My father William Eric Watson instilled in me a fascination with the unspoilt deciduous woodlands which adorn such gorges and valley slopes as those on the River Wear between Cox Green and Penshaw or between Finchale Abbey and Durham. With the aid of 1960’s I-Spy books I was able to differentiate between species of tree on the basis of their leaves, bark and fruits.
School and Sunday School outings introduced me to Housesteads, Chesters and Vindolanda on Hadrians Wall as well as the relics of Aidan, Cuthbert and the awe-inspiring vaulted ceilings of Durham Cathedral. My mother was christened in St. Peters of Monkwearmouth. This monastery was established by The Venerable Bede, who in AD 731 wrote An Ecclesiastical History Of The English People. My secondary education took place at Bede Comprehensive from 1971-78.
A few weeks before my mother’s passing I visited St. Peters and was fascinated by the exhibits of facsimile maps from Roman and Medieval periods. Discoveries such as these led me on an archaeological treasure hunt connecting my family lineage to intercontinental seafaring histories. That research culminated in a draft for my first (unpublished) book, One Hundred And Eight Stadiums Of Light. More about that in another blog.
Living on Howick Street, near St. Peters my mother Doris Bage recalled during WW II rationing times, buying a twopenny bag of bruised fruit from the greengrocer. She remembered how once a docker treated the Bages to a box of apples from a freighter’s cargo.
These poignant recollections were sparked by a most timely stroke of good fortune. The Willing Fields is the phrase I have chosen to complete the dialectical triad initiated by tilling (agricultural development), agitated by killing (as in the Killing Fields of Cambodia) and synthesised in an introspective acceptance of culpability for the global dystopia. The “willing” element affirms radical self-determination and culpability. The “fields” element broadens the reach to unlimited inner and outer worlds/dimensions/affinity groups. However, not wanting to lose the source in the metaphors, I will attempt to uphold fields as pasture, meadows, groves and straths, both terrestrial and celestial. पानीयसूयवसकन्दरकन्दमूलै:
Before launching this website, I employed several search engines to ascertain how much work and money I might need to boost The Willing Fields to pole position amongst other possible results. The main opposition turned out to be an awesome ally.
In his epic poem Georgics, the Roman poet Virgil, extolls the virtues of rural life over that of the urban aristocracy. In Book II 510 he glorifies Mother Earth for furnishing her rural caretakers with abundant natural resources. Several translators of the epic employ “willing fields” to convey her affectionate generosity.
Here is one of my favourite English translations of the passage.
“most righteous Earth, unbidden, pours forth from her soil an easy sustenance.” What a beautiful description of regenerative agriculture. Perhaps I may occasionally substitute “Unbidden Soil” for The Willing Fields.
Our 17th century Poet Laureate, John Dryden translates the passage from Georgics II 510 as follows:
He feeds on fruits, which, of their own accord,
The willing ground and laden trees afford.
Desiring to find the first time a translator preferred willing “fields” to Dryden’s “ground”, I found that of Thomas Nevile’s of 1767 wherein he offers
The boughs he lighten’d of their luscious load,
And pull’d the fruits, the willing fields bestow’d:
Stranger to strife he felt no griping law,
Nor the mad rabble of the Forum saw.
This blog post is my ongoing journalling on The Willing Fields topic. Earlier I quoted a line in Sanskrit from Canto Ten of Srimad Bhagavatam. I’ll close today with the translation of the whole stanza by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.
Willing fields meet jubilant hills!
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