Saturday, December 16, 2006

Starry Night


Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya...

Portion of Hallelujah -by Jeff Buckley

I was driving home from a Christmas tea - and listened to this song on repeat - it was a version on a Starbuck's CD - Lifted (preformed by Rufus Wainwright). It is on repeat now.

This portion of the song is such a strong visual for me. I pictured the moment, like I was writing a film.

A scene in a movie - a lonely, emotional King David - pondering the stars. Glancing over to Bathsheba on the roof - perhaps she bathed there every night. On her roof. This time, the full moon shone - revealing her. A private moment - soaking in the stars - she worshipes the stars, the God, missing her husband - a husband she didn't even know. She stares up at the moon, the stars - floating in a tub - a pool, alone. Not knowing that cataclysmic love/lust was in a seed form, about to change her life and end a life.

Was she so enraptured with the moon and the stars that she was didn’t notice David looking on? What did was she thinking about as she stood revealed, under the moonlight?

The stars have been such a powerful force for me.

A picture of God. A photo of wonder: The stars from Mt. Hood as I stood on my ski’s, the moon reflecting off the snow; The stars from the beach – standing on the edge of the pacific – in Oregon, in Costa Rica – different stars – different skies – but the same feeling – of peace and of longing for more as the stars reflected of the ocean; The stars as I climbed Mt. Sinai on a camel- like a Christmas postcard with silhouette’s of the camels against the sky in front of me.

On my last trip I was at a Bedouin dinner in the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. I wandered away from the fire, the candles and the group. I walked away - and stood staring at the stars. Alone.

I wish I could have taken a picture that would have captured the way the sky looked that night. The stars covered the sky. The desert hills in the foreground, silhouette against the still night. I felt so small and was captivated. Time froze, my mind wandered. God, love and hope felt real and tangible. For a moment, I felt peace.

Is that how she felt?

Under a sky like that, it seems as if anything could happen. It seems ok to be alone, it seems fitting to stand still with no one else around.

This is why I travel. I travel to leave the land which is so bright with its own light; you can never see the stars. I travel to visit lands where you can look up and see shooting stars. Where I can be anyone I want – and where life seems a little more profound.

I wonder if she stood on her roof, bathing in the moonlight – in one perfect moment, one moment of peace before her world was turned upside down and inside out – and prayed? Were her prayers answered?

Did she know that everything was about to change?

It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

Portion of Hallelujah -by Jeff Buckley

4 comments:

Sloop said...

One minor note - Hallelujah was actually written and performed by Leonard Cohen, and later performed by Jeff Buckely, Rufus, Bono, and many, many others.

teresa said...

My facts are incorrect - I appreciate your music history info.

I stand corrected.

Thank you.

erin said...

I adore your writings. Feel free to browse my blog as well. I'll be a reader of yours for sure!!!

My dad taught a class at our church some years back called INSPIRE. One of the things he taught about was meditation on the scriptures and the different ways to do that. One way, was to put yourself in a character's shoes (or sandals, if you will). You did that beautifully. Thank you for making me think about such things.

Love, Erin

teresa said...

thanks Erin!!

I can't wait to look over your blog!

 
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