Sydney February 2013 – October 2014 (5 photos)
Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Water is the driving force of all nature“.
His words are true. Water is essential. The race of Men find it irresistible. I see it in the eyes and hearts of Men.
They flock to it. They live it. They love it. They desire it.
Without fail, their gaze wonders and wanders across bodies of water, ever dreaming, ever hoping …
I have seen this all before. Many years ago, when I was but a young dragon, my great friend, Legolas would stare out to sea and I would listen to his song. I can still hear him now:
To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.
West, west away, the round sun is falling.
Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling,
The voices of my people that have gone before me?
I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me;
For our days are ending and our years failing.
I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing.
Long are the waves on the Last Shore falling,
Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling,
In Eressëa, in Elvenhome that no man can discover,
Where the leaves fall not: land of my people for ever!
Legolas’ Song of the Sea
(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings)
“And then as the Darkness lifted across the land, I could not help but sense the great sadness to come. My dear friends, the wood elves, ever enchanted by the sea, would succumb to their desires and the forces of nature. In the weeks after the fall of Sauron and the destruction of the One Ring, they answered the call of the Valar and sailed the seas to Valinor in the west, never to be seen again. I watched them sail away from the Grey Havens in their ships. I still miss them greatly.”
…extract from “Time and Tide: Reminiscences of a Wood Dragon” (yet to be published).
Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera 
Yes, yes ~ nothing feels as good to the ear than the song and sound of the sea. Great series of photos ~
Thank you very much. The sea has a magical hold on us.
I have been listening to the song of the sea ever since I first heard it as a child. I never grow tired of the unending refrain of the echoes it placed in my my heart. Thank you so much for this wonderful post.
What can you see on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea a pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Ahhh, elven song. 🙂
All the answers we seek always seem to be across the sea. Perhaps that’s why we stare so longingly at it.
Gorgeous B&W shots by the beach, Dragon. How typical of Australians to spend a sunny day at the beach. Hope it wasn’t too hot for you. And oh…are you writing a book?
Thank you. The book may take another few centuries to complete. 🙂
Sea always calms me down 😉
>> yet to be published..
Work in progress?
The sea can stir many emotions.
In progress? Perhaps. 🙂
Awesome monochromes Lignum. I really like the first one 🙂
Thanks, Norma. That’s Bondi.
Time and Tide wait for one Dragon…
The title was originally, “Sauron: My part in his downfall”, but there’s more to life than Middle Earth. 🙂
The middle implies at least two more parts…a top and a bottom 🙂
True. 🙂
Amazing photographs!
Thank you.
Beautiful
I really like those open vast beach photos. The contrasts work very well.
Thanks. We’re lucky to have so many beaches in this area. Away from the cities, the beaches are much more open, and less crowded.
I would never have thought of combining Bondi with TLOTR … but it works wonderfully ! You have a true eye, alright – but not like Sauron’s !
One needs a vivid imagination. 🙂 Thanks.
Well, that you certainly have – as well as a true ‘eye’.
🙂
Powerful, yet beautiful! You so cleverly weaved the great song, quote, and photos into this song of the sea. “Time and Tide”, so looking forward to reading the book. A magnificent post. Thank you, Dragon
Thank you, Amy. Nothing happens quickly in the land of dragons. It might take a while for the book to be written. 🙂
The progress itself can be very rewarding. Thank you so much for sharing your writing, Dragon. Love this post! 🙂
Thanks, Amy. Have a good weekend.
Love the beach images! What a great perspective.
Thank you very much. These are of Bondi beach and nearby Bronte beach.
The sea always seems to make people look small. A haunting ending, too. The Wood Dragon has given us a peek into his lyrical side. 🙂
We are but grains of sand in the spectrum of the universe. Lyrical? It’s the lingering effects of the elves. 🙂
Ahh, the song of the sea…nothing better! Love your perspective in all these beautiful shots!
The sea has it’s clasps firmly on me. I love looking at it. Thank you.
I just love listening to the sounds of the ocean waves. It’s so relaxing. Fabulous beach photos! Love those sculptures! Good luck with your book! 🙂
Thank you very much, on all counts. 🙂
Great pictures of the beach. Makes me homesick.
Thank you. I took these when looking in the other direction at Sculpture by the Sea.
The greys and the whites in these shots are extraordinary. It’s tough getting good black and white shots of the beach, but the water in the top photo absolutely glows.
Thank you kindly.
So much contemplation to enjoy in the vastness of your gorgeous shots dear Lignum.
Thank you, Patti. This is the view you get when looking in the opposite direction at Sculpture by the Sea. No wonder people flock to it.
A wonderful series of photos Draco! The beach looks so inviting. 🙂
In summer, the beaches can be so crowded. The first 2 are of Bondi. Usually jam packed on Christmas and New Years’ Eve.
Such a strange concept for me, jam packed beach on Christmas. 🙂
Mostly tourists do it, because Christmas is summertime here, and it just seems like the right thing for them to do. 🙂
Oh, lovely pairing at the end…though I am finding it hard to work in any snappy commentary when confronted with all that sensitivity.
…not that sensitive isn’t good…
Dragons are very sensitive creatures. We just got a bad rap from Smaug and others of his ilk.
Thank you. Those ships did have an other worldly feel to them when I first photographed them and showed it in colour.
I always love your pictures of the sea and people at the sea – black and white or colour! 🙂 I have been wondering in recent years what it is that compels humans to gather by the sea. The only theory I have come up with is it may have something to do with originally coming from water ourselves (in the womb) we could almost say we started out as mermaids and mermen!! Sounds hilarious, but it’s very close to that if you think about it.
The sound of the sea is often associated to peace and calm, and I’m sure babies in the womb do get alarmed by things sometimes, but not nearly as much as adults do with all the stresses of life. And do they hear to some extent the sound of water?
Just after my mother died I had a huge urge to go to the coast to be by the sea. I would spend the afternoon enjoying being by the sea all on my own, which was something I had never done before, and felt an enormous sense of peace there. Years later I wondered if that was a desperate attempt to calm my inner storm with vague associated thoughts and feelings of my earliest subconscious memory of my Mother. When my Father died I was attracted to going to the theatre, and if anyone was responsible for introducing me to the theatre – it was my Father. Strange how we find comfort in the smallest connections. But my Mother wasn’t more attracted to the sea than anyone else. So why water, and my Mother? I think I should have been a psychiatrist! 😉
But a generally interest in the sea could also be the way we have made a lot of those areas tourist attractions – that will always be a draw of course. And I do love watching surfers on the sea. There is something fascinating about watching a tiny human ride the giant sea! 🙂
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. — W. H. Auden
Actually I think you may be right. In the womb, we are in water and don’t experience air until delivery. Scientists have postulated similar to what you have described. We need water to survive and that’s why we’re drawn to it. Regarding your feelings after your parent’s death, I think we all find comfort in doing something that makes us feel closer to them.
beautiful photos, Lignum… people seem so tiny on some of them!
true, nothing like the sea… I was born in a town on the Black sea… but now I live 500 km away… it really can get nostalgic when you are away from it..
it’s sooo funny, I’m now listening to a song from the soundtrack to The Desolation of Smaug… though it’s I see fire… not sea… it’s still a beautiful background music for your lovely post 🙂
Ignis, it’s natural for you to see fire everywhere. 🙂 I think the sea soothes the fire, rather than extinguish it. 🙂
I missed this “song” while I was in Portugal. That quote is true. There is order and symmetry in your beach shots – how wonderful, and beautifully captured!
Thanks for coming back to it, Paula. The sea and the beach attract most of us quite readily.
Still, they are not overcrowded as I would expect them to be.
Perhaps due to the season. I took them at the same time as Sculpture by the Sea, so late Spring.
Must be it 🙂