THE TEEMING LIFE OF THE WATERS 



At dawn we set out, and the last belated stars are 

 still shining in the sky. It is a real pleasure to savour 

 the sharp, salty, slightly iodized smell given off by 

 the whole surface of the sea. It is cool and refreshing. 

 We hear the gentle murmur of the surf caressing the 

 rocky shore. Up with the anchor and out to sea! 

 Sometimes the sea is perfectly calm, untroubled by 

 the slightest ripple; the boat seems to glide over it. 

 Sometimes it rises, slowly, gradually, regularly, in a 

 broad, waving swell, a strong swell that keeps the boat 

 swinging in ceaseless rhythm; it seems to quiver, and, 

 with its rocking, to communicate that quivering to 

 the boat. Sometimes it is different again. Always 

 like to itself in the immensity of its mass, its aspect 

 differs from moment to moment and from place to 

 place. 



One day, the sky is serene and cloudless. Dawn 

 breaks, the light grows stronger, and the sun comes 

 up, never pausing, never halting. Every conceivable 

 shade of gold and blue is reproduced in the sparkling 

 waters. The distant cliffs merge into the hills beyond, 

 and with them form a pale blue battlemented wall in 

 which it is impossible to distinguish any particular 

 point because the glowing light absorbs all detail. 

 Another day, the sky is grey, covered by clouds which 

 hide the sun; there is a soft, uniform light which seems 

 as though it had been filtered through a sieve; every- 

 where the sea is grey, greenish, and leaden, with 

 flickers of blue-green and silver. The distances stand 

 out, dark blue, and every fold in the ground is to be 

 seen. Little by little, as the morning hours pass, the 

 clouds disperse, letting the sun through. At first, 

 broad straight bands of light, spread like a fan, descend 

 upon the water from the heavens, bringing a bright 

 sparkle. Then the light brightens; the sun appears; 

 the clouds vanish, and the clear sky covers land and sea 

 in one vast dome. One scene from Fairyland after 

 another, a sparkling and blazing which gives an element 



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