Angels' Prayer

The sun proclaims its old devotion
in rival song with brother spheres,(1)
and still completes in thunderous motion
the curcuits of its destined years.(2)
Angelic  powers, uncomprehending,
are strengthened as they gaze their fill,
Thy works, unfathomed and unending,
retain the first day's splendour still.(3)


The glorious earth, with mind-appaling
swiftness, upon itself rotates,(4)
and with the deep night's dreadful falling
its primal radiance alternates.
High cliffs stand deep in ocean weather,
wide foaming waves flood out and in,
and cliffs and seas rush on together(5)
caught in the globe's unceasing spin.


And turn by turn the tempests raging
from sea to land, from land to sea,
build up, in passion unassuaging,
their chain of furious energy.
The thunder strikes, its flash is faster,
it spreads destruction on its way.
But we, thy messengers, O master,
revere thy gently circling day.


And each of us, uncomprehending,
is strengthened as we gaze our fill,
for all thy works, sublime, unending,
retain their first day's splendour still.

(1) Pythagoras
(2) Ptolemaeus
(3) The huge Michigan Sea was ecologically dead, but is safe again.
(4) Copernicus, Kepler, Galilei; Aristarch, Eratosthenes, Aryabhata
(5) 29,88 Km/sec

Althaea rosea ante aedem sacram Saturni

Do you know the hollyhock? The hollyhock was one of my mother's favourite flowers and is one of the species we both loved most, as either lilac, columbines and peonies. Once we planted together a staghorn sumac because of the wonderful coulors in autumn. As she has left me three years ago, now it is wonderful to see a hollyhock in front of Saturn's temple. Saturn was one of the eldest gods of the latin people, and before the Capitol hill in Rome started to be called Capitol, it had been called Mons Saturnius, and, as still today, at the feet of this hill there was the Ara Saturni (whose remains are visible in front of the remaining columns of the temple) and later on the Aedes Saturni, the temple of Saturn, first as a wooden building and centuries later as a stone building and at Augustus' time as a marble building. The remains we can see today are from the end of the 3rd century after Christ.

Saturn was an old god of seeds and crops, fertility and satiety. Words like "seed", "satiety" and "satisfy" are still reminding to him. In the Golden Age the people of Latium were even ruled by this god, because then he was their king. His son Dis (or Pluto) was the god of the "underground". Pluto is not Plutus. Plutus is the god of wealth, while Pluto is the god of the underworld. But there is a link. Both gods receive their name from the greek word for wealth "ploutos", and the most precious matter (from "mater" terra) is lying in the underworld as ore, and furthermore material wealth very easily leads to conjunctions with obscure entities.

We therefore can say that Saturn is the god of healthy, alive richness under the sun and over the earth, while his son Pluto is a god who has to do with the richness under the earth. And the "aerarium", the treasury, where all the "aes" and "aera" under Pluto's or Plutus' responsability is lying, was in deed under the Aedes Saturni, in the cellar.

The meaning of "althaea" is "healing"

In honor of Saturn were celebrated every year in december the Saturnalia which later became our Christmas and our carnival. I have always supposed that these two celebrations take place in winter, because in winter we all need some colour. And so man has invented his own colours when nature withdraws its colours.

http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnus_(deus)

http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia

Clic here to get to the beginning

Oedemera nobilis on Cistus sp.

Going back, near the bus stop I find this Cistus (which one is it? I don't know... incanus... or creticus... it doesn't matter; I am interested in names and in botany, but not enough to split hairs).

Isn't it a wonderful fox?

Isn't this a beautiful fox?

The Fox

Another fox - or maybe the same fox as before - is challenging us. I have some ham in my bag. The fox came close before, when I was eating near the shore. The fox isn't afraid. But I am afraid!! I am not familiar with foxes and it makes me suspicious that this fox isn't shy at all. When I was a young boy my teacher at school told us never to get near to wild animals. He said, if they are not shy, they probably are sick with rabies....

I will take a bath

The shore is under the sun, while from beyond the mountains we can hear thunder.

It seems that storm and rain will come near... There are flashes of lightning and thunder. But for the whole day the wind will keep bad weather far behind the mountains.

The dune

Now we got near the dune, soon we will see the shore

Emys orbicularis

Orthetrum brunneum is its name...

Can you see the fish under the reflected trees in the water?

The canal

We have arrived at the canal, and there are some turtles (Emys orbicularis), some fishes and some dragonflies. This is the Bocca d'Ombrone, Padule della Trappola

In the warm shadow there is a good smell of resin coming from the pine trees.

The fox and some other animals.

Soon we will be in the pinewood and see this rock from between the trees.

Can you see the fox which has crossed our way? We will see another fox later. They are not shy at all. One could suspect they are sick of rabies... But they are in good health. Why are animals in Italy not shy? As pigeons in Venice and foxes in this place...

And down we go!

We will descend the hill now and go through the pinewood until we arrive to the canal. Then we will go to the shore and rest behind the hill with the tower...

Can you see the shadow under the pines?

The shore is closer now, and we have a wonderful sight from the hill. The sun shines on the pine wood below. We will go down and enjoy the shadow for a while.

Can you see the tower on the hill? We have to walk a little while... but the weather is fine, and we will enjoy walking. We will arrive at the seaside and take a bath.

In Maremma

The Parco dell'Uccellina is one of the most beautiful places I know. It is like a symbol of what Italy means to me, since there are many species of animals to observe in quite a small space. And Italy after all is a little country with no environment protection politics. Nevertheless, Italy is one of the places on earth, with the highest grade of biodiversity.