The Forest Primeval

The picture is from Ireland, the words from an American poet, both conjuring up the magic of a walk in the forest. And what better time than spring. Longfellow said it all in the first stanza of Evangeline:

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,

Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,

Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.

Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean

Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

When we learned this poem in middle school, my only frame of reference was the annual May Day walk through the woods my father and I took to gather spring flowers to place at the door of neighbors and friends. As a small child,  the patch of woods on our farm was filled with mystery and wonder and the snowdrops, violets and little jack-in-the-pulpits were exotic. I couldn’t have put into words the feeling of connecting deeply with Nature and a past time I was unaware had existed. But the feeling was there, and the Longfellow poem put words to the stir such a spring walk through the woods evoked in me even as a child.

Many years later, walking through the wood (as the Irish would say) at Glendalough, in the path of St. Kevin and no doubt Druids and fairies as well, I experienced the full depth of Longfellow’s woods. I was moved beyond the words and I was transported to a place of magic and wonder beyond what I had ever imagined. That walk and meditation sparked a mid-life transformation within me for which I will always be grateful.

Although travel is limited right now, Nature is always all around us. Perhaps you have access to your own forest primeval, perhaps only a small stand of trees in an urban park. Do take a walk, mindful of the tiny buds popping up from beneath the undergrowth, the sound or movement of little critters scurrying, and perhaps even Ancient Ones offering their blessing. As the sun warms your path, feel embraced by Mother Earth and her bounty.

Spring is here!

Rejoice!