1 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,640 Kyoto and welcome to Swim Chats, a podcast about swimming. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,400 I'm Shona Radel, a writer and swimmer from Wellington, Altero 3 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,000 in New Zealand. For each episode, I talk to a 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,520 different guest from our global swim community. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,480 Please hit the follow button so you don't miss an episode. 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,200 Share the podcast with a friend or two and leave a star rating 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:28,920 so that other people can discover it. 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,200 If you're a regular listener, please consider becoming a Swim 9 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,920 Buddy on patreon@patreon.com/swim Chats. 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,760 To help me keep running the podcast, there's a link in the 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:48,590 episode description. So welcome to the special 12 00:00:48,590 --> 00:00:51,350 episode about sea and swimming poetry. 13 00:00:51,350 --> 00:00:54,990 Today, I'm joined by my good friend and returning guest, 14 00:00:54,990 --> 00:00:57,640 Sinead. Sinead, welcome back to the 15 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,080 podcast. Delighted to have another 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,880 opportunity to talk all things swimming and writing and poetry. 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,280 Shona, it's great. To see you so Sinead and I last 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,240 recorded an episode together about movies, music, and books 19 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,560 about swimming so for those who haven't heard that episode, I'll 20 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,760 link to it in the show notes And we had so much fun doing that 21 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,000 episode that we decided to do another one. 22 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,760 And this one's about poems because we both enjoy poems 23 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:32,000 about swimming and the sea. And So what we're going to do is 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:37,760 take turns reading some of our favorite swim poems, more or 25 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,240 less organized by theme or location or sort of general 26 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,880 vibe. But what I'll do is I'll put a 27 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,600 full list of the poems we read in the episode show notes so 28 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,120 people can have a look at the full list and see what we're 29 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,400 covering that. Before we get started, just a 30 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:58,680 couple of quick sort of housekeeping notes. 1 is that we 31 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,880 won't be talking about Lord Byron's famous swim poem in this 32 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,520 episode because he's already been covered in one of my 33 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,880 history episodes with John Hancock that I recorded last 34 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,240 year. The episode's called Swimming 35 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,280 with Lord Byron, so for those who haven't heard that episode, 36 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,000 I'll just recap Byron's story quickly. 37 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:24,760 Lord Byron was the romantic poet who swam across the Hellspont or 38 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,160 now called the Dardanelle Strait in 18-12. 39 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,600 And so according to my sources that swim was about four 40 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:36,200 kilometers but current assisted, which would make it feel more 41 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,200 like possibly 3 kilometers or 3.5. 42 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,240 But after that swim, he wrote a poem called Written After 43 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:49,360 Swimming From Sestos to Abedos. And his poem is about the Greek 44 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:54,320 mythological figure Leander, who swam across the same body of 45 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,480 water each night to visit his lover hero, who lived in a 46 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,040 tower. And she would light a Lantern to 47 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:03,480 show him the way. And they would have their 48 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,120 special nightly visits. No spoilers, but there's a bit 49 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,600 of a sort of Romeo and Juliet element to the story, which is 50 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,240 quite a major spoiler, really. But yeah, basically it all goes 51 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,520 well until it doesn't. Second note is that we also 52 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,400 won't be talking about the Wellington poet Kate Kemp or her 53 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,200 swimming poems on this episode because she has her own episode 54 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,400 where she came on the podcast and read one of her beautiful 55 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,760 poems. So again, I'll link to that in 56 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,280 the show notes. And just sort of more generally 57 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,720 about this poetry episode we're about to do. 58 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,640 Even if you're, even if you don't consider yourself a poetry 59 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,920 person, that you probably do because you're already 60 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:48,600 listening. But even if you're not sure what 61 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,000 to expect, I'll just say that Sinead and I aren't about to do 62 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,960 deep dives, no pun intended, or sort of analytical deck 63 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,040 instructions of all these poems. It's purely about just the 64 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,960 enjoyment of reading the poems so you can listen to them and 65 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:11,040 get a sort of sensory feel for the, the pleasures of swimming, 66 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:16,399 the salty air, you know, the morning sun, all all that sort 67 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:17,800 of stuff. Yeah. 68 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:19,560 So it's going to be a lot of fun. 69 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,400 And my final note before I finally let Sinead get talking 70 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:29,400 is that when I was collecting poems for this episode, I asked 71 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,440 around my reading and writing friends for suggestions and a 72 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,360 number of people came forward with some great ones. 73 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:41,160 So I'd like to acknowledge Catherine, Sophia, Kate, Fiona, 74 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:45,120 Feeney, Frank and Rachel for helping contribute to this 75 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,440 episode. So, Sinead, while I take a 76 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,760 breath, is there anything you'd like to add? 77 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,040 No, just keen to get started. That was a great introduction, 78 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,480 Shona. And yeah, it it, it was 79 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,320 definitely worth mentioning the Byron poem because it probably 80 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,440 is the most famous swimming poem of all time. 81 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,320 But that's not to say we haven't got some brilliant ones to read 82 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,600 to you today. Exactly. 83 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,080 Cool. All right, Well, shall we start 84 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,640 with our readings? Yeah, well, I thought before 85 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,880 we'd get into specific swimming poems that it might be good to 86 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,440 acknowledge the some great poetry which is more generally 87 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:33,280 about the sea. And I thought you might start 88 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:38,320 yourself actually, Shona, with a beautiful poem by DH Lawrence. 89 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,480 And then I follow up with some other great poets by the Sea of 90 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,480 the Sea. Perfect. 91 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:45,760 All right. Thank you, Sinead. 92 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,960 I must admit to some slight performance anxiety as I start 93 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:54,120 doing these readings, but I'm sure I'm sure they will go very 94 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,640 well. So, yeah, this one's called 95 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:01,600 Manna of the Sea by DH Lawrence. Do you see the sea breaking 96 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,240 itself to bits against the islands, yet remaining unbroken? 97 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,520 The level grape sea have I caught from it the tide in my 98 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,080 arms that runs down to the shallows of my wrists and breaks 99 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,320 abroad in my hands like the waves among the rocks of 100 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,040 substance? Do the rollers of the sea roll 101 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,520 down my thighs and over the submerged eyelets of my knees 102 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,680 with power? Sea power? 103 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,560 Sea power to break against the ground in the flat, recurrent 104 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:33,480 Breakers of my 2 feet? And is my body ocean? 105 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:38,200 Ocean whose power runs to the shores along my arms and breaks 106 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,560 in the foamy hands, whose power rolls out to the white trending 107 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,280 waves of 2 salt feet? I am the sea. 108 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,080 I am the sea. Gorgeous. 109 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:56,440 Well, you know, as well as umm, DH Lawrence of the classic, umm, 110 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,760 classic English poets, Keats is very famous. 111 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,960 John Keats is very famous for his ode to the sea. 112 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:05,240 And I'm not going to read the whole thing. 113 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:07,120 A sonnet to the sea. Sorry, it's called. 114 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,120 I'm not going to read the whole thing, but just a few lines. 115 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,520 And it's funny, whenever I read this poem, I always think of my 116 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,640 English teacher at school and I can hear her voice reading it 117 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,600 because she loved this poem and she made us learn it by heart. 118 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:28,000 And so if I if I break into a kind of a weird Irish country 119 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,640 accent reading it, it's because I'm remembering her reading it 120 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:35,000 to us. So these are the few lines from 121 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:42,000 John Keats, Sonnet to the sea. Oh, ye who have your eyeballs 122 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,280 vexed and tired, feast them upon the wideness of the sea. 123 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:54,840 O ye whose ears are dimmed with uproar, rude, or fed too much 124 00:07:54,840 --> 00:08:01,560 with cloying melody, Sit you near some old cavern's mouth, 125 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:08,280 and brood until ye start as if the sea nymphs squired. 126 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,240 Beautiful. Thank you Sinead. 127 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,560 I love how you mentioned your your English teacher like we 128 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,040 always remember our great teachers. 129 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:24,280 Oh yes, that reminded me that in the 1990s when I was a teenager 130 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,320 I watched Dead Poet Society. Do you remember? 131 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:30,280 That I do remember that. I was so inspired by it. 132 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,080 It just really gave me this love of English and I ended up doing 133 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,720 Korean English literature at university. 134 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,760 Well, you did the right thing. I wish I'd done the same, but. 135 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,280 Anyway, well, it was about it was it feels like 1000 years ago 136 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,560 now, but if I have any credentials for this episode, 137 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:53,120 it's the fact that I did to create an English and 1996. 138 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,080 Yeah, if I have any credentials, it's the love of poetry 139 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:02,440 installed in me by Mrs. Skien. So she's no longer with us. 140 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:07,760 But you know, I did write to her later in my life and, and just 141 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,360 acknowledge and just thanked her for giving me this love of 142 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,640 poetry because it's such a joy in my life and the double joy of 143 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,600 poetry and swimming. Today's just got me buzzing. 144 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,280 That's so cool. I love how you wrote to her. 145 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,960 That's such a a good idea to write and thank the people who 146 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,640 inspire us. Oh, we, we should always do 147 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:27,520 that. Yeah. 148 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:32,360 Well, the other, my other favorite poet of the sea is 149 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,360 Paulo Neruda and the Chilean poet. 150 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:40,960 And, you know, he wrote beautiful odes to the sea even 151 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:42,640 though, in fact, he couldn't swim. 152 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:47,160 But he was surrounded, of course, being in Chile. 153 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:50,720 Well, well, there's such a long, beautiful coastline there. 154 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,240 So he was obviously inspired by that. 155 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,840 And later in his life, he lived in the Mediterranean looking 156 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,520 overlooking the sea. So, umm, he, he, he was in love 157 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,080 with the sea, as you'll see from his poems. 158 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:09,640 So, so I'm going to read a few lines from one which is simply 159 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:17,920 entitled The Sea and it goes, I need the sea because it teaches 160 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:22,040 me. I don't know if I learn music or 161 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:29,480 awareness, if it's a single wave or its vast existence, or only 162 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:35,480 its harsh voice or its shining suggestion of fishes and ships. 163 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:42,480 The fact is that until I fall asleep in some magnetic way, I 164 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,640 move in the university of the waves. 165 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,960 The sea is really our university, isn't it? 166 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:55,440 For us swimmers, you know. Umm, yeah, we've all been to 167 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,160 university in some way or another. 168 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,440 But honestly, to get in the sea and it, it can teach you 169 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:03,960 everything. As his poem says, he has another 170 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,920 one called Ode to the Sea. And I'll it's a bit different 171 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:13,080 and I'll read a few lines of that here on the island. 172 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:17,280 The sea, and so much sea, overflowing, relentless. 173 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:21,680 It says yes, then no, then yes. In blue, in foam with gallops. 174 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:24,920 It says no. And again, no, it cannot stay 175 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,000 still. My name is C. 176 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,680 It repeats while slamming against rocks. 177 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,920 Father C, we know already what you are called. 178 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,600 All the seagulls circulate your name on the beaches. 179 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,280 Now behave yourself. Don't shake your mane, don't 180 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:45,120 threaten anyone, don't smash against the sky your beautiful 181 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,640 teeth. Ignore for a moment your 182 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:52,120 glorious history. Give to every man, to every 183 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:58,320 woman, and to every child a fish, large or small, every day. 184 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:04,520 Thank you, Sanae. All right, now we're moving 185 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:08,480 closer to home and we have a couple of New Zealand swimming 186 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:13,720 poems and also one Maori Pepe ha, which is it's like a 187 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,760 proverb. So this one that I'm about to 188 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:22,640 read is from iwi and Fanga Nui. And so I'll read the TDL, and 189 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:28,600 then I'll read the English translation Eriko Mai taawa nui 190 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:35,640 Mai ET kahui monga kitamaroa quo de our quo de our quo. 191 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,800 The river flows from the mountains to the sea. 192 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,000 I am the river. The river is me. 193 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,720 That's. Yeah, I feel like, doesn't it? 194 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,040 It's yeah. Like we're part of the the 195 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:52,720 water. Yeah, we are. 196 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,920 We are the water. You know the way in your Pepia 197 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:01,160 you say my, my river is, You know, I am that river, I am that 198 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:02,560 sea. It's so beautiful. 199 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,280 I believe you also have a lovely poem by Roma Porticki. 200 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:13,240 Yeah, so this is a New Zealand poet, and the name of the poem 201 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:19,000 is And my heart goes swimming. And my heart goes swimming wet 202 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,640 and limpid. It hangs between waves of salt. 203 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:26,040 A warm heart in cold green waters, deep to the bottom. 204 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:32,160 Wave after wave washing a little skin saline and my heart goes 205 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,320 swimming. A fisherman scoops the sea, 206 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,800 finds a heart in his hand. No cold fish. 207 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,680 Warm red blood, black hair, blonde. 208 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:47,760 A night of swimming, open eyes laugh, see us, love the man and 209 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,280 my heart celebrate. And in the morning, warm water 210 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,520 from the tap. But now the fisherman has fish 211 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,000 to catch. See, he has a net and sinkers 212 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,440 back to the sea. My heart goes swimming wave 213 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,120 after wave. No fish could swim like my heart 214 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,000 goes swimming. Gorgeous. 215 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,040 And I'm going to follow that up with some lines from a wonderful 216 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:17,720 Pakia, New Zealand poet called Rachel McAlpine, of whom I'm 217 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,080 sure many of your listeners have heard. 218 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:22,880 And she calls this an instant poem. 219 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,680 Like she says she just sort of wrote it on the way to, to the 220 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:33,440 beach. So it's, it's fairly it's it's 221 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:38,440 not, you know, very kind of polished, but I think it's it's 222 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:40,800 gorgeous. So it's quite long. 223 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:42,680 Also, I'm just going to read you some of it. 224 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,680 Sea swimming in spring. An instant poem. 225 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,320 When I leave home for the gym, I'm often thinking, no, this is 226 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:57,760 no day for a swim. But then I see the sea ahead and 227 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,760 all my wimpiness has fled. It's dead. 228 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,200 A blue sea with sunshine sparkling. 229 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,520 A grey sea soaking up cloud reflection. 230 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,800 A Black Sea gritty with icy flecks. 231 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,560 A brown sea growling with Breakers. 232 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,920 A green sea with puzzling projections. 233 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:21,440 I love the passing conversations with the dabblers and the 234 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,840 paddlers. I love the mighty distance 235 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:27,760 swimmers, all of them shining with that triumphant swimmers 236 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,720 joy. I love the seabirds puttering 237 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,000 and fishing. I love the children on the 238 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,400 beach. I love the heavenly extension 239 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:41,480 when I shut my eyes and whisper I am the sea and the sea is me. 240 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,880 I love that poem so much. I love how she acknowledges the 241 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,400 different types of swimmers as well, the dabblers and the 242 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,880 peddlers and the mighty distant swimmers. 243 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:54,360 Yeah, Yeah. That's great. 244 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:59,160 Yeah. So our next collection is of the 245 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,040 theme Swimming Can Heal and Save You. 246 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,520 So these quite positive ones. The next one I'm going to read 247 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:13,120 is by Maxine Kuhman, who was is poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize 248 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,480 winner for poetry. It's called Morning Swim. 249 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:22,200 Into my empty head there come a cotton beach, a dock where from 250 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,680 I set out, oily and nude through mist and chilly solitude. 251 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,000 There was no line, no roof or floor to tell the water from the 252 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,200 air. Night fog, thick as Terry cloth, 253 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:39,160 closed me in its fuzzy growth. I hung my bathrobe onto pegs. 254 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:44,600 I took the lake between my legs invaded and invader eye went 255 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:49,080 overhand on that flat sky. Fish twitched beneath me, quick 256 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,280 and tame in their Green Zone. They sang my name and in the 257 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:57,200 rhythm of the swim I hummed A2 four time slow hymn. 258 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:01,960 I hummed Abide with me. The beat rose in the fine thrash 259 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:06,839 of my feet, rose in the bubbles I put out slant wise, trailing 260 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:09,880 through my mouth. My bones drank water. 261 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,800 Water fell through all my doors. I was the well that fed the 262 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,240 lake, that met my sea, in which I sang Abide with me. 263 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,240 Oh, that's so gorgeous. And I hadn't heard of Maxine 264 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,839 Kuhman, so I'm definitely going to have to check out more poems 265 00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,360 by that poet. It's such a pleasure to read 266 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,760 that one because it's it's just got this beautiful rhythm and 267 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:40,440 yeah, perfect rhyme. Well, the next few lines I'm 268 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:44,760 going to read are just from a blog that I found online, 269 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,000 written by Dawn Swimmers and wild swimmers from around the 270 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,640 world. It looks like they all 271 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:56,440 contributed a few lines to a very long poem called Water Is 272 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:58,600 My Prayer. And again, I'm just going to 273 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:04,040 read a few lines of it. May joy be my favorite stroke as 274 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,960 I glide through river, ocean, stream, or lagoon. 275 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,960 May I be wise, bountiful and ruthless like great ocean to do 276 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,880 what must be done. May I simply be water, adaptive, 277 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:23,560 flowing, soft yet determined, unapologetic for being what it 278 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:30,680 is as water is itself. I breathe with the earth and 279 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:36,040 water is my prayer. It's beautiful. 280 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,680 We have a very special treat now, listeners. 281 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:45,360 It's a poem written by our very own Shona Riddle. 282 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,520 And I think you're going to all relate to this, all you 283 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,920 Wellington swimmers. So take it away, Shona. 284 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,040 Oh, now I have major performance anxiety. 285 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,720 So I was when I was collecting all these poems together, I felt 286 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:06,320 inspired to write my own. And I've been enjoying the 287 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,680 scenic saunas that we have in different parts of Wellington. 288 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,160 One's been in Scorching Bay at the moment down the road from 289 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,760 me. And so the idea is you book, 290 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:20,320 book out a spot in the sauna, and if you want, you can go in 291 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,760 and out of the sauna and into the sea, which is it's just so 292 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:27,520 much fun. So my poem is called From Sauna 293 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,320 to Sea on a rainy autumn day. After 10 hot minutes, it's time 294 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,560 to break free of the sizzling coals, soggy towels and pink 295 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,880 faces. I fling open the wooden door and 296 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,960 the cold rain meets my face like a celebration. 297 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,760 My feet patter over the thick beach grass, the firm sand. 298 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,640 I'm running to meet the sea. The world widens as my toes 299 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,840 touch the shoreline. The pale sea blends with the 300 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:00,440 heavy sky like a watercolor, and it's so calm on the surface that 301 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,840 I can see thousands of raindrops punching holes as I slide in. 302 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,880 That's gorgeous shown. It makes me want to go and book 303 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:13,040 a saunas straight away. They should use it in the 304 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,800 marketing. Yeah, exactly. 305 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,480 You should sell it to them and put it. 306 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,000 They can put it up on, they can put it put it up in in the sauna 307 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,440 for people to read and inspire a peak custom. 308 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,240 I've suggested Michael. Do do. 309 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:40,160 Well, I'm a complete Japanophile and I love haiku and you know, 310 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:45,800 we have our little wahini white swimming meet on Saturday 311 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,640 mornings. But we also made every full 312 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,080 moon. And I wanted to acknowledge Kim 313 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,160 here because Kim organizes us and tells us when it is full 314 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,960 moon and what time the full moon is going to rise and encourage 315 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:04,120 us, us all, especially in winter, to overcome our 316 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,040 resistance and get get down to the sea and be in it when the 317 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,320 moon rises. And it's such, so worth it when 318 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:15,080 you make yourself do it. It can, in this time of the 319 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,760 year, mean going out after dark and all that, but it's 320 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:23,320 completely worth it to be in the sea with the moon shining down 321 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,800 on us. I've got such magical memories. 322 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,520 In fact, we've got 1 coming up this Sunday because it's going 323 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,280 to be blue moon. And so second opportunity in the 324 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,120 month of May, you know, when there's two full moons in a 325 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:40,320 calendar month. So Kim, let us know where to be 326 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,760 and we'll be there. Thank you, Kim. 327 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:47,120 And it reminds me, I subscribe to Outdoor Swimmer magazine, 328 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:51,760 which is the UK magazine about about wild swimming and that 329 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,960 they have a theme each month and this month theme is night 330 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:00,000 swimming, which is such a yeah. So I'll lend you that issue 331 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:01,800 tonight. I think you'll really love to. 332 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:02,720 Read it. Yeah. 333 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,560 Yeah. Well, just as a nod to Kim's 334 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,360 getting us organized for these wonderful full moon swims, I'm 335 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:16,560 going to read a little haiku by the most famous haiku master of 336 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:22,600 all time, Matsuo Basho. And it goes the full moon. 337 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:28,880 Seven story songs of a woman turning towards the sea. 338 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,200 Awesome, thank you Sinead. I love haiku as well. 339 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,760 They're small, but powerful. Yeah, you've got a small big. 340 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,600 Powerful one next, yeah. Yes, that's right. 341 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,080 Yeah. So that leads nicely into my 342 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:49,040 poem, which is EE Cummings. A lot of listeners would have 343 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,520 heard of them. And there's a sort of playful 344 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,520 poem called Maggie and Millie and Molly and May. 345 00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,600 It goes. Maggie and Millie and Molly and 346 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,280 May went down to the beach to play one day, and Maggie 347 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,200 discovered a shell that sang so sweetly she couldn't remember 348 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,560 her troubles. And Millie befriended a stranded 349 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,560 star whose raised 5 languid fingers were. 350 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,120 And Molly was chased by a horrible thing which raced 351 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:21,720 sideways while blowing bubbles, and May came home with a smooth, 352 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,120 round stone. As small as a world and as large 353 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:28,600 as a lone. Whatever we lose, like a you or 354 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,400 a me, that's always ourselves we find in the sea. 355 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,080 Oh, that's beautiful. That's one that I think, you 356 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,920 know, if you're introducing children to poetry, would be a 357 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,640 lovely way in because it's so playful and gorgeous. 358 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,680 Drake's theme is drowning in mermaids. 359 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,160 So yeah, the tone is getting a little bit darker here. 360 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:55,520 And it's referring to drowning, obviously as a literal cause of 361 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,160 death, but also sort of metaphorical drowning, right? 362 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,120 We use drowning to refer to struggling. 363 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,600 Yeah. So my next poem is one that 364 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,880 actually several people recommended, and it's called Not 365 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:13,680 Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith. 366 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:19,160 Nobody heard him, the dead man, but still he lay moaning. 367 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,800 I was much further out than you thought. 368 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:27,280 And not waving, but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved 369 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:31,800 larking, and now he's dead. It must have been too cold for 370 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,280 him. His heart gave way. 371 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,640 They said, Oh no, no, no, it was too cold always. 372 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:42,720 Still the dead man lay moaning. I was much too far out all my 373 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,600 life and not waving but drowning. 374 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,480 Yeah, that one is chilling. But such a great poem. 375 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:52,040 Yeah. Very. 376 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:53,560 Powerful. Yeah. 377 00:24:55,280 --> 00:25:00,960 Well, I'm going to read 1 by William Butler Yates, my fellow 378 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:06,040 countryman. And and it's it's called Man, 379 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:12,200 Young and old, The Mermaid. And I should say before reading 380 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:16,120 it that, you know, we love mermaids and we, we think of 381 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:17,960 ourselves as mermaids a lot of the time. 382 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:22,160 But when you read the mermaid poetry, especially that written 383 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:27,840 by men, it's often quite dark and, umm, you know, uh, dare I 384 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:32,280 say misogynistic and sort of blames the mermaid for luring 385 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,240 sailors to their debts and all that. 386 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:41,000 And this is this is a little bit along those lines, man, young 387 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,800 and old. The mermaid The mermaid found a 388 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:50,040 swimming lad, picked him for her own, pressed her body to his 389 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:57,720 body, laughed and plunging down, forgot in cruel happiness that 390 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:04,840 even lovers drown. That's another dark. 391 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:08,960 One, isn't it the idea that the mermaid using the the boy is 392 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,440 sort of a her play thing? Yeah, yeah. 393 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,000 Yeah, a lot of are. Like that? 394 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,680 Yeah. A lot of mermaid poems are like 395 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,200 that, and I think mermaids will deserve their own episode of 396 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,600 Swimming Chats at some point. I think so and we may. 397 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:31,280 I think we should definitely do a mermaid episode and and you 398 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,440 know, present more positive view of our Mer. 399 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,320 Because these days we have professional mermaids like 400 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,720 people who mermaid does a career we. 401 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,280 Do so we might get them to talk to us. 402 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:51,880 That would be so cool. So the next theme is a very 403 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:56,200 specific sort of sub genre of swimming poems, which is 404 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,960 political swimming poems. And I don't know how many of 405 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:03,320 these there are, but we've got one by Chairman Mao and it's 406 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,120 called swimming. So just a little bit of context 407 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:09,880 for this one. Chairman Mao swam across the 408 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:15,000 Yangtze River more than once. Actually, he swam across it in 409 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:20,520 the 1950s and in the 1960s. So this was when he was sort of 410 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,480 aged in his 60s and 70s. And the purpose of the swims 411 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,720 were to demonstrate courage and strength. 412 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:33,880 So the one in 1956 was right before the Great Leap Forward, 413 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:39,480 and the one in the 1960s was right before the Great 414 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:45,280 Proletarian Cultural Revolution. So the the distance of the swim 415 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:50,320 was about 15 kilometres. But apparently the current 416 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:52,880 assist of the river was never acknowledged. 417 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,160 So state media perhaps exaggerated his speed as well 418 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:02,120 when they said he swam 15 kilometres an hour, which would 419 00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:05,760 have been a world record and surpassed any Olympian speed 420 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:09,960 could be. Taken with a grain of salt. 421 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:13,600 I think I mean taken with a good good cup of salt. 422 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,520 Yep. So anyway, this is just part of 423 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,400 his poem Swimming, which he wrote in 1956. 424 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:25,800 I have drunk the waters of Chang SAR and come to eat the fish of 425 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,720 Wu Chang. Now I am swimming across the 426 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:33,280 Great Yangtze, looking afar to the open sky of Chu. 427 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,080 Let the wind blow and waves beat. 428 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:43,240 Better far than idly strolling in a courtyard, and I think 429 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,320 that's a bit rough on people who like to stroll around 430 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,440 courtyards. Yes, I was also reading 431 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,800 somewhere shown that Chairman Mao liked to hold meetings in 432 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,720 their swimming pool and, and there was 2 reasons for that. 433 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:03,280 One was to show off his swimming prowess because he was very uh, 434 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:10,080 proud of his physical umm, capabilities and umm, another 435 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,120 was to kind of demoralize whoever he was having the 436 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,160 meeting with because not everybody likes getting naked or 437 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:20,600 semi naked and jumping in a pool to have major meetings. 438 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:25,720 And once, you know, from the Soviet, uh, Union, Khrushchev, 439 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:30,240 umm, went to visit him and they were to have a very serious, you 440 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,680 know, umm, meeting between Russia and China. 441 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,400 And he made him undress and put on his tugs and hop into a pool. 442 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,680 And so Khrushchev was immediately at a disadvantage 443 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:44,760 having to, umm, to, to, to have the meeting under those 444 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:46,840 circumstances. And it gave him out the upper 445 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,840 hands. So he, he yeah, we don't have 446 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:54,320 any homes about swimming pools in this episode. 447 00:29:54,320 --> 00:30:01,600 But yeah, that was a that was a way that he he used the swimming 448 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,160 pool. Yeah, that's interesting, isn't 449 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,360 it? Yeah, certainly one way to 450 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:12,480 conduct meetings. Well, you or I might mind if, 451 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:17,480 but, you know, the leader of the Soviet Republic arriving in 452 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:21,120 Beijing, having to, Yeah. Put on battles and get in the 453 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:21,960 pole. Yeah, well. 454 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:30,800 We thought we'd read a couple of poems now about swimming and the 455 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:36,760 sea, really, by some famous women poets to begin with the 456 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,800 first one, Sylvia Platt. So I'll read that one, Shawna. 457 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:48,600 It's called aquatic nocturne. Deep in liquid indigo, turquoise 458 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:53,720 slivers of dilute light quiver in thin streaks of bright 459 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,680 tinfoil. On mobile. 460 00:30:55,680 --> 00:31:02,760 Jet pale flounder waiver by tilting silver in the shallows. 461 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:09,480 Agile minnows flicker gilt. Grape blue muscles dilate, lithe 462 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:14,280 and pliant valves dull. Lunar globes of bulbous 463 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:16,080 jellyfish glow. Milk. 464 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:22,400 Green eels twirl in wily spirals of elusive tails. 465 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:29,280 Adroit lobsters emble darkly olive on shrewd claws down, 466 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:35,880 where sound comes blunt and Wan, like the bronze tone of a sunken 467 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,160 gong. Wow. 468 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:46,200 She you have to read her poems a few times, but we'll have it up 469 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:51,320 on the on your notes. OK, that one takes a bit of 470 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:56,800 digesting. Yeah, it's I sort of felt it 471 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,520 went dark at the end. Beautiful colour descriptions 472 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,040 and just sensory feelings on that one. 473 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:07,720 So my poem is Nude Swim by Anne Sexton, an American poet. 474 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,400 On the southwest side of Capri we found a little unknown grotto 475 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:18,000 where no people were, and we entered it completely and let 476 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,480 our bodies lose all their loneliness. 477 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,800 All the fish in US had escaped for a minute. 478 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,480 The real fish did not mind. We did not disturb their 479 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:30,800 personal life. We calmly trailed over them and 480 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:34,720 under them, shedding air bubbles, little white balloons 481 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,520 that drifted up into the sun by the boat where the Italian 482 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,320 boatman slept with his hat over his face. 483 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:45,600 Water so clear you could read a book through it, Water so 484 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:47,760 buoyant you could float on your elbow. 485 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:53,120 I lay on it as on a divan. I lay on it just like Matisse's 486 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:56,960 red odalisque. Water was my strange flower. 487 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:01,840 One must picture a woman without a toga or a scarf on a couch as 488 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:05,360 deep as a tomb. The walls of that grotto were 489 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:08,920 every color blue. And you said, look, your eyes 490 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,080 are sea colour, look, your eyes are sky colour. 491 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,640 And my eyes shut down as if they were suddenly ashamed. 492 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:21,120 Oh, I love Anne Sexton. It's very sad, you know, that 493 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:25,200 both Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton both took their own lives 494 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,760 when they were still very young. And as you said earlier, you 495 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,560 know, swimming, drowning, those kind of metaphors are often used 496 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,080 for people having emotional and mental health struggles. 497 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:41,560 Some those two certainly did, but not and died, but not before 498 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,240 they left us some some really beautiful poems. 499 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:47,160 Yeah, that's right. And I have. 500 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:49,960 I have actually been to Capri. I don't think I swam there. 501 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,800 It was a long time ago. But the colours of the water 502 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,240 there are just extraordinary. I've never seen it. 503 00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,680 Yeah. Got to go there sometime. 504 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:06,520 Well, now we have a famous male poet, and we are, he's Irish 505 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:11,600 too, like Yeats and, umm, another Nobel Prize winner and 506 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:14,400 umm, in Ireland we simply call him famous Seamus. 507 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:19,159 But yeah, Seamus Heaney. And the poet is the poem is 508 00:34:19,159 --> 00:34:24,679 called the Otter. When you plunged, the light of 509 00:34:24,679 --> 00:34:29,040 Tuscany wavered and swung through the pool from top to 510 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:33,120 bottom. I loved your wet head and 511 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:38,280 smashing crawl, your fine swimmers back and shoulders. 512 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:44,639 Surfacing and surfacing again. This year and every year since I 513 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:48,360 sat dry throated on the warm stones. 514 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:54,520 You were beyond me, the mellowed clarities, the grape deep air 515 00:34:54,719 --> 00:35:00,280 thinned and disappointed. Thank God for the slow load 516 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:05,680 inning when I hold you now we are close and deep as the 517 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:10,920 atmosphere of water. My two hands are plumbed water. 518 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:18,360 You are my palpable live Otter of memory, in the pool of the 519 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:24,880 moment, turning to swim on your back, each silent thigh sharking 520 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:30,680 kick retilting the light, heaving the cool at your neck, 521 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:36,880 and suddenly you're out back again, intent as ever, heavy and 522 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:41,480 frisky in your freshened pelt, printing the stones. 523 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:46,720 That's gorgeous. I wish I could swim like an 524 00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:49,320 Otter. Yeah, they're such Beautiful 525 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:55,040 Creatures. My next poem is The Swimmer by 526 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,360 Mary Oliver. All winter the water has crashed 527 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:04,080 over the cold, the cold sand. Now it breaks over the thin 528 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,640 branch of your body. You plunge down, you swim two or 529 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,840 three strokes. You dream of lingering in the 530 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:14,840 luminous undertow. But can't you splash through the 531 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,880 bursting white blossoms, the silk sheets? 532 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,680 Gasping, you rise and struggle lightward, finding your way 533 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:26,240 through the blue ribs back to the sun, and emerge as though 534 00:36:26,240 --> 00:36:29,640 for the first time. Poor fish, poor flesh. 535 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:33,840 You can never forget. Once every wall was water, the 536 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,800 soft strings filled with a perfect nourishment, pumping 537 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,880 your body full of appetite, elaborating your stubby bones 538 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,760 tucking in like stars. The seeds of restlessness that 539 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,920 made you finally swim toward the world, kicking and shouting but 540 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,800 trailing a mossy darkness, A dream that would never breathe 541 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:59,040 air and was hinged to your wildest joy like a shadow. 542 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,800 So special. I just love Mary Oliver, you 543 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:10,480 know, her poems are just full of joy and wild joy and, you know, 544 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:15,680 depict nature so lovingly. And I can't get enough of her. 545 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:19,680 Another another wonderful woman poet lost to us recently, but 546 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:24,040 not under tragic substances. Some, I'm glad to say. 547 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,440 But yeah, she died recently, maybe a year or two ago. 548 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:34,560 So we're we're coming towards the end already. 549 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,200 It's gone very quickly. So we're going to finish with 550 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:44,800 some smaller poems or one. The one I'm about to read is 551 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:50,680 very short, but I love it. It's by Pepper Best, who lives 552 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:55,160 in the UK and she runs Sea Soul Blessings, which some of the 553 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:59,640 listeners will be familiar with, and it's called salted. 554 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:04,920 Those who dip in the sea to start the day are not nuts, they 555 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:10,160 just feel more ready salted. Make me feel like a peanut. 556 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:17,840 That's great yeah. And, and the short one that I'm 557 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:24,000 going to read is by an 8th century Japanese courtesan 558 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:28,640 called Lady Nakatomi. And you've probably everybody 559 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:32,720 probably knows about the Pearl divers in, in them Japan and 560 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:37,480 Korea, the women who free dive down to, to collect oysters, 561 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,600 hoping that they may contain pearls and help feed their 562 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:45,400 families and all that. So this poem is called Pearl 563 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:49,600 Diver. And I think of all the poems and 564 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:53,040 all my I've ever read in my life, this is one of my favorite 565 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:59,040 Pearl diver. No one dives to the ocean bottom 566 00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:03,960 just like that. One does not learn the skills 567 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:11,200 involved at the drop of a hat. It's those skills slow learned 568 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:20,280 in the depths of love that I'm working at Shona. 569 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:27,040 Not to be outdone by you, I decided awesome, but I'd pen a 570 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:30,720 few lines of my own to include in the podcast, so would you 571 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:33,440 indulge me in reading those to finish off? 572 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:37,400 I would urge you to read it. To read it. 573 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,040 I read it myself and I love it. Yeah, and I know other people 574 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:42,480 would. So go for it. 575 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:47,760 Well, this is dedicated to all the women in the Wahini. 576 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,800 Why? Why a swimming group that meets 577 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:55,560 at Clouds Cove and other places? Winter swims Saturday morning. 578 00:39:55,640 --> 00:40:00,920 Clouds Cove. I should stay home this morning. 579 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:05,040 It's so cold out there. I have so much to do. 580 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:10,800 Piles of laundry, my tax return overdue, my still warm bed 581 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:14,680 beckons. It's so cold out there, all my 582 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:18,360 unread books reprimanding me. I could fill a hot water bottle, 583 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:22,520 make a pot of tea. Really I should be doing 584 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,240 something creative or constructive. 585 00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:28,400 Writing a book, even a poem would do. 586 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:33,440 Finishing those socks I've been knitting for all eternity should 587 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:37,960 tend my bonsai. Make Persimmon kimchi declutter, 588 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:42,680 be a mother. I could go out to the market and 589 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,800 shop for persimmons and yuzu while they're still in season. 590 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:50,240 Return my library books. Also overdue, there's that 591 00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:54,920 Japanese woodblock print exhibition and a friend in need 592 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:58,520 of soup and sympathy. There are piles of porcini 593 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:01,400 beneath the pine trees on the city to see walkway. 594 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,640 I could go foraging, get in my steps. 595 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:10,440 At least I get to see the sea. The clock strikes 10 and then 596 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:13,960 it's 10:30. I hop in my car and head to 597 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,440 where the Wahini why are gathered. 598 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,520 Treasured wild woman swimming friends. 599 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:24,960 The ocean is so happy to see us. We shiver and scream as we 600 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:29,600 sashay in the sea rewards us with kisses. 601 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:32,080 We play in the waves. Bubble, bubble. 602 00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:35,000 No more landlubber toil or trouble. 603 00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,760 Happiness is this. Immersing in the freedom of 604 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:43,480 forgetfulness on a winter Saturday morning in June. 605 00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:47,160 Finally choosing to follow my bliss. 606 00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:52,520 I love it so much, Sinead. It really captures that feeling 607 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:55,960 of I couldn't possibly get to the sea today. 608 00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:58,520 You know, I've got so much on my To Do List or I should be doing 609 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:02,560 this or I should be doing that. And then just making that little 610 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:06,400 bit of time for ourselves and going and being with friends and 611 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,480 connecting with the water. And then you actually come home 612 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:13,120 galvanized and you often sort of work through the To Do List 613 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:14,480 anyway, right? It's just. 614 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:17,360 That's right. Joy and energy. 615 00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:21,560 It's like filling your tank. Yeah, it's important. 616 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,640 Yeah. And a thought came to me this 617 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:28,880 morning, Shawna, that really when you're swimming in the sea, 618 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,880 it's, it's it's like a living poem. 619 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,040 You know, you don't actually need words. 620 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:36,800 Just the act of swimming through the waves is is in itself a 621 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:40,040 poem. Yeah, that's really beautiful. 622 00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:44,240 And it's sort of like what I said in my poem about you feel 623 00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:45,720 like you're in a watercolor. Yeah. 624 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:49,200 You feel like you're in a work of art, right, That you're just 625 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,600 part of breathing. And it's beautiful experience, 626 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,640 even in the crazy weather. Yeah, sometimes because you're 627 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,880 in crazy weather. Sometimes the winter swims are 628 00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:02,800 the best. Yeah, definitely. 629 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:07,440 Get that cold buzz. Well, we've done it. 630 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:08,960 We've read through all our poems. 631 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:12,800 We have and that was so much fun, Shona, thank you for 632 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:15,320 inviting me. Ah, it's a pleasure having you 633 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:20,040 back on and I hope listeners have enjoyed listening to these 634 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:22,840 poems as much as we have enjoyed reading them. 635 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:28,360 I hope so too. So will this lead to a poetry 636 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:29,200 book? Sinead. 637 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:33,840 Oh well, we. We should definitely get some 638 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:36,840 kind of anthology of swimming poems together. 639 00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:40,880 Shona I. I'm sure there is one, but maybe 640 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:44,640 one that's focused on the swimming poetry of of our 641 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:46,720 theoroa. Yeah. 642 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:51,200 That's a joint, a joint, a joint venture maybe for the future. 643 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:53,520 Exactly. We don't have the door today. 644 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,440 Thanks for listening to Swim Chats. 645 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:03,000 If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend or 646 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:05,280 two. Also, remember to hit follow to 647 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,240 be notified when I post new episodes. 648 00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,560 To help other people discover the podcast, you can rate and 649 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:14,320 review it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. 650 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,680 If you're a regular listener, please visit patreon.com Swim 651 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:21,760 Chats to support the pod. Enjoy the water and we'll see 652 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:22,360 you next time.