In the Labyrinth

Mountain Beauties

It is such a luxury to live along the Colorado Front Range, surrounded by beautiful high mountains, forests, rivers, and a wide diversity of flora and fauna. We had a great time at a recent family hike up Mt. Brainard, which tops out at a little above 10,000 feet. The forests were full of wild strawberries, and the small streams were full of flowing water. But the real discovery was the abundance of wild mushrooms and lichens we had never seen before. Here are two of them:

 

                               

                                        That beautiful pale pink mushroom creating lovely steps up along its face.

Foreign Lander and the Life of the Sailor/Soldier

I recently came across this beautiful folk song -- sung here by Tim O'Brien, whose mournful fiddle is as haunting as the song. It is an odd combination of of martial spirit, the soldier's success in battle, pride in his accomplishments at having served with brave commanders and an unanswered longing for a woman whose "beauty has conquered me." We are I think, more aware of the female lament song, the soldier gone to war leaving her to wait (or not) seven years, the rake who abandons her with a baby, the lover murdered by her brothers. Such a list of catastrophes that separate a couple. 

 

But this one is strangely as modern as it is historical -- sung at least two hundred years ago by British singers, and then reformed in slightly altered versions in Appalachia, that second home for British folk songs remade in the language of the hill country folk. One can read the sentiments in the Civil War and WWI and WWII letters of soldiers who have fought many wars, finally ready to put away the sword and return home to a waiting wife and children. For those who remained unmarried during their service, it is to hope to find love and settle down, far from the where "the wild beasts howl." 

We are a military family, and so I know many of those modern-day fighters for whom this song would resonate. The more specialized the warriors, such as those in special forces, the more likely marriages fall apart due to the long deployments and the stress of being alone. Often, those warriors remarry successfully, but only after they have resigned their commission. Late families still bring children and joy. And there are those warriors, like the Foreign Lander, who wait until they are ready to leave, until they feel their work is finally done, until they step down from doing the task for which they are uniquely suited, and for when they can at last transfer their undying loyalty for brothers on the battlefield for a life at home, and a woman "whose beauty has conquered" him.  

And simply because I love this song and the mandolin which I am still endeavoring to play adequately, here is a lovely version by Sarah Jarosz with notes that ripple like water. 

 

 Here are the lyrics:

I've been a foreign lander for seven years or more.

Among the brave commanders where wild beasts howl and roar.
I've conquered all my enemies on land and on the sea, but you, my dearest jewel, 'tis you have conquered me.

I cannot build a ship of love without the wood of trees.
The ship would burst asunder should I prove false to thee.
If ever I prove false, love, the elements would moan.
The fire would turn to ice, love, the seas would rage and burn.

Have you heard the mourning dove?
She's flying from pine to pine.
She's mourning for her own love the way I mourn for mine.
I lie awake out in the night.
I see the shining stars.
I wonder if you see them too wherever you are.

 

 

 

And thanks to Mike, posting in the comments and bringing to my attention a Carter Family version on the theme of parting couples and going off to war. I did find this amazing version of it from No Strings Attached Band -- a group from India, which demonstrates again the migration of song and culture around the world. From their you-tube page: "The band comprises of Diptanshu Roy (mandolin) Nabanita Sarkar (vocals) Koustav Dey (guitar) Sujoy Chakravarty (songwriting/guitar)."