Listen to the Ocean

 

"Listen to the ocean
echoes of a million seashells
Forever it's in motion
Moving to a rhythmic and
unwritten music
That's played eternally."

(Nina and Frederick)

The Sound Of The Sea

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,
    And round the pebbly beaches far and wide
    I heard the first wave of the rising tide
    Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;
A voice out of the silence of the deep,
    A sound mysteriously multiplied
    As of a cataract from the mountain's side,
    Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.
So comes to us at times, from the unknown
    And inaccessible solitudes of being,
    The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;
And inspirations, that we deem our own,
    Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing
    Of things beyond our reason or control.

 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    (© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes)

Christmastime in Northumberland has meant daily, late-afternoon walks down a country lane to Embleton Bay (above). As dusk fell, I have stood on the sand, listened to the waves and allowed myself a few mindful moments. Click here to listen to the sound of the sea. 

 

Writing Prompts:

• Have you managed to have a few mindful moments yourself this festive season? Write about what you did and how it made you feel.
• Do you enjoy listening to the sound of the sea? Listen to this recording. Play it again with your eyes closed and then write for six minutes, without stopping, about what the sounds evoke. 
• Do you recognise "the inaccessible solitudes of being" and "the rushing of the sea-tides of the soul"? Write in response to Longfellow's poem (above).