My daughter recently paid a visit to her home land in the north east of England . She lives near Zurich , next to a lake , surrounded by meadows and imposing alps. Awesomely beautiful and yet, the letter she gave me before returning there helped me see my own “ back yard “ in a totally new light. I hope her words cause a sense of pride in your heart as they did in mine.
“ Oh dark and earthy woodlands,
Oh soft and rounded hills,
Oh rambling roots and hedgerows
Oh iron rich river flow.
Oh weathered stone and fallen strongholds.
Oh vast, bleak open, windswept moors
Oh endless skies and low horizons
Oh sink me in your ancient bones!
Oh home
Oh home
My untamed home,
I didn’t know how much I missed you!
Now turquoise-lakes and rivers,
Flanked by razor sharp young peaks.
Now alpine grass,
All fresh and vivid,
Glacier stripped and scrubbed,
Tower in the firmament.
A postcard picture
Proud and bright.
But give me the earthy palette,
The browns and mossy greens,
The ochre and the muted surly tones
That need not stand on proud display
Instead the silent, humble wisdom
Of hundreds of millions of years
Lie resting in their secret tumble down lairs,
Their magic is all the air,
Filled with old spirits’ sighs.
Golden hour greens and
Winds without names.
Yet ours, carved into each other.
I love you my home,
My whispering Land of Oak and Iron”
Elizabeth O’Connor
