% myself. The sea is in our blood, my dear friend, and connects us through the vast watery deep. Oh how we long to be near it as often as possible, because then we are at home and at peace…
I absolutely love the picture. It says so much about the girl.. . the cap and the bare feet; the knitting and the call of the ocean. . . .
Thank you, Sheryl, I’m so happy you loved the picture… I wonder if your grandma ever got to visit a seashore? Sometimes I think I take it for granted having the sea nearby when there are many people who have never had the experience…
That poem is such a perfect expression of oceanic intuition – an understanding of the most beautiful mystery that I know of. It is such a lovely yearning for the cold and the tides, for the salt water soaking into the sand under our bare feet.
Oceanic intuition, what an evocative term, Aubrey! Longing for the sea here on a dreary day, perfect for a walk along a mostly abandoned beach, inspecting the wrack line for little treasures, listening to the haunting cries of the seagulls and the dull moan of a foghorn…
I love how the artist has the girl blending into the sand…as she is so lost in her moment ‘by the sea’. The poem was such a fluent and enlightening read.
Oh yes, Diane, lost in her moment by the sea… Those transcendent moments when time stands still and the universe and all its mysteries seem so clear and simple. At one with the sand… So happy you noticed this!
O, I love Sara Teasdale’s poetry. As usual, you have done a thoughtful pairing of painting and poem. Thanks, Jane
Thank you, Jane. I was about to say I recently downloaded a book of Sara Teasdale’s poetry on my Kindle, but now I’m not so sure if that is correct. 🙂 I know I also bought a book of poetry of the sea – it might have been from there. It might have been Christina Rossetti on the Kindle. This memory of mine!
Hi. Both the poets you mention, Sara Teasdale and Christina Rossetti are favorites of mine. Jane