'The Creator has spoken, and the stars look out from openings of
deep unclouded blue; and as day rises, and the planet of morning
pales in the east, the broken cloudlets are transmuted from bronze
into gold, and anon the gold becomes fire, and at length the
glorious sun arises out of the sea, and enters on his course
rejoicing. It is a brilliant day; the waves, of a deeper and softer
blue than before, dance and sparkle in the light; the earth, with
little else to attract the gaze, has assumed a garb of richer
green; and as the sun declines amid ever richer glories than those
which had encircled his rising, the moon appears full-orbed in the
east,--to the human eye the second great luminary of the
heavens,--and climbs slowly to the zenith as night advances,
shedding its mild radiance on land and sea.
'Again the day breaks; the prospect consists, as before, of land
and ocean. There are great pine woods, reed-covered swamps, wide
plains, winding rivers, and broad lakes; and a bright sun shines
over all. But the landscape derives its interest and novelty from a
feature unmarked before. Gigantic birds stalk along the sands, or
wade far into the water in quest of their ichthyic food; while
birds of lesser size float upon the lakes, or scream discordant in
hovering flocks, thick as insects in the calm of a summer evening,
over the narrower seas, or brighten with the sunlit gleam of their
wings the thick woods.
'And ocean has its monsters: great _tanninim_ tempest the deep,
as they heave their huge bulk over the surface to inhale the
life-sustaining air; and out of their nostrils goeth smoke, as out
of "a seething pot or caldron." Monstrous creatures, armed in
massive scales, haunt the rivers, or scour the flat rank meadows;
earth, air, and water are charged with animal life; and the sun
sets on a busy scene, in which unerring instinct pursues
unremittingly its few simple ends--the support and preservation of
the individual, the propagation of the species, and the protection
and maintenance of the young.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account