Thursday, February 12, 2009

Theme Thursday: Fish

This is a mixed kettle of fish.

From Prayers from the Ark, by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold, trans. by Rumer Godden. (click to read)



This little book has been on my shelf since my mother died and it came into my possession. I hadn't looked at it until this post. The author of the poems was a Benedictine nun in France, but, according to Godden, the poems "were written long before she came to the Abbaye, in a scant hard time . . . of enemy occupation, hunger, cold, frustration. . . . The Abbaye has only endorsed what she knew a prayer must be—if it is to have any meaning; not something dreamy or wishful, not a cry to be used in emergency, not even a plea, and not necessarily comforting. A prayer is a giving out, an offereing, compounded of honest work and acceptance of the shape in which one has been created . . ."

Rumer Godden herself is an author I read and reread. Taken from her Web site:
"One of her favourite axioms came from an Indian proverb that says
everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.


* * *

Seaweb is a proponent of ocean conservation.
Its monthly e-mail publication, Ocean Update, is very worthwhile. I've learned quite a bit over the years I've been receiving it.

* * *

The Vermont band Phish

24 comments:

Coffee Messiah said...

An interesting book from the sound of it and yes, we do all have many little rooms and compartments, don't we?

Thanks for joining in and hope all is well in the Ohio area ; )

Squirrel said...

Thank you for this post! A friend once told me about the rooms, and I'd forgotten how it went. All very important.

Roy said...

What a great fish post, tut-tut! That's definitely a book I need to look for.

Ahhhh! And Phish to top it off! Did you know they're planning a reunion tour this year? Can't wait! Heh, heh! What an old hippie I am.

Anonymous said...

'A prayer is a giving out'... that is something to ponder on..'fraid my prayers have tended to be of the 'emergency plea' and 'wishful thinking' varieties.

What a lovely book. And now I have another author to explore..thanks for this :)

mouse (aka kimy) said...

what wisdom in that proverb.... great imagery and advice!

one of the best definitions of prayer I've encountered. thank you.

JGH said...

I love Phish and especially Trey Anastasio. I saw them in concert once years ago. The are re-uniting in March, did you know? ! Somewhere in Virginia.

Also the Godden quote... I will have to learn more about her. I'm curious what made you pick up the book today?

Ed & Jeanne said...

I'm a house with five rooms...and I think I'm stuck in the basement...

Anonymous said...

Very nice, tut-tut. I wouldn't mind reading the whole book. Quite a remembrance, as well. You should treasure it, always.

Kurt said...

I always try to find one errand in the hood ever day so i can walk around and get some sun and air and precious Vitamin D.

Megan said...

A lovely mix, I say!

New Yorker wannabes said...

What a great proverb.

The song is lovely as well...thank you for this post.

Theme Thursday is great because, well, it makes you explore and remember things you didn't know you had on or in you...like this book you mention :-)

Take care now
peace and love
xoxo

e said...

Your mixed kettle of fish and phish is great! I hope you're both enjoying the trip. Safe travels. Will have to re-read some Rumer Godden now...

Baino said...

The book looks like new, what a little gem and the proverb is so true. I must visit my spritual and emotional 'room' this weekend. They're gathering dust!

Anonymous said...

So true (the Rumer Godden quote). It ties in with 'stanza' being italian for 'room'. The perfect (Petrarchan) sonnet has 4, made up of 3 quatrains and a couplet (or, more strictly, an octave and a sestet). I wonder which are the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stanzas?

Dot-Com said...

This made me find my Phish albums - great to be reminded of their music!

angela said...

I read An Episode of Sparrows and the Greengage Summer many, many years ago. I've just looked through RG's bio. My word she was a prolific writer..

The prayer made me so glad I don't have a goldfish!

lettuce said...

what a wonderful prayer
- and the illustration



thankyou

edward said...

i like a mixed kettle of fish because i like sampling various tastys

Merisi said...

The poem is so touching!
I enjoyed this post very much,
thank you! :-)

Reya Mellicker said...

Lovely post and inspired musical selection. Bravo!

Singing fish (sic). Excellent!

Barbara said...

I am saddened when I hear how we are slowly destroying so much of what lives in the sea.

Anonymous said...

That's a great fishy mix. I like the room metaphor.

Middle Ditch said...

That's a beautiful and true proverb.

edward said...

i ate my first sardine yesterday. sublime.