NONSUCH 



narrow shore ribbon which mosaics the surface of 

 the globe. In the far north, to be sure, the water at 

 times pretends to be sohd hke the real land, but that 

 only means pushing the shore for a time farther out. 



To have pass in review a resume, a panorama of 

 the daily and nightly rhythm of the meeting place 

 of air, water and land, we should begin our watch 

 at high tide, and if it is the time of the new moon 

 the waters will be pulled to their maximum. On the 

 beach the rollers break high, and the foam slithers 

 up to the very foliage of the hardy shock troops of 

 land plants. Sargassum weed is tossed about, great 

 furrows are worn in the sand, visible momentarily, 

 as an interval longer than usual between two waves 

 sends the sand and water far out. Off the rocks the 

 breakers sweep landward in low mounds, hardly 

 perceptible at first; then rise higher and higher, 

 finally curving in an endless length of crescent. For 

 a terrible moment this hangs in midair before the 

 tons of water crash down — splintering into an in- 

 finitude of drops and thinning the air into an ago- 

 nizing vacuum which instantly is released in an ex- 

 plosion of sound — liquid on the shifting sands and 

 a solid deep roar against the sounding board of the 

 cliffs. 



The wide zone between low and high tide marks 

 is now all water and filled with watery beings. 

 Great emerald and rufus, yard-long parrotfish are 

 close inshore, wallowing on their sides, browsing 

 among the waving banners of seaweed ; I see a goat- 

 fish now and then sand-tapping for what-there-is 



86 



