A "potpourri" of Cycles

After a summer break we start another
'Cycle' 
of monthly posts

  'an event that repeats'

initiated last year in September by our blog friend Marsha
from  Splenderosa.blog

 This month theme is about  
Cycles

 I have chosen to talk about cycles which mean most to me.
Because I could not make up my mind which one is the most important,
this post turns out as a "potpourri".......:


The most essential one for all life on earth -  
The water cycle:

-1-

Almost all water on this planet is stored in the ocean.
From here the sun's energy heats the water until it changes forming clouds.
  Evaporation

 The winds then move the clouds.

Later the clouds cool down and turn back into water.
Condensation

 

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 Finally this water falls back onto the earth as rain

Precipitation

 The water cycle.....

...over and over again.

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The tidal cycle:

-2-

Es gibt Gezeiten im Leben des Menschen;
und weiß er die Flut zu nutzen - dann hebt sie ihn empor zum Glück.
William Shakespeare, (1564 - 1616)

-3-

Ebb...

-4-

...and Flow

-5-

There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
On such a full sea are we now afloat. 
And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.
 Shakespeare

-6-

The Changing Tides 

Walking upon the sand of the beaches in your life.

You leave marks embedded as you go.

A mark of your passing which may last forever,

Or quickly washed away with the changing tide.

 -7-

Life is fickle and impressions made quick.

Judgments made in ignorance set our path,

A friendship which may have lasted a lifetime,
  Is over looked because of vanity or prejudice.

A shame that we are influenced by petty things

Such as looks, speech, affluence or intelligence.

Never taking the time to truly know someone

Who they are and what they've accomplished.

 

Tis said to slow down and smell the roses,

But many times we cut them down to take.

Having them for the beauty they possess,

Not thinking of killing them in the process.

If you leave your mark on the beach,

 Make sure it's one that stands against time,

A mark that can be viewed with pride,

Not one to be lost in the changing tides.

 

Randall Beers

© July 21st 1999

 "The way we live our lives and the way we interact with others reflects on the type of person we each are. 
People are complex and the differences between each of us is what makes us who we are....."
Randall J. Beers, Americain former police officer
read more  here

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The Four Seasons:

 Through the eye of an Old Master

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, 1527 - 1593

"....perfect in his uniqueness, as are only the great".

 

Winter and Spring



 Summer and Autumn  

Guiseppe Arcimboldo - also on previous posts:  
Winter  here -  Spring  here  - Summer  here  -  Autumn  here

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In the Perigord:
".....countless castles and manor houses, old villages, typical Périgord hamlets and 

fortified hilltop towns follow each other in beauty spots

that change with the passing seasons.....

...Breathtaking views of valleys, undulating patch-works of fields and small forests,

exuding in all seasons the distinctive aroma of the Périgord.

In autumn truffles, wild mushrooms, figs, wine harvest;

duck, goose, confit in winter.

Springtime brings its abundance of fruits...."

Winter

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Spring

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early Summer

high Summer

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Autumn

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At La Pouyette:



Winter....and when Oskar enjoys Spring

Summer  and  Autumn

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Vivaldi's Four Seasons



Autumn   

    Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741)      
The Four Seasons
here   and   here

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  Song cycles
 a series of poems or songs on the same theme

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 Schubert's Lieder cycles

	Franz Peter Schubert  31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer. In a short lifespan of just nearly 32 years, Schubert was a prolific composer,  writing some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony",  liturgical music, operas, some indicental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music.   Today, Schubert is seen as one of the leading exponents of the early Romantic era in music  and he remains one of the most frequently performed composers. read more......here

In 1827, Schubert wrote the song cycle Winterreise (D. 911), a colossal peak in art song
("remarkable" was the way it was described at the Schubertiades)

Schubert's song cycle Die Winterreise, on texts from the eponymous cycle of poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827), 
is considered by some the most touching piece of music ever written. 
 Even professional singers have a hard time suppressing the emotions that go with it.

The Linden Tree, 

with Franz Schubert's melody from Die Winterreise (Winter Journey), is one of the few examples where a great classical composer wrote a song that, perhaps in slightly simplified form, becomes a folk song (Volkslied). 

Am Brunnen vor dem Tore - The Linden Tree 

At wellside, past the ramparts,
there stands a linden tree.
While sleeping in its shadow,
sweet dreams it sent to me.
And in its bark I chiseled
my messages of love:
My pleasures and my sorrows
were welcomed from above.

Today I had to pass it,
well in the depth of night -
and still, in all the darkness,
my eyes closed to its sight.

Its branches bent and rustled,
as if they called to me:
Come here, come here, companion,
your haven I shall be!

The icy winds were blowing,
straight in my face they ground.
The hat tore off my forehead.
I did not turn around.
Away I walked for hours
whence stands the linden tree,
and still I hear it whisp'ring:
You'll find your peace with me!

Drawing of a Schubertiade by Moritz von Schwind, 1868

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Frankie's "Cycle":



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At last but not least...

a short "piece" of Heinrich Heine's life philosophy:
 
Das Fräulein stand am Meere
Und seufzte lang und bang,
Es rührte sie so sehre
Der Sonnenuntergang.

"Mein Fräulein sei'n Sie munter,
Das ist ein altes Stück.
Hier vorne geht sie unter
Und kehrt von hinten zurück."


-8-

Young Miss stood on the seashore,
By heavy sighs undone,
Moved to a rueful seizure
By the sinking of the sun.

"Dear Miss, cheer up, look shoreward,
This is a well-worn turn;
The sun goes under forward
And comes back up astern."

Heinrich Heine 

In this sense - let's enjoy every 'cycle' of our life!

And please, pop over to Marsha's blog 
to see/read what all our friends thinking about  
Cycles
 here

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Remarks:

Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) was of German-Jewish background, 

had substantial family and publishing ties in Hamburg, 

but spent most of his life elsewhere in Germany and ultimately in exile in Paris.

read more......here

Song cycles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_cycle

Photograph credit for all the sea photos:

1:    http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotograf/dermotivator/1310745

2:    http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotografin/katrin-ha/1231775

3:    http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotograf/fussballmikel/1376004

4:    http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotograf/norbert-arndt/491777  
5:    http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotograf/mirco-wolff/1851619    
6,7:   http://www.fotocommunity.de/fotograf/folkert-saueressig/490977   
8: https://naturfotografen-forum.de/o592297-Magischer+Felsen%2C+die+zweite jan friedrich 
 http://www.fotocommunity.de/natur