The title of this blog is obviously a take on the famous title by Hemingway. The Hemingway novel is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit. I think when dealing with the sea, one would require a certain toughness. Inevitable it is as the infinite oceans that surround the earth are truly vast, deep and unfathomed. True 'blue' (in all the senses of this term) are the seas every which way!
We know much much more about the space than we know about the seas. Incidentally all these cutsie quotes about 'where the land meets the water' or 'the sand meets the sea' are fine by the seaside. Near the shore, the salt can cure the soul. Far away from the shores, deep within the ocean, the roar of the sea is not exactly soul soothing. Remember the December, 2004 tsunami? Whoosh, indeed!
There is a brilliant story by Edgar Allan Poe entitled 'A Descent in to the Maelstrom' which deals with the malefic aspect of the ocean. So vivid is Poe's description of the terror that realistically you can feel every twist and each turn of the terrible experience of the narrator.
You do not have to be a Ulysses to understand the trouble that the high seas are. If you want proof, just check the 'high waves' videos on the YouTube. Unbelievable are the storms that the ships wither. Literally like a sky high wall are the waves, each crashing against the board capriciously, cruelly, and crudely. The sailor song that goes with such storms is so horrible that it can sent shivers down the spine.
Hence the need to appreciate Columbus who set sail in the Atlantic aboard wind tossed, sails propelled ships Pinta, Niña, and Santa Maria, and without any technological gadgets. Sure he introduced the cruel colonisation that crushed continents, yet his own spirit that 'sea-rched' for a new, unexplored sea route to India is truly commendable.
Pratima@ All these sea musings are a tribute to my shippie brother Parag, alias Raju, whose birthday falls on June 7 when the Mriga constellation heralds the beginning of the monsoons, an absolute terror on board a ship, I think.
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