Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs;
Who steer the plough, but cannot steer their feet
Clear of the grave.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Hamatreya)
It was not meant that the soul should cultivate the earth, but that the earth should educate and maintain the soul.
~ Margaret Fuller
(Memoirs)
This is heart touching. Look at the poor old farmer in the picture! Thank you Barbara, for sharing the inspirations in this one. I like the quotes too.
You’re welcome, Sonali! Farming is such hard work and farmers are at the mercy of so many variables in the weather and supply and demand. Still, to grow your own food must be so rewarding and satisfying, not just physically, but spiritually as well.
Unfortunately, most farmers do put their heart and soul into cultivating the earth. It must be an incredibly hard life. I wonder if the farmer ever has time to notice the earth laugh in flowers?
Once again, your choice of painting is beautifully matched to the words. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne! My dad grew up on a farm and he says growing their own food was what got his family through the Great Depression. I think farmers tend to cultivate a healthy respect for the earth and how dependent they are on her blessings. Dad still has a lilac bush that grew from a cutting he had from his mother’s lilac bush on the farm, so I know he noticed the flowers!
But corporate factory farms are another matter altogether – the “boastful boys” that run these places show no regard for life on this planet and are recklessly leading many of us to early graves.
Barbara, you should take a cutting from your father’s lilac bush too, to continue the tradition! Oh, that sounds just lovely – a lilac bush. It’s too hot to grow them here.
Good idea! I wonder if a lilac bush will thrive in my sunny little condo garden…
That would be *words*. Lol.
🙂 I fixed it for you!
Thank you Barbara. 🙂
Love that new-to-me quote. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed words, Laurie – you’re welcome! 🙂
Hi,
The painting of the farmer is just wonderful, they work so hard and this shows really well in the painting. The quotes are spot on.
Thank you, Mags. The painting tugs at my heart – how thankful we should be to family farmers who put their hearts and souls into working the land…
Hi. Very good painting to illustrate the quotes. Our ancestors had to work so hard to get the simplest of livings. I worry we are too far removed from being able to fend for ourselves if need be. Your post reminds us what we may need to relearn. Jane
I think about fending for ourselves in the future, too, Jane. The irresponsible way we are “cultivating” the earth now is unsustainable. Since my dad no longer gardens it is getting harder and harder to find a fresh tomato that tastes even close to as good as the ones he used to grow. He knew how to plant marigolds near them to protect them from aphids… I wish I had paid more attention to how he grew so much of our food!
The earth should educate and maintain the soul. Yes. I thought of our ancestors who tilled the earth when looking at the picture. Too many of us modern folk have moved too far away from her cycles. Thank you, Barbara.
You’re welcome, Kathy. I agree with you completely! The earth has so much to teach us if we’d only pay more attention! We will never be in control of nature so it would do us well to keep exploring better ways of living in harmony with her.
Beautiful – both painting and poems. The first thing I noticed in the painting was the white horse which is looking at the farmer with such compassion. How many years have they worked together walking up and down that little field?
Thank you, Rosie. You made me wonder about the life span of a horse, which I had never considered before. Wikipedia says 25-30 years on average. Can you imagine working together for that many years? There must be an incredible intimacy between the farmer and his working horses. They probably are deeply in tune with each other. Amazing to think about…
Great painting and quotes. It is amazing how far we’ve come from being on intimate terms with nature in the last century or two, and it isn’t hard to believe that we’ve both gained and lost in this process.
Thank you, Tracy. Lately I keep coming across the term Nature Deficit Disorder. When I think of my childhood freely roaming around in the woods from morning until dark and then my children’s childhood in a small city and how I was afraid to allow them to be out of my sight for too long – what a difference in a generation…
This made me think of my grandfather who was always very close to the land. A very nice post.
Thank you, ariadnesdaughter. One of my grandfathers was a peasant in Ukraine. When he came to America he was able to buy a small farm and work his own land – it was a very big deal to him. Land was everything to him. It sounds like your grandfather felt much the same way.
What a wonderful painting! The expression on both the man’s face and the horse’s face say so much.
I’m happy you enjoyed the painting, Sheryl! The horse seems curious to know if the man is almost done with that last furrow. Then he will get to return to the barn or yard where he can get a refreshing drink of water and perhaps something to eat, after all his hard work.
My ancestors were all farmers and people of the land, in one way or another and I think this connection remains strong, no matter where life leads us. I know that wherever we go, one of the first things we do is find a *green* place to walk and a sunny spot to grow a pot or two of herbs. Part of the settling in process, even when it’s just a short term stay.
That’s so true, plants do help us to feel settled in new surroundings. I think of all the rooftop gardens in cities and trees growing in the middle of sidewalks. It’s good to find a green place to walk when we don’t have land of our own, a place where our feet can ground us and connect us to the earth.
Oh, what an exquisite painting, one I haven’t seen before. I love how the horse is looking back at the farmer fixing the plow…wondering what he is doing and/how long before they can get moving again…
Wonderful quotes!
Thank you, Diane! I love the way the horse is looking at the farmer, too, so full of curiosity and patience… Farming is very hard work, but very satisfying when the farmers and their animal helpers are rewarded for their efforts…