Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way..
At the Valley of FlowersTo [stand] on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell,
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene,
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,
And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been;
To climb the trackless mountain all unseen,
With the wild flock that never needs a fold;
Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean;
This is not solitude, 'tis but to hold
Converse with Nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled.
Solitude
by
George Gordon, Lord Byron
I have been away from 'blogworld' for a while. I had to travel again at short notice to deal with an urgent personal matter. What was intended to be a weekend trip took longer than expected.
On the return journey I grabbed the opportunity for some more travels. More details to follow.
Thank you for your visits to my blog and leaving behind such lovely words. I shall be over to yours shortly. Have a nice day!
26 comments:
Was wondering where you were.Hope all is settled and well :)
Loved the pic!The verse suits it so well.
Oh, you sound like that guy who fell into the well. He asked for soap because he was in water anyway, why not enjoy a bath!
I hope 'urgent family matter' is not anything of concern. But the picture expresses doubtlessly that the world is under your feet, waiting to be conquered. Good to see you back :)
O Byron ! Solitude--a wide world where soul Converses with nature--is so meaningfully related to the Valley of Flower; it was the beauty in wilderness that inspired Frank Smythe to express himself and surely to name it. And, to more honour to it for Margarett who only loved to be lost...in dreams...in love...in wide expanse of colourful meadow...in absolute solitude...
Your post is one of the finest tributes to those two passionate nature-lovers for whom the VOF is known to many !
And, lastly, for sharing of those beautiful words...O Byron !
Take care,
Sameera,
Pretty often you are the first to comment and that's sweet.;)
Things are almost settled, thank you. Delighted that you feel, like I do, that the picture and bit of poetry match.:)
Priyank,
The personal issue is almost resolved, thanks.
The world at/under my feet? Haha... Nice figure of speech and pretty relevant to the photograph. Good observation. I like your comment.
And yea, like your man who enjoyed the bath I too did getting soaked in the rains in the Sahyadris.;)
Saibal,
My pleasure. I found Lord Byron's words relevant to the photograph.:)
I must thank Frank Smythe for discovering the VoF during his Kamet expedition and presenting it in his book. Oh, btw, I have some photographs of Margaret Legge's grave at the VoF and shall put up those in a future post. Thank you for your lovely comment.:)
Nice pic....and that view is great...!! Its funny we also rested at that point. views are so breathtaking isn't it.
Did you buy those 2 books....??
Looking forward to see more pics...and btw...do not bother coming to see my blog...(not posting anything.... :)
one of my fav poets and poems..though Keats is my all time favourite..
hope to see you soon ...isnt life a journey as well ..except there isnt any real destination .
Enjoy your time off! We will wait for the updates...
Hi Celine,
My goodness, you leave footprints all over the place! I hope all has been tended to in good manner.
Hi Celine! First of all many thanks for your comment on my post of 08.08.08 at 08h08 at Blogtrotter, now in Kos, Greece! It was great to read you there. Second, sorry for the long delay to come here, but August was a terribly busy month, as everybody else seems to be in vacation… ;))
Anyhow, I found sometime now to land here and enjoy your blog. Lovd your Himalayan posts! Great pictures, lovely reading! Great treat!
Wish you a great weekend!
Celine, waiting for the next one. As I see and read your blog beckoning of the Himalayas are becoming Irresistible
wen r u back?
Still waiting! No pressure though, enjoy your time off-blog. :)
BTR,
No, I haven't got the books. Not yet. Mail me a set, will you please? :P
Thanks, I am sure that is one of the favorite resting spots of trekkers, as it gives an excellent view on all sides of the valley. Yes, the views are indeed breathtaking and I could not have enough! How many times have you been there? I wish someday I can return to the Valley.:)
Lakshmi,
Byron and Keats are both very good. I was very fond of English literature when in college, while you still are, isn't it?:)
Chewy,
Haha..that's a clever comment with respect to that picture.
Yes, it's almost done, thank you.:)
Gil,
August has been pretty busy for me too, and I have hardly put up posts last month. C'est la vie!
Thank you for your kind words, and am delighted that you enjoyed your viist.:)
Santosh,
Thank you for dropping by again, and I hope you do so more often now, as I intend to start publishing more posts on Garhwal shortly. I am delighted about your interest in the Himalayas and do hope that you get an opportunity to be up in the mountains soon.:)
Ajeya,
Check out my picture of Sasihitlu seashore in my post titled "Singing in the Rain." ;)
Shantanu,
Thank you. I guess you are particularly interested in the Garhwal series? I shall start blogging on those places as soon as I can, and post more pictures. Thank you for your interest.:)
A great perspective, Celine. In the photograph and in reflecting on our journey. I don't believe I'd read that Byron piece before. Thank you.
San,
That's a wonderful compliment coming from a brilliant artist, thank you.:)
The picture, and mostly the perspective, is absolutely beautiful.
Zhu,
I'm truly delighted that you feel so. Thank you very much.:)
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