“He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace”
―
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Maybe you didn’t see it yesterday and if not, good for you. It was an awful and uncomfortable thing to behold.
Witnessing madness always is. And that is what we were watching and experiencing.
It brought to mind the line above from the 19th century Russian (fitting, I guess) poet, Mikhail Lemontov, speaking of the sailor who believes that since the calm always follows the storm that the calm only comes because of the storm.
That’s the sort of logic with which we are dealing. One that believes that chaos brings order.
Hopefully, we can ride this storm out safely until there is calm.
Or until someone capable can wrest the wheel from the hands of a mad captain who seems bent on continuing to ride into storms.
The line above is actually a translation from the Russian that is often attributed to Leo Tolstoy since he included it in his The Death of Ivan Ilych. I believe a character was quoting the Lermontov line and people over time have come to believe that Tolstoy originated the line.
The line comes from a Lermontov poem, The Sail. There are many translations and not all use the exact wording though the meaning is much the same in all. Here’s one tranlation:
Gleams white a solitary sail
In the haze of the light blue sea.—
What seeks it in countries far away?
What in its native land did leave?
The mast creaks and presses,
The wind whistles, the waves are playing;
Alas! It does not seek happiness,
Nor from happiness is fleeing!
Beneath, the azure current flows,
Above, the golden sunlight streaks:—
But restless, into the storm it goes,
As if in storms there is peace!
Rough winds and seas ahead but soon there will be calm – I hope!