north wind
Something woke me up last night and I lay awake for awhile thinking of various things ...
and then from outside my window I heard someone I used to know well: the north wind.
a long time ago - and yet perhaps it wasn't such a very long time ago, I heard a story about someone else who knew the north wind.
He was the man who married the daughter of the East Wind. They lived together for a time and enjoyed each other’s company but he was a man who was never satisfied with what he had. He was always seeking more, ever ungrateful of the blessings he had. One day a group of travellers returned from a long journey. The men told him a tale of seeing the most beautiful girl ever: the daughter of the North Wind. The descriptions they shared captivated him. For many nights he dreamed about the pleasure he might receive should he obtain the girl and for many days he plotted her abduction. He was so busy thinking he had no time for the people around him. When he finally thought he was ready, he stole away from his wife in the middle of the night. He left her warm smile. He forgot the laughter they had shared. Instead, he traveled far to the north where he married the beautiful girl whose fame had spread to the most remote village.
Eventually, he decided to return to the village to show off his conquest. All he could think about was the envy the other men would feel when they saw his treasure. As he approached, some people on the beach saw him coming. They ran to his first wife to warn her. ‘Your husband returns with a woman. Her clothes sparkle all over. When she moves, she makes a pretty noise like bells.’ East Wind's daughter was at once jealous and said, ‘I will soon fix that.’
The daughter of the East Wind let the anger within her grow. The sky began to grow cloudy and the air began to grow warm. A gentle rain began to fall.
The man came to her and they stood face to face. She shouted, ‘Husband. Where is your treasure?’
He was quite pleased with the attention. He turned to present his new bride but satisfaction turned to horror as he saw the daughter of North Wind’s beauty fading before his very eyes. Bit by bit, the icicles and sparkling patterns of frost that had marked her as special were melting away in the warm air and gentle rain. And with the passing of her fragile decoration, she lost the last traces of beauty and all the things that made her unique. She became as plain as any ordinary woman.
and then from outside my window I heard someone I used to know well: the north wind.
a long time ago - and yet perhaps it wasn't such a very long time ago, I heard a story about someone else who knew the north wind.
He was the man who married the daughter of the East Wind. They lived together for a time and enjoyed each other’s company but he was a man who was never satisfied with what he had. He was always seeking more, ever ungrateful of the blessings he had. One day a group of travellers returned from a long journey. The men told him a tale of seeing the most beautiful girl ever: the daughter of the North Wind. The descriptions they shared captivated him. For many nights he dreamed about the pleasure he might receive should he obtain the girl and for many days he plotted her abduction. He was so busy thinking he had no time for the people around him. When he finally thought he was ready, he stole away from his wife in the middle of the night. He left her warm smile. He forgot the laughter they had shared. Instead, he traveled far to the north where he married the beautiful girl whose fame had spread to the most remote village.
Eventually, he decided to return to the village to show off his conquest. All he could think about was the envy the other men would feel when they saw his treasure. As he approached, some people on the beach saw him coming. They ran to his first wife to warn her. ‘Your husband returns with a woman. Her clothes sparkle all over. When she moves, she makes a pretty noise like bells.’ East Wind's daughter was at once jealous and said, ‘I will soon fix that.’
The daughter of the East Wind let the anger within her grow. The sky began to grow cloudy and the air began to grow warm. A gentle rain began to fall.
The man came to her and they stood face to face. She shouted, ‘Husband. Where is your treasure?’
He was quite pleased with the attention. He turned to present his new bride but satisfaction turned to horror as he saw the daughter of North Wind’s beauty fading before his very eyes. Bit by bit, the icicles and sparkling patterns of frost that had marked her as special were melting away in the warm air and gentle rain. And with the passing of her fragile decoration, she lost the last traces of beauty and all the things that made her unique. She became as plain as any ordinary woman.