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Literary
March 20, 1942
Peninsula Enterprise
Accomac, Accomack County, Virginia
What is this article about?
A personal reflection on the stunning Aurora Borealis display observed locally on Saturday night, evoking wonder and reverence for nature's beauty, with scientific speculation on its electrical causes and a quotation from Lord Byron emphasizing love for nature over man. Signed by 'Professor' from Hoffman's Wharf, Feb. 15.
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Full Text
Aurora Borealis
The beautiful Aurora Borealis, usually known as the "northern lights," which gave the inhabitants of this section of the county such a grand pyrotechnic display on Saturday night last, caused not only a deal of wonderment but also considerable consternation among many who were not familiar with such phenomena; but to those who (like myself) have lived in high altitudes, such a sight would hardly cause any comment except as to the beauty of a particularly brilliant display, such as I have often witnessed in my native land, when from east to west across the northern sky stretched an arc of intensest brilliancy, the colors of infinite variety from palest yellow through the various tones of orange, crimson, blue, green and violet with vivid flashes that shot up almost to the zenith, and anon fading until there appeared but the faintest coloring like the first blush of the coming day.
Scientists differ in their opinions as to the cause of the phenomenon, but the generally accepted theory is that it is a luminous meteoric display, electricity being the medium through which it is manifested. This indeed appears to be tenable ground from the fact that the appearance of the Aurora Borealis exactly resembles the effects of artificial electricity. Whether the mystery will ever be solved by anyone save the Creator, I know not, but we should all be thankful for such beautiful manifestations of the power of the hand that holds the universe in its grasp; and as we are thus drawn to love nature, may we bow with more reverence before the throne of nature's God and be brought in closer relation to our fellow beings, feeling more and more the exquisite beauty of the sentiment so fitly expressed by Lord Byron when he wrote, as an introduction to his grand apostrophe to the ocean, these words:
"I love not man the less
But nature more,
From these our interviews,
In which I steal
From all I may be,
Or have been before,
To mingle with the universe
And feel
What I can ne'er express
Yet cannot all conceal."
Professor.
Hoffman's Wharf, Feb. 15.
The beautiful Aurora Borealis, usually known as the "northern lights," which gave the inhabitants of this section of the county such a grand pyrotechnic display on Saturday night last, caused not only a deal of wonderment but also considerable consternation among many who were not familiar with such phenomena; but to those who (like myself) have lived in high altitudes, such a sight would hardly cause any comment except as to the beauty of a particularly brilliant display, such as I have often witnessed in my native land, when from east to west across the northern sky stretched an arc of intensest brilliancy, the colors of infinite variety from palest yellow through the various tones of orange, crimson, blue, green and violet with vivid flashes that shot up almost to the zenith, and anon fading until there appeared but the faintest coloring like the first blush of the coming day.
Scientists differ in their opinions as to the cause of the phenomenon, but the generally accepted theory is that it is a luminous meteoric display, electricity being the medium through which it is manifested. This indeed appears to be tenable ground from the fact that the appearance of the Aurora Borealis exactly resembles the effects of artificial electricity. Whether the mystery will ever be solved by anyone save the Creator, I know not, but we should all be thankful for such beautiful manifestations of the power of the hand that holds the universe in its grasp; and as we are thus drawn to love nature, may we bow with more reverence before the throne of nature's God and be brought in closer relation to our fellow beings, feeling more and more the exquisite beauty of the sentiment so fitly expressed by Lord Byron when he wrote, as an introduction to his grand apostrophe to the ocean, these words:
"I love not man the less
But nature more,
From these our interviews,
In which I steal
From all I may be,
Or have been before,
To mingle with the universe
And feel
What I can ne'er express
Yet cannot all conceal."
Professor.
Hoffman's Wharf, Feb. 15.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Nature
Religious
What keywords are associated?
Aurora Borealis
Northern Lights
Natural Phenomenon
Scientific Theory
Byron Quotation
What entities or persons were involved?
Professor.
Literary Details
Title
Aurora Borealis
Author
Professor.
Subject
Observation Of The Aurora Borealis Display On Saturday Night Last
Form / Style
Prose Reflection With Embedded Poetic Quotation
Key Lines
"I Love Not Man The Less
But Nature More,
From These Our Interviews,
In Which I Steal
From All I May Be,
Or Have Been Before,
To Mingle With The Universe
And Feel
What I Can Ne'er Express
Yet Cannot All Conceal."