Proud Waves

 

On a morning like this, with a stiff north westerly wind blowing in and the sea a turbulent mess of foam and curling waves, what better than to walk down and watch the sea crash over the harbour wall. The tide is fully in. The boats have all been pulled up the slipway because of the heavy seas. 

As I watched the water’s force, it put in mind Job’s poetic utterance in Ch 38.

 “I fixed limits for it

    and set its doors and bars in place,

“This far you may come and no farther;

    here is where your proud waves halt!” *

Attaching a human attribute like ‘proud’ to the movement of the waves might sound odd, but it’s entirely appropriate. As you feel the force of water smashing against the rocks and hissing up through the blowhole, it is as if a massive surging power were seeking to assert its authority over this manmade structure. Break down the harbour wall. Wash over the slipway. Destroy the little boats.

Having lived in at least two maritime nations, you can’t escape the power and influence the sea wields over the collective imagination, especially in ports and fishing communities. Both the Greeks, and in particular, Portuguese have a rich heritage of stories, and poems and music, that arises out of their dependence on the seas. The Greeks have Poseidon with his trident and great white beard. The Portuguese explorers, as they rounded the Cape of Good Hope, imagined the sea as some great monster blocking their way - Adamastor, described here by Luis de Camões in his 16th Century epic poem "The Lusiads".

            Even as I spoke, an immense shape

                Materialised in the night air,
            Grotesque and enormous stature
           With heavy jowls, and an unkempt bear

               Scowling from shrunken, hollow eyes

But here’s the thing. There are limits to the oceans’ arrogance. There’s a protection in that “Thus far and no further…” Even with climate change and the threat of rising sea levels, there’s always a sense in which limits have been set. The power of the ocean is restrained. The One, of whom it is written “He upholds all things by the word of his power..” And “in Him all things hold together”.. holds the oceans in check.

So, I’ll keep my eye on the tides, and head down for a dip in the Herring Pond, only when the waves are well below the breakwater!!

And in the meantime, I’ll listen to my favourite piece of 'sea music' from Portugal.

"Ao Longo do Mar" by Madredeus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQpycvSF24