Poem for Monday

Morning Sea
By Constantine P. Cavafy
Adapted From Translations by Edmund Keeley, Philip Sherrard, Rae Dalven & John Mavrogordatos

Let me stop here and I'll look at nature awhile.
The brilliant blue of the morning sea, of the cloudless sky,
the shore yellow; all lovely,
all bathed in light.

Let me stand here and I'll fool myself that I see all this
(I actually did see it for a moment when I first stopped)
and not my usual daydreams here too,
my memories, those images of sensual pleasure.

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Tra la, it's May, the lusty month of May! We are back from the Baltimore Waterfront Festival, where we saw the Volvo 70 yachts taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race being repaired and restocked, Volvo Extreme 40 catamarans racing in the Inner Harbor, visiting tall ships including Brazil's Cisne Branco, Philadelphia's Gazela, and the schooners Virginia, Sultana and Pride of Baltimore II, plus the Maryland Science Center's traveling exhibit on the Wright Brothers and The Birth of Aviation. Oh, and since it is really difficult to be in Baltimore's Inner Harbor without doing so, we also had crab cakes. I am too tired once again to do a description of the afternoon justice, so instead I will post photos:


Quick, find the syndicate sponsored by Disney! (Go here for more information about this Black Pearl.) Though in third place behind Abn Amro One (far left) and Moviestar (right), this was the racing boat attracting the most attention from chatty tourists.


And of the Extreme 40s, the Tommy Hilfiger with its fly unzipped was a popular sight. These little cats zipped around the Inner Harbor all afternoon terrifying older sailboats.


Here is the beautiful Cisne Branco, which brought Brazilian naval officers and a band as well as these colorful flags. Behind her to the left you can see Pride of Baltimore II in the foreground and Virginia in the background.


And here are the Gazela, front, and the USS Constellation, towering behind her, with some of the harbor dragon boats in the foreground and Cisne Branco in the background. See what a gorgeous day it was? More photos when I manage to get through them all!

I did manage to watch The West Wing this evening, sort of. If Santos really ends up sending his kids to a mythical DC public school as described in the episode, it will be as silly as Commander in Chief's fantasy high school. Santos should talk to Amy Carter about her public school experiences before deciding where to send his own little ones. I have never for a moment blamed the Clintons and the Gores for sending their children to Sidwell rather than public school in the District. Helen is right -- going to private school with other children of the rich and powerful will be a lot more normalizing for the kids than having them be objects of curiosity, envy and trophy friendships in public school. Also, I am delighted Arnie said yes but I adored his suspicion beforehand.

And now I must sleep, as I lost much of this evening consoling younger son who belatedly became hysterical about the gerbil. One of these days I will catch up. Have a joyous Beltane, May Day or whatever you may celebrate in your part of the world!