The woods called mightily and I had to get out again, so I took the bus on my day off last week, and made to the woods again. Packed my woodworking tools and a grindstone to work on the Celtic ring knife design. I walked through those ancient fragrant spruce and fir woods that always remind me of some ancient temple, or the breath of some huge animal. They feel so alive, with a heavy atmosphere resting upon them like an enchanted veil, and I always have the feeling I could lie down there and sleep, sleep as a stone or a tree in winter. But winter has passed, and I am a human being, not a tree, and the lake has broken free from the ice.
This pond lies ahead of the lake I prefer to visit, silent and dark, with mighty carps living in the silent twilight of its swampy depths. As a kid, they always frightened me, even when they were dead. I have seen them in the moonlight of warm summer nights, coming up, silent as a ghost, and you could see their backs rising into the pale shine of the moon, larger than life. This pond always had something otherworldly to it, with old spruce and fir trees overtowering it like pillars of rock. I passed by it on my way to the dam´s lake. I saw a buzzard startled by my footsteps, and an eagle above the lake. There´s a pair nesting there, in the cliffs above the lake.
Some Icelandic black-neck goose...
The cliffs....
I then walked to my favourite place, the little birch wood, and had a cuppa tea and some food. Then I took out the grindstone and worked a bit on my Celtic ring knife.
While sitting there and have a sip of tea from time to time, I had some visitors: This is the ant, my friend, my only friend, the ant...;-), red ants, that is.
On my way I found a toppled pine with this burl on it, and when I lost my nerve grinding, I started another kuksa.
And this is what became of it. I plan on carving a dwarves face to the handle, with a big, open mouth.
Can´t get enough of birch sap, so I tapped another birch while sitting on a stump, grinding and carving. I tried an open system this time, for the closed tap has its shortcomings still... Drank it immediately, and it was delicious. I sealed the birch and said some words to it, more to remind myself, but who knows?
Carved a plug and cut it flush.
That´s a decent photo of my Woodspirit "Phurba";-) knife keeping guard for me;-). I just sat there and did some woodworking and grinding and contemplating, and the hours just passed, fading gently and full of meaning. I am always amazed at how different time passes in the woods. There´s so much more sense to the fading hours than in front of a box counting Mammon´s sheep.
The sun was already sinking, when I made for the long way home, and I had the strange notion of not being so human anymore.
Kein Menschelein
Sie sagen dass ich trank
Zuviel des süssen Weins
Doch ich will kein Mensch,
Kein Menschelein mehr sein.
Ich ging unter die Bäume
Und träumte meinen Traum
Und legte meine Hände
An die Borke eines Baums
Sie kamen mit der Säge
Mit Axt und Hammer auch
Und fällten alle Bäume
So ist´s bei ihnen Brauch
Drum geh ich unter Felsen
Ich schmied im dunklen Grund
Will alte Lieder tanzen
Unter des Mondes Rund
Will lachen und will singen
Von Axt und Zwergenschwert
Und Stahlgeheimnis zwingen,
Doch nicht um Geldeswert.
Will rennen und will tanzen
In der Geistermeute
Will lieben und will leben,
Will Jäger sein und Beute.
rep I
Word-by word translation:
No little human
they say that I drank
too much of the sweet wine
but I do not want to be human
no little human anymore
I walked amongst the trees
and dreamed my dream
and rested my hand upon
the bark of a tree
they came with the saw
with axe and hammer, too
and felled all the trees
that is their habit always
thus I go under rocks
I forge in the crevice dark
want to sing old songs
under the moon´s round
want to sing old runes
of axe and dwarven sword
and force steel´s secret
but not for money´s value
want to run and want to sing
in the spirits´host
want to laugh and want to live
want to be hunter and the prey
(rep I)
(Poetic translation:
Not human anymore
They say I drank
Too much o´the sweet wine,
But I no more pray
In humankin´s old shrine.
I went and wandered far
Amongst the living trees
And felt the power strong
Under the bark flow free
They came with axe and saw,
Brought hammer, noise and doom
This is their nature always
To turn light into gloom.
Thus I went beneath the mountain
I forge beside the well
Besides a dwarwish fountain
No human kin can dwell
Under the pale moon´s silver wheel
I want to sing and forge
And force the secret of this steel
Into axe and dwarven sword.
I want to dance, I want to live,
And sing these ancient runes
Run like a wolf, I want to give
From spirit´s wealth under the moon.)
While sitting there and have a sip of tea from time to time, I had some visitors: This is the ant, my friend, my only friend, the ant...;-), red ants, that is.
