Friday 29 August - Seville
The Banks of
Guadalquivir by
Luis de
Góngora (1561–1627) Translated by Edward
Churton
I SAW at
dawn a vision rare,
A maiden as the morning fair,
Who sate and dressed her golden hair
On the banks of Guadalquivir.
A maiden as the morning fair,
Who sate and dressed her golden hair
On the banks of Guadalquivir.
Her hand, as
through her locks it strayed,
While with her ivory comb she played
Threw the white ivory into shade
On the banks of Guadalquivir
While with her ivory comb she played
Threw the white ivory into shade
On the banks of Guadalquivir
What wonder?
April ne’er could show
Such whiteness in the blooms that blow
Where all his laughing lilies grow
That fringe the crystal river
Such whiteness in the blooms that blow
Where all his laughing lilies grow
That fringe the crystal river
The little
birds in joyous throng
Sang o’er again their morning song
To that new sun; nor were they wrong
Such glad salute to give her:
Sang o’er again their morning song
To that new sun; nor were they wrong
Such glad salute to give her:
For why? The
Sun well pleased had paid
A thousand rays for one bright braid
Like those his envious glance surveyed
On the banks of Guadalquivir
A thousand rays for one bright braid
Like those his envious glance surveyed
On the banks of Guadalquivir
OK, my plan to be up at around 5am for the whole transit of the Guadalquivir River to Seville was somewhat thwarted by the fact that - obviously if I'd thought about it - it was dark and there was nothing to see so I got semi-dressed and back into bed until about 6.30 when dawn was just breaking. It was magical in the early quiet with the birds just beginning to wake and feed and the soft shoosh of the water against the hull of Adonia. The river was lined with eel-fishing traps in places.
There were only two of us up there initially, but it was
worth it for the beautiful dawn over the rice paddies and drainage channels.
There were lots of birds – herons, egrets etc. and a farmer crop-spraying with a light aircraft which buzzed overhead.
This was proper river cruising - in an ocean liner! Gradually the scenery became more built up and industrial as we neared Seville itself until we reached the lock and the new canal cut into the city centre.
We arrived in the city
at 11.30. Once berthed (in front of Uniworld’s Belle de Cadix) we had a quick
lunch and caught the Hoho bus on an hour's tour, getting off at the Torre del Oro and walking to the Cathedral,
Giralda Tower and through the attractive narrow streets near the Alcazar. Seville being in Andalucía, some of the architecture is very Moroccan in style. - called Mudejar.
It was hot - very hot 44C hot!! So after a while we returned to Adonia for a shower and change and a quick dinner in the Conservatory. We were to stay in Seville overnight so after dinner we walked back to the Cathedral along the river as far as the Torre del Oro and then inland to the church. Behind the Cathedral in the Calle Placetines we had spotted a bar earlier with a free flamenco show at 9pm so that was where we sat and drank a large glass of sangria in the evening sun, at the foot of the Giralda Tower, before slowly making our way back to the ship along the river. A perfect day.
