Supernal Silence, Unfathomed Peace

Giacomo Leopardi’s L’Infinito (Lorna de’ Lucchi, trans.)

Redwood Parks of California

The Redwood Parks of California are an experience restricted by history. Park officials will say that these grand trees ranged across the Pacific Coast at one time; now, only 5% of what once dominated is preserved. This preservation is endangered by warming trends worldwide that may give rise to fires hot enough to destroy the woods in my lifetime. For the present, the unique partnership between National Parks and California State Parks cares for this land for all our sakes.

Infinity

The bench pictured above was on one of my walks several years ago on the trail pictured to the right. I was struck by the quotation: “…seated here, in contemplation lost, my thought discovers vaster space beyond, supernal silence and unfathomed peace.” This rendering of Leopardi’s poem by de’ Lucchi was unfamiliar to me at the time. Written in 1819, L’Infinito speaks to an experience of nature still vital in our 21st century across cultures. In Japan, the practice of immersing oneself in a natural surrounding has been referred to for decades as “Forest Bathing”. In the United States, time away from the routine requirements of one’s occupation, also known as vacation, has been a cultural phenomenon since the middle of the last century (see Being Elsewhere, 2001; Shelley Baranowski and Ellen Furlough, Eds). Leopardi’s poem shows that these modern movements were anticipated in the arts for centuries, even after the modern industrial era had begun. It is still possible to reach the Earth and feel what Leopardi felt 200 years ago. Thích Nhất Hạnh recommended putting a hand on the Earth to restore oneself in moments of difficulty. When we support nature preservation, we support human experience.