Thursday, May 28, 2009

Where will you hide when the night is over, and the sun beats down low.

On either side of the of the path there was a wilderness
 of nettles and blackberry thorns and long brown grass.
An enormous oak tree stood overshadowing the cottage.
Its massive spreading branches seemed to be enfolding 
and embracing the tiny building, 
and perhaps hiding it as well from the rest of the world.
Miss Honey, with one hand on the gate which she had not yet opened, 
turned to Matilda and said, "A poet called Dylan Thomas once wrote some lines 
that I think of every time I walk up this path."
Matilda waited, and Miss Honey, 
in a rather wonderful slow voice, began reciting the poem:
"Never and never, my girl riding far and near
In the land of the hearthstone tales, and spelled 
asleep,
Fear or believe that the wolf in the sheepwhite 
hood
Loping and bleating roughly and blithely shall
leap, my dear, my dear,
Out of a lair in the flocked leaves in the dew
dipped year
To eat you heart in the house in the rosy
wood."
There was a moment of silence, and Matilda,
 who had never before heard great romantic poetry spoken aloud, 
was profoundly moved.
 "It's like music," she whispered.
"It is music," Miss Honey said.
 And then, as though embarrassed at having revealed such a secret part of herself,
 she quickly pushed open the gate and walked up the path.
Matilda hung back. She was a bit frightened of this place now.
It seemed so unreal and remote and fantastic and so totally away from this earth. 
It was like and illustration in Grimm or Hans Andersen.
It was the house where the poor woodcutter lived with Hansel and Gretel
and where Red Riding Hood's grandmother lived 
and it was also the house of The Seven Dwarfs
and The Three Bears and all the rest of them.
It was straight out of a fairy-tale.
"Come along, my dear," Miss Honey called back,
and Matilda followed her up the path.


excerpt from "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
all photos by none other than Tim Walker



Sunday is birthday party day.
I'll be with so much family and friends
that I shall surely spend the day
laughing and twirling myself into exhaustion.
I can't wait!

7 comments:

Lightning Heart said...

what gorgeous pictures!

SophieKowalski said...

I love Tim Walker!He's my favourite photographer.
Perfect Post!

Lo said...

these are so crazy! and breathtaking

Anonymous said...

Loely pictures :D

Kimberley Brandsma said...

I love Tim Walker's photography!

I gave you an award!

Hannah said...

Of course, they could only be by Tim Walker. I'm so desperate to get my hands on his book..

Julia said...

I want those cats!!!!