SALISH SEA
A Handbook For Educators
Sample Activities
Notes from Holly
SEAL'S LULLABY
Poetry: Rudyard Kipling
Music: Holly Arntzen
Hush thee, my baby
the night is behind us
black are the waters that sparkled so
green
The moon o'er the combers
looks downward to find us
at rest in the billows that nestle between
Where billow meets billow
then soft be thy pillow
weary wee flipperling curl at thy ease
The storm shall not wake thee
nor shark overtake thee
at rest in the arms of the slow swinging
seas
Rudyard Kipling was an author and poet who lived in the late 19th century
and wrote well-known stories such as The Jungle Book. When I first read
this poem I loved the image of a mother seal singing to her flipperling
baby out in the deep green ocean, gently rocked by the swelling billows
and combers (these are other names for waves). A melody, or tune, came
into my head, suggested by the rhythm of the words and phrases.
Mothers . . . be they humans, seal, or other animals . . . usually
have a strong protective instinct to ensure that their young survive
and thrive.
But a mother can only do as good a job as her environment allows. All
babies need clean air, water and food to grow strong. The habitats in
the Salish Sea nurture countless babies of many species. Sing this song
with love . . . and let this love expand to include all organisms that
are part of the cycle of life. By protecting the Salish Sea . . . we
protect ourselves.
Harbour Seal
©
Parks Canada |
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(For Science and Social Studies activities go to page 64) |
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