Wormley

The Greek god Nyx had two children (twins), Somnos (dream) and the winged Thanatos (death) who carried a burnt out torch.

Sunt Lacrimae Rerum : Publilius Syrus, a Roman writer, was a favorite and contemporary of Julius Caesar. One of his many one-liners of pithy wisdom probably seeds this poem. ‘Cruelty feasts on tears’ is to be found approximately one half century BC in “Crudelis lacrimis pascitur non frangitur.”, or ‘Cruelty is fed, not broken, by tears.’. The actual Latin phrase ‘Sunt Lacrimae Rerum’, however, is from Virgil = There are tears (about things).

Landscapes :

Pastoral images, of bog fauna and such require the language of both the artist and the naturalist. The rich variety is once again transformed into singleness, “She comes to me…”. Professor Synge adds the following nature facts :

Curlew – a large bog bird with a very long thin turned down beak and an embracing bobbling song. Kestrel – A bog eagle-like bird that hovers to catch small prey, including rodents and dragon flies. Chaser – Four Spotted Chaser – a bog dragon fly noted for very fast bullet straight flight to overtake bugs for food.

Emperor Moth – A red and brown winged bog butterfly.

Ling – dainty red flowering heather common to the bog.

Asphodel – a dense carpet growing yellow flowered bog plant.

Bladderwort – A group of plants, some bog growers, which trap and digest insects.

Sundew – Bog plant, flowers like sun bursts, trap insects for food.

Cotton Grass – large tufts of snow white cotton-like hang.

Groups of such plants can suggest clouds from a distance.

Ragged Robin – A delicate red flower seen in or near hedgerows.

Note the interplay of beauty and choices of predatory species!