Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

I remember.

-Puck

A Midsummer Night’s Dream         Act II, Scene i, Line 154

And of course the first question must be, what does Puck remember? I’ll tell you what he remembers. He remembers Oberon telling him about the time that the latter                         

        Since once I sat upon a promontory,

        And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin’s back

        Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,     

        That the rude sea grew civil at her song,

        And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,

        To hear the sea-maid’s music.

That’s what Puck remembers Oberon telling him. And that’s a really beautiful little passage, whether you remember it or not. Read it over again, preferably out loud, and maybe you’ll see what I mean. I hope you do.

That there water behind me and my buddy is a rude sea. In fact, it wasn't all that rude at the moment that this picture was taken, but on the way back across this same stretch of water a few days later, it was pretty darn rude. And quite unfortunately there was no mermaid around to utter with dulcet and harmonious breath and make that rude sea grow civil. I certainly wish there had been a singing mermaid.