Only tame birds have a longing. The wild ones fly. - Elmer Diktonius -
K
I loved this Diktonius quote while I grew up in Finland. It seemed to symbolize all my longing for things to come; growing up and entering the world. I wanted to be one of the wild, courageous ones, even if it sometimes was against my true nature. And in a way, I have kept flying. But as the years have gone by, I'm not so sure anymore: what if it takes more courage to stay than to fly away...?
K
Original quote in Swedish: "Endast tama fåglar har en längtan. De vilda flyger". By Finnish - Swedish poet and author Elmer Diktonius, Min dikt, 1921.
3 comments:
Mycket tänkvärt! Jag som rört iallfall lite på mig får lov att fundera på din fråga....;-)
Your thought is as profound as the quote by Diktonius. I think a certain amount of flight is so necessary in life... to spread one's wings to their tips and feel the wind though all our feathers and imagination. Our joy and understanding can grow through experience of distant lands and peoples. Then too there is a time in life, when one longs for a place called home. A bit of earth of one's own... to hold ... and wear beneath one's fingers... can be a connection to place. To know and feel a sense of belonging towards our neighbors and community. Our courage might be found in how we take flight and root and what we make of both. Perhaps too we can be as hardy transplants and make the most of each new home. There are those that fly and those that stay as you say, without ever questioning why... it is in the asking ... perhaps ... where one finds a courageous heart and mind. If a person is held in place due to 'clipped wings' of imagination or lack of expanse in understanding, acceptance or tolerance, there might be great longing. Perhaps any sense of adventure is buried beneath the musty layers of prejudice. There are those of genius such as Blake ... if I do not mistake ... who never traveled from London, where his flights of imagination were great and immortal. Perhaps he had longings... Then there are those that call the world their home without ever a thought of depth or care for any cause or conscience. It seems from my small understanding of you, through your sharing in words and images, that you have connected to each home and the earth through the gardens you have come to create and know. You connect to those that came before and those that take your place within a living world of trees, plants, blossoms and scents. A lay of land, sky and water you consent to know for awhile ... I am sure you leave a bit of your heart too that may touch the gardener who follows your footsteps. Oh Dear! I am rambling... Your question inspires such reflection, especially at this predawn hour. Though I do not visit your world as often as I might, I always leave filled with inspiration and a bit of longing perhaps too.
This is the time of year when I feel homesick for the place where I was a child. I wonder if that is what you are feeling. It is so often hard to know when to stick with things and when to fly away. I hope that you have a happy Christmas and feel that your travels, physical and metaphorical, have brought you to some worth while places.
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