All the birds in the forest
they bitterly weep
Saying, "Where shall we shelter,
where shall we sleep?"
For the oak and the ash,
And the walls of bonny Portmore
are all down to the ground.
( Bonny Portmore - Irish folksong ).
one day past midwinter
9 hours ago
10 comments:
Lovely photographs as every and a lovely match with the song. I was out photographing snowdrops yesterday and found a massive beech in the woods with the top of its canopy ripped out. It is always moving to see trees felled.
I recently discovered that a tree that's had a hard life has more sensitive tree rings than tree that has thrived.
I also love the idea of heartwood and sapwood.
Wonderful photos! This "woeful destruction" is in every corner of the world! So sad!!
Looks so much like high altitude photos of the landscape.
Perfect pairing of images and words L.
I presume you have heard Loreena McK sing the song?
Thanks. It was sad to see these going, along with the hedgerow that supported them. Though belatedly they have realised that it's this kind of thing that causes erosion and pollution of the water table, they're still doing it.
But there's a degree of irony that I found myself capturing the beauty of the cut wood while lamenting its cause.
H - yes, indeed, and that's the one I hear most often lately, though I first came across it sung by Bert Jansch.
Words and pictures beautifully paired, Lucy. I, too, immediately thought of Loreena McK's rendering of the song (still, father and daughter often agree on these things)
It is almost better to see them felled completely than left as the tortured bottle brushes harvested for firewood, which form such a large part of Breton landscapes
I always feel like weeping, when I see trees felled.
Avus, thanks.
Rosie, true and they look awful at the moment. But at least they still have some kind of root systems which do some good, I suppose.
Meggie - sometimes it's necessary to take out unhealthy ones, and sometimes other things get a chance to grow when a big tree comes down, opening up more soil and letting in more light. These weren't particularly healthy specimens, but they were at least there and are just being ripped out to grow a bit unnecessary cereal and convenience the machinery. It is a shame.
Beautiful pictures, beautiful sad words.
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