Daily Cascade

Perceiving Nature

Prompt: "There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by. "
William Cullen Bryant
Let this quote inspire your entry today.

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So, here comes the way our human perception works. I gather this is about how natural beauty is seen, understood, and then philosophized by us, nature's creations on two feet. Anyway, by us, I really mean here the American poet, William Cullen Bryant. That is to say, I'm not as perceptive as he was.

I guess my reality is more objective than his words, and in my first reading of the quote, I thought he might be challenging the objective reality of nature. Yet, he isn't making a statement about physical existence, but he's exploring nature in its further subtlety. I got that when I thought about this more.

I now think Bryant has explored how his consciousness (or maybe ours, too} creates meaning from what we see. In other words, insight from sight.

When Bryant says, "There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye," he suggests that beauty isn't just a quality waiting to be discovered, but rather something that comes alive through appreciation. Also, a star may emit light for billions of years, but its "glory" or its ability to inspire wonder and awe exists in a conscious mind that appreciates it.

The way I see it, that "loving eye" does all the work here. His reference to fragrance in the second sentence also needs human perception and, through that perception, human joy. As living things breathe so do Bryant's words; they 'breathe with joy.'

Now that I've so clumsily analyzed this quote, I thought about me and nature.

What makes me 'breathe with joy' is not a standing-still flower or a tree or a motionless star in the night sky. I think I like motion a lot more than any still beauty.

In other words, while Bryant appreciates beauty, I appreciate motion more. Such as clouds rolling by in the sky, trees dancing with the breeze, birds flying in flocks, a cat playing with a ball, a friend smiling at me with understanding.

To each his own, as they say, and I guess, with me, motion begets emotion.