per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Merlin's Magicicadas

One of many 13-year Magicicadas recently heard and spied at Murphysboro State Park

...Blameless master of the games,
King of sport that never shames,
He shall daily joy dispense
Hid in song's sweet influence.
Things more cheerly live and go,
What time the subtle mind
Sings aloud the tune whereto
Their pulses beat,
And march their feet,
And their members are combined...

--(from Merlin (I) by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1846)--

The "daily joy" I find while walking in nearby woods or working in the garden has a beat of its own, a rhythm of life that is so invigorating it cannot be ignored or silenced by fear or dread or "change" of anything that modern society seems intent on smothering us with. The sound of the Magicicada, when many "members are combined" may be annoying to some people, but SAM and I somehow find the "tune whereto their pulses beat" an affirmation of eternity, of periodicity, of inexplicable magic, of life itself. I hope you hear and feel their "song's sweet influence" just as clearly:


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11 comments:

  1. Dorothy Borders10:42 PM, May 31, 2015

    We haven't had the 13-year variety here this year, just our regular yearly ones and, admittedly, they are not as obnoxious as the incessant sound of thousands or millions, but I do enjoy their "songs." It is the background music of summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. walk2write8:47 AM, June 02, 2015

      You're right, Ms. Dorothy, summer wouldn't be the same without those critter crooners.

      Delete
  2. KaHolly2:34 PM, June 01, 2015

    It's been awhile, but one never forgets!

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    Replies
    1. walk2write8:49 AM, June 02, 2015

      SAM says he can't forget the sound of cicadas because it never leaves him. He has a bit of tinnitus going on!

      Delete
  3. tina7:21 AM, June 02, 2015

    The lovely sound of cicadas. I haven't heard or seen many here yet but I'm sure I will in another month or so. Hope you and SAM are doing great. The forest is my favorite place to be!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. walk2write9:08 AM, June 02, 2015

      Thanks, Tina! Yes, SAM and I are settling in here back in good ol' Southern Illinois and enjoying its fine forests. They're perfect for drowning out the noise of the politicians who are monkeying around with the future of this great state.

      Delete
  4. Roses and Lilacs9:39 AM, June 02, 2015

    It will be weeks before we hear the cicadas song here. On long hot summer days it is background music along with bird song. I'm not fond of the insects, not up close and personal anyway, but that's just me and big bugs:)

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  5. Haddock1:36 AM, June 03, 2015

    I don't understand how these natural sounds annoy people.

    ReplyDelete
  6. troutbirder9:11 PM, June 03, 2015

    MMmmmm. It must be too cold for them here on the tundra...:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. A Cuban In London2:48 PM, June 04, 2015

    I had never seen that name, magicicadas. Love it and love the clip, too.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarah Laurence3:41 PM, June 21, 2015

    A lovely, natural symphony!

    ReplyDelete

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