Even more unexpected than coming across the English language in such a remote and unspoiled location is the discovery that Eng. Lit. has left its mark here - for in the tiny graveyard there is a stone bearing the following inscription: La naturaleza nunca traiciono al corazon que la amo. Which is surely nothing other than a direct translation into Spanish of Wordsworth's lines on Tintern Abbey, to the effect that nature never betrayed the heart that loved her.
Those of a doubting disposition will probably argue that this is a sentiment no more verifiable in Spanish than it is in English, advancing as it does the dubious proposition that because we are keen on Nature, then Nature will generously reciprocate by being keen on us - and keen on us individually, moreover. In short, Wordsworthian pantheism is nothing more than a comfort blanket. Well, maybe. But the older you get, the less cynical you get about such bits of kit. They are not to be sneezed at - be they in the shape of Wordsworthian pantheism, simple faith, or that old, star-eaten blanket of the sky that a later poet wished to wrap around himself - so that he could lie in comfort.
Never a sneeze at such words will pass from my snout. I think Nature does reciprocate, and individually, not in any 1-1 directly verifiable way, but because if you subdue your noisy and anxious self (I refer to this self, Mr G, not yours)and let Nature work on you, on its own terms, the effect is pervasive and residual.
ReplyDelete"Against this rage what plea shall beauty hold,/Whose action is no stronger than a flower?"
Given half a chance, a subtle and effective action. How much more evidence do we need that our high-speed, binary, confrontational ways of living, driving and driven by a self-destructive hedonic cycle, makes us unwell - in many different ways? The way out of the cycle is not to wander round in a self-consciously and parodic Wordsworthian caricature, like Fotherington-Thomas in the Molesworth books ("Helo sun, helo sky," he saie, the grate wet...")but to tune in to the natural forces of which we are inescapably a part, not apart.
Thanks GM. The problem with the Wordsworthian formulation (Nature never did betray the heart that loved her) is that it does suggest individual reciprocation. Later poets (especially post Lyell and Darwin) have a much glummer take on it. In "Dover beach" Matthew Arnold maintains that the world (including and perhaps especially the world of nature) has neither certitude nor peace nor help for pain. Tennyson believes that nature is not only careless of the single life, she doesn't give a toss about the species either. Nature (red in tooth and claw) shrieks against the creed that love is Creation's final law. Thomas Hardy's vision is even darker. In his poem "Nature's Questioning" natural objects ask themselves whether they are victims of some stupid cosmic joke:
ReplyDeleteHas some Vast Imbecility,
Mighty to build and blend,
But impotent to tend,
Framed us in jest, and left us now to hazardry?
"The Mother Mourns" offers a sombre variation on the same theme, with a human component added.
But none of this must be allowed to prejudice a fresh air excursion in the ntdf! Hint hint.
Ciao G.
Sorry for taking so long to answer your comment at Románico Burgalés (but it could be argued that laziness is one of the main traits of the Spanish people anyway)... Still, I was surprised and delighted that anybody would care about such a tiny, modest church. I wonder if even the locals do.
ReplyDeleteI must plead guilty, though, of not really knowing too much about Wordsworth, or English Literature at all... so I will have to take your word on that gravestone.
Congratulations on your blog, by the way - It makes an interesting read, if slightly demanding for my not too practiced English.
Greetings, Alberto
PS: Incidentally, my name is Alberto Calderón, not Antonio - but thanks for adding a link to my site anyway.
Hola Alberto,
ReplyDeleteI wish I wrote Castellano as well as you write English! - and apologies a) for getting your name wrong, and b) taking so long to reply. The reason I don't visit my own site very often is because I am a) geriatric and b) generally kiting - es decir, la cometa!
Ciao y saludos
Pablo