Homage to the feet.

[Turga]

Just a little thought for your amusement (?) - (only slightly Camino relevant).

One of my favorite books is “Lykkelige Kristoffer” (Fortunate Kristoffer) by Martin A. Hansen. It is one of those books, that you can read repeatedly and each time discover new layers and interpretations. In short, it is about a boy who grows up in the dark and damp forests of southern Sweden in the mid-1500s (shortly after the Danish rule in Sweden). He is deeply religious and at a very early age, he decides that he wants to dedicate his life to defend his beliefs (this is around the time of The Reformation), to be a guardian of the poor and weak and fight for justice (a faint dream for common people then). He figures that to become a ‘knight’ he needs the proper equipment including a horse, but, as he is very poor, he sees no way of getting a horse. He discusses this problem with his only friend Brother Martin, a young, former monk and apprentice ‘medicamentarius’:

“But, Brother Martin, how can I embark on my mission as a knight if I do not have a horse?” Brother Martin then tries to encourage and console his friend and responds: “Worry not, Kristoffer; these days the feet have once again come to honor and dignity. On those humble pendants, many a rascal rides out in pursuit of reputation in the horrors and stupidity of war.”

When I think about the Camino, this dialog often pops up in my mind because (ignoring the reference to war), on the Camino, ‘those humble pendants’ play a vital role and ‘come to honor and dignity’.

Ave the feet!

(Just to give a little more context, Kristoffer does manage to get a horse, rides out on his mission and dies by the sword less than a year later with peace and calm in his heart knowing that he has done right).

 

[Kirkie]

Just a little thought for your amusement (?) - (only slightly Camino relevant).

One of my favorite books is “Lykkelige Kristoffer” (Fortunate Kristoffer) by Martin A. Hansen. It is one of those books, that you can read repeatedly and each time discover new layers and interpretations. In short, it is about a boy who grows up in the dark and damp forests of southern Sweden in the mid-1500s (shortly after the Danish rule in Sweden). He is deeply religious and at a very early age, he decides that he wants to dedicate his life to defend his beliefs (this is around the time of The Reformation), to be a guardian of the poor and weak and fight for justice (a faint dream for common people then). He figures that to become a ‘knight’ he needs the proper equipment including a horse, but, as he is very poor, he sees no way of getting a horse. He discusses this problem with his only friend Brother Martin, a young, former monk and apprentice ‘medicamentarius’:

“But, Brother Martin, how can I embark on my mission as a knight if I do not have a horse?” Brother Martin then tries to encourage and console his friend and responds: “Worry not, Kristoffer; these days the feet have once again come to honor and dignity. On those humble pendants, many a rascal rides out in pursuit of reputation in the horrors and stupidity of war.”

When I think about the Camino, this dialog often pops up in my mind because (ignoring the reference to war), on the Camino, ‘those humble pendants’ play a vital role and ‘come to honor and dignity’.

Ave the feet!

(Just to give a little more context, Kristoffer does manage to get a horse, rides out on his mission and dies by the sword less than a year later with peace and calm in his heart knowing that he has done right).

Not sure which emoji to select, but thank you for the context. May the feet prevail!

 

[dick bird]

The Legs

There was this road,
And it led up-hill,
And it led down-hill,
And round and in and out.

And the traffic was legs,
Legs from the knees down,
Coming and going,
Never pausing.

And the gutters gurgled
With the rain's overflow,
And the sticks on the pavement
Blindly tapped and tapped.

What drew the legs along
Was the never-stopping,
And the senseless, frightening
Fate of being legs.

Legs for the road,
The road for legs,
Resolutely nowhere
In both directions.

My legs at least
Were not in that rout:
On grass by the roadside
Entire I stood,

Watching the unstoppable
Legs go by
With never a stumble
Between step and step.

Though my smile was broad
The legs could not see,
Though my laugh was loud
The legs could not hear.

My head dizzied, then:
I wondered suddenly,
Might I too be a walker
From the knees down?

Gently I touched my shins.
The doubt unchained them:
They had run in twenty puddles
Before I regained them.

by Robert Graves

Graves is best known as a war poet and author of ‘I Claudius’, not works that suggest a liking for whimsy. This poem could be seen as whimsical (Graves did, in fact, have a lively sense of humour) but there is an underlying, anxious tone about how far we are in control of our own destiny, or in this case, our legs. Legs are very important to pilgrims. We need to pay attention to our legs.

 

[Bradypus]

This poem could be seen as whimsical (Graves did, in fact, have a lively sense of humour)

One of my favourite poems by Graves is very whimsical indeed - "Welsh Incident". There is a superb recording of Richard Burton reading it. Never fails to leave me with a smile on my face!

 

[dick bird]

One of my favourite poems by Graves is very whimsical indeed - "Welsh Incident". There is a superb recording of Richard Burton reading it. Never fails to leave me with a smile on my face!

One of my favourites too. I love the sheer weirdness of it. Burton acts the two voices of the dialogue which is a wonderful way to read the poem. Thanks for the link.