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In the Beginning was not the Word, but a Chirrup |
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by pev42 / 10.24.2005 |
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Part 1: |
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Lawrence’s word choice in “Etruscan Places” is elite, yet personal and flowing. His writing sounds like his stream of thought as he experiences Tarquinia and the Etruscan tombs. The content of his narrative suggests that he is not only struggling to understand the tombs he is visiting, but also the power of life and death. One of the most insightful moments for me, when reading Lawrence, came from his reflections when he saw the sarcophagi of the nobles while visiting the museum in Tarquinia:
“The Pyramids will not last a moment compared with the daisy. And before Buddha or Jesus spoke the nightingale sang. And long after the words of Jesus and Buddha are gone into oblivion the nightingale still will sing. Because it is neither preaching nor teaching nor commanding nor urging. It is just singing. And in the beginning was not the Word, but a chirrup.”
This passage is especially powerful because Lawrence is writer, someone who could hope to achieve immortality through people reading his works and repeating his words. Yet, here he says that it is not monuments like the pyramids or the words even of famous religious figures that will endure, but life itself. The joy, the life, and the movement of the Etruscans depicted on the frescos in their tombs captivate him and lead him to admire their seemingly immortal liveliness. While glorifying the Etruscans, Lawrence seems annoyed with all the living people he encounters, that is except for the fat, good-natured guide that allows him access to the tombs. This shows that it is not necessarily life that he wishes to glorify, but rather energy and spirit unbounded by death.
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Part 2: |
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Above all else, Lawrence saw life in the Etruscan tombs. The painted figures seem to be alive with movement to him, fresh and spirited even after so many years of concealment. After reading Lawrence, I was surprised to find that the figures in the tombs looked posed, formal, and uniform to me. Their faces seemed emotionless and stiff, so that even if their bodies showed action, they seemed lifeless in spirit. However, I was very interested in every depiction of animals that I saw. The animals’ faces had expression, from the sly, bemused look of the cougars to the fierce, wild growl of the lions. Even the animals that didn’t have detailed faces seemed to be expressing a particular emotion of the scene. The dolphins showed joy next to the freedom of the birds. The dogs expressed loyalty and the horses showed strength and pride.
My impressions of emotion in the tombs reflect the fact that what I look for in art is expression. I enjoy art that describes an emotion or mood, that moves my heart and leads my mind out beyond the square of the picture or the pedestal of the statue. This may come from my training as a musician, since music is an expression of emotion and can only tell stories through changing moods and the development of themes that bring certain impressions to mind.
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