Earthling
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Olga Henggi Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.Song of the spirits over the waters
Lauterbrunnen valley is one of my favorite places in Switzerland. It is situated in the Bernese Oberland.
As early as in the Middle Ages people were fascinated by Staubbach Falls which is one of Lauterbrunnen’s attractions.
Goethe wrote a wonderful poem there: Song of the spirits over the waters:
"The soul of man
Is like the water:
It comes from heaven,
It returns to heaven,
And down again
To earth must go,
Ever changing.
When from the high,
Sheer wall of rock
The pure stream gushes,
It sprays its lovely vapor
In billowing clouds
Towards the smooth rock,
And lightly received,
It goes enshrouded,
Softly hissing
Down to the deep…."
What can I add?
Olga
http://www.olga-henggi.ch
- 10 May 2010, 9:43 pm
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Alasdair Urquhart Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.Re: Song of the spirits over the waters
Ah .. bless you dear Olga.....you need add...nothing...:)
..You have exquisitely combined one of your favourite places:)
with one of my most revered inspirations.... Goethe....:)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe
...and created pure joy within my heart and soul.....:)
Aside from the rhythmic power of his verse, to enter and describe the
essence of place which is profoundly felt....
Goethe was also a seminal influence for me as an artist,
with his appreciation of colourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Colours
A sublime choice dear friend:)
Have a wonderful day...one and all:)
Grace and gratitude
Metta
Alasdair
This post was modified on 11 May 2010 at 08:05 am.- 11 May 2010, 07:44 am
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Post visible to registered members
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Alasdair Urquhart Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^3: Song of the spirits over the waters
Ah bless you Dear Nicoline...
for tipping 'the wink' to the English version;)
A wonderful furtherance of Olga's inspiring choice...
..I so enjoyed the ethereal tone of the choir harmoniously aligning...
to the ephemerality of the drifting mists, of the cover illustration....
satisfying... beautifully...the eye of the heart... as well as the ear of the soul):)
mmm...... blissful
A delicious way to start the day:)
Blessings to all
Metta
Alasdair
This post was modified on 11 May 2010 at 09:59 am.- 11 May 2010, 09:56 am
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Olga Henggi Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^4: Song of the spirits over the waters
You can't imagine how often I used to read this poem for my tourists. OK, I have to tell you a secret: I've spent 6 years in tourism running my own company in Switzerland :-)
By the way, Lauterbrunnen contains 72 waterfalls!!! Most of them are completely hidden.
- 11 May 2010, 3:27 pm
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Alasdair Urquhart Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^5: Song of the spirits over the waters
Dear Olga,
Your tourists certainly were an aesthetically cosseted group:)
I am a great believer in local knowledge.....if I ever should be fortunate enough to be painting
in your region of the world, I will certainly beat a path to your door... to ask where all the hidden falls are:))
Metta
Alasdair
- 11 May 2010, 7:34 pm
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Olga Henggi Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^6: Song of the spirits over the waters
Dear Alasdair,
Do you know the famous Swiss painter, Ferdinand Hodler? I love his landscapes.
I think it's always interesting to discover the local sprit of any place.
Olga
PS You are of course welcome to discover some hidden waterfalls :-)
- 11 May 2010, 11:24 pm
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Alasdair Urquhart Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^7: Song of the spirits over the waters
Yes indeed Dear Olga,
I do very much admire the work of Ferdinand Hodler.
Some of his work is very much in the Art Nouveau style,
of the famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, which I also like:)
Spirit of place....for me..... is the essence of landscape painting....
all else I sense is..... illustration.....
....Which in itself, can be exceptionally well painted...
...though I feel this is akin to a beautiful face.....with no heart.....:(
which is certainly not my journey:))
P.s. The hidden waterfalls do sound rather intriguing:))
Metta
Alasdair
- 12 May 2010, 06:27 am
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Olga Henggi Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^8: Song of the spirits over the waters
:-)
Dear Alasdair,
I see it's not bad to present some more hidden falls :-)
Reichenbach Falls in the Bernese Oberland are fantastic!!
What is interesting here is the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's hero, Sherlock Holmes, died at the end of "The Adventure of the Final Problem". This happened near the small town of Meiringen. Holmes and Moriarty met at Reichenbach Falls and, according to the story, Holmes fell down together with his enemy, Moriaty, after a hard battle.
PS There are some more hidden waterfalls :-)
Olga
- 12 May 2010, 1:02 pm
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Alasdair Urquhart Premium Member Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.
Re^9: Song of the spirits over the waters
Dear Olga,
Interestingly when you mentioned the hidden falls....
The Reichenach Falls..came immediately to mind.....and that momentous tumble......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Arthur_Conan_Doyle
P.s.On the hidden falls .....I am all ears:)
Blessings
Alasdair
- 12 May 2010, 1:49 pm
