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SUNDIAL -- ABOUT THIRTY YEARS OLD
(Located at Garrard County Historical Society) |
If you are like me, you don't wear a watch. I seem to manage alright through the day with swift glances intermittently at my stove clock. If you aren't like me you probably wear a watch. All this 'time watching" began with a type of mechanical measurement called the sundial which was invented specifically to tell time in 1500 BC. Today, one can find sundials in all shapes and forms to tell accurate time, from pocket size to large sizes usually found in parks.
Before clocks and watches, folks depended on some type of sun dial or some natural sun and shade based design, such as with sticks or stones placed on the ground to get an idea of time passing. Other means could be used such as simply being deeply in touch with mother earth. Time as we know it now, and then, reflects our inner sense of its fleeting nature.
The sundial form most folks are familiar with is the garden variety, the photo above is an example. Usually made with artistic style, especially the older ones, they lend a lovely ambiance to the yard.
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| FLAT METAL TOP OF SUNDIAL |
One artistic aspect of a sundial that I especially like is the poetry and prose associated with it. On the outer edge of the sundial above are the words; Count none but the sunny hours.
Henry Van Dyke (1852 - 1933) made a few contributions to sundial poems. I find them thoughtful. I will close my post with two of his poems below.
Sun Dial At Wells College
The shadow of my finger cast
Divides the future from the past
Before it, sleeps the unborn hour.
In darkness, and beyond thy power
Beyond its unrelenting line,
The vanished hour, no longer thine.
One hour alone in thy hands --
The NOW on which the shadow stands.
AND
Katrina's Sundial
Hours fly
Flowers die
New days
New ways
Pass by
Love stays
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Additional information links
Wikipedia
Helga Nordhoff website
