[...] the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day ; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men ; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but an earthworm*."
Thoreau, Walden
* Err, don't know how it could happen. Please replace an earthworm by a machine.
Out here with so much clay in the soil earthworm would be just as appropriate as machine...
ReplyDeleteYour good friend Andrew has definitely proven (*in many posts, everywhere) that the good nature of an earthworm is very much abused. Therefore, you didn't need to correct the persistent word which jumped, from your fingers to the keyboard, when you copied Thoreau. I'm convinced that the inspired philosopher would agree with you that a laboring man is nothing but an earthworm.
ReplyDeleteMay the beloved worms, which have chosen to live at Seanhenge, enjoy many hours of true integrity, and multiply, in safe leisure, while you keep busy providing seeds to your birds' population.
*Sorry, I don't know how to link with Andrew's deeply expressed concern for our wormly brothers/sisters.
Slowly, strugglingly (we don't speak English too neat), inevitably, recognition is being given. Our day will come. Thank-you Sean, we shall maintain the good earth of Seanhenge with added vigour (even though you do feed the birds, because in doing so we are divided as to whether you are helping us, by assuaging their hunder, or harming us, by letting them multiply... oh, seems we are quite literate after all, back to burrowing though, with a wormy smiley for you -----------------:)
ReplyDeletequite literate, even though we do find g is in short supply and d in excess, down here. hunder? sorry ------------------------------------------------------:)
ReplyDeleteSeanso, if we chop the head off a wormy smiley will it just turn into two smaller wormy smileys or will it die? The Don's Dilemma
ReplyDeleteThe more literate Omnium's readers (except for picky teachers) would never complain about the few letters the Earthworms Union leader might miss in his eloquent comments. We salute you! Welcome in the virtual family. May you grow numerous, fat and happy. But, in the real world, keep hidden. To your good health!
ReplyDeleteJanice,
ReplyDeletethe longer I ponder about ... hm ... yes. At least.
Claudia,
explicitly which of Andrew's fervent pleas pro the inviolability of earthwo(r)man dignity are you refering to?
Earthworm United,
welcome to Omnium.
Your doubts are as reasonable as your English is impeccable. Indeed, feeding the birds has its pros and potential cons. It may ease your mind, though to hear respectively read that there are roaming quite a few cats in, on and around Seanhenge ...
Please note that due to a quest I can't answer your wormly sign of serene politeness openly. You'll find what your kind comment deserves, hidden in the following postscriptum:
May I ask where EU's headquarter's residing. Bruxelles would make sense. it is miles away from here, though.
Big worm,
welcome to you, too. Your species' antipathy towards letters such as y, q, p, g and f is understandable, as their descenders will always somehow remind you of a hundry bird's beak pecking for earthworms.
Andrew,
now that's a conundrum and needs a bit of research. which - dependent on the amount of third-party-funds I'll be able to aquire, may soon start.
Claudia,
To your dood health!
Do dou think our wormd duests dreder wine or whisk(e)d?
I wouldn't mind being pickled in a bottle of Lagavulin, although some of my South American pals donate themselves to a bottle of Tequila or something like that. When we have to go, pickled in malt is better than the beak. And come on the cats! We love cats!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:))
ReplyDeleteOoohhh, My profile pic appears to have been too long for your humanly system. Our own software is much more worm-friendly - big wide but very thin screens. Here I am shrunk to fit:
ReplyDelete>>>>(etc)>>>>:))
Worms are such wimps, burrowing away underground. Try living up here and facing up to the birds like real soldiers. And don't get me started on the snails - blooming air raid shelters on their backs? Yellow bellies... "ooohhh... I'm scared... I'm going inside again..." Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteBig worm,
ReplyDeleteto begin with the end: Thanks for your wormy politeness. And hats off re your obvious technical superiority.
Is it possible that your ancestor lives on Melmac. To my knowledge he loves cats, too; preferable with mashed potatoes.
I am not so sure about your Mexican pals, but your taste is nothing less than exquisite.
In case you have the chance to divide yourself as often as one might chop the heads of your friendly mimic, I commend to donate one of your (alter?) egos to a bottle of Highland Park.
I, me and myself are donating themselves to the arms of Morpheus.
Good night, earthworms, and good luck.
"Good luck"? Hah. They'll need it pal. I'm hungry. Them's the breaks, as we say in birdy banter (which may sound like tweets to twits like you). Bloody humans, we hate the way you think we are so fluffy and sweet. We are big beaky bastards, don't you know? Right, worm time. Now!
ReplyDeleteDear Sean,
ReplyDeleteSorry, I couldn't answer your two questions early on, as Worms, Sluggy, Birds took over the comment page.
Question 1- Andrew expressed much (exaggerated) compassion for Earthworms in two comments for your post "Same sight, different view". Also on "Feed me." from BEAG AIR BHEAG (a lovely Scottish blog).
Question 2- You asked what do worms like to drink? Frankly, all the worms I met in my life took a human form. I never had any desire to find out if they preferred wine to whisky. The less I saw of them, the better I felt. May I add that I don't particularly like them any better in the wormy natural form.
All the best to you, and readers.
Away from the worms, may I share my favourite Thoreau:
ReplyDelete"What is the use of a house, if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"
I am too overwhelmed by the standard of debate here to comment.
ReplyDelete(Almost) on the question of what worms like to drink.......
ReplyDeletemy mum use to tell a story of a Band of Hope meeting where the preacher dropped a worm into a glass of whisky and it shrivelled up and died. He asked the audience "what does that tell you?", to which a drunk who had accidentally staggered into the back of the hall replied loudly "if you've got worms, drink whisky!"
Hahaha! Ruth...This is priceless!
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed rather a good comment Ruth.
ReplyDeleteIndignant Magpie,
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame! This morning I intended to have one of these stupid sluggies that like tspamming blogs with martial drivel, when one of these BIG Bad Bird's, more precisely a raspy crow attacked me.
Not that she could chase me away; but as a peace-loving bird I decided not to fight.
At noon I felt like having a blackbird-baby for lunch and: And again I got attacked - by its BIG BAD Mother.
Worst of all: You damn human witnessed both acts of violating Magpies Dignity; by using your camera you could have easily produced acceptable evidence for us birds International Criminal Court (ICC), but like most of you unwinged bipeds, you just would do nothing to fight evildoers, hm? Not as long as your you're not personally affected, hm? Bloody coward!
Redstart in high dudgeon,
ReplyDeleteAgree, angry, agree! I am a mother of two, living in a hedge next to Seanhenge. Quiet place I thought. But, alas! This afternoon, bipeds pretending to plant this and that barricaded my entry lane. Cowardly as humans are the would let protect themselves by a cat.
But I can tell you folks: I blustered, inveighed, ranted, pulled out all stops of gamesmanship and: after only half an hour had fought them off!
PS: Magpies are wimps.
Claudia,
ReplyDeleteabsolve te. I can fully understand the resons for your dely.
So, you think Andrew's exaggerating here and
here?
Well, I doubt this. Andrew would never ever exaggerate, would he?
Re your favourite-Thoreau: Thumbs up. It's not the worst of his thoughts, hm?
Lady Limoncello,
I do fully understand. After all, you are no nature lover, and scared of insects.
Ruth,
obviously your Mum was acquainted to a close relative of the very man who fell into a whisk(ey)-cask.
His freinds tried to rescue him, but he fought them bravely off.
Andrew,
agreed.
Phew!!!
ReplyDeleteThe bloody birds misused my avatar!