Wednesday 8 March 2017

Import


I had a dream the other night that I looked in the mirror to discover that my hair had gone back to dark brown, with no hint of grey in it at all. I thought that it was unusual but nothing more than that.

You know how you can briefly meet someone just one time and find yourself dreaming about them? I often wonder how many times I have been dreamt about by strangers. You can meet someone once for about three minutes, then recognise them ten years later in the midst of hundreds of people on the other side of the world. How do we do that?

I once dreamed that I was standing on the side of a small working port during ancient Roman times. There were archaic boats moored up at the quay and open shop fronts with cloth awnings protecting them from the fierce sun. The place was thronging with sailors and tradesmen, and it was a very colourful spectacle.

A year or two later, we visited the ruined city of Ephesus in Southern Turkey, and after we had enough of walking through the deserted streets in the enervating heat, we went down to the old port. The sea has long since retreated out of sight, leaving the vast, scorching plain which we had driven across in its place.

I was stunned to see that this old port was identical in every respect to the one I saw in my dream, except it was devoid of water, boats and people. Even the angle I had approached it in my dream was the same, giving a sweeping curve along the old waterfront.

I remember that the dreamed-of port was so real that it is still as vivid now as it was then - as real as the memory of it from our holiday in Turkey.

They (whoever they are) say that important events leave an impression on the landscape which survives architecture, but I have only ever felt this sort of thing once or twice at places like old battlefields.

The Guildhall here in Bath used to be - up until fairly recently - the law courts as well (hence the figure of Blind Justice on the roof). In the eighteenth century, a felon would be convicted inside there, then lead down the steps to the gallows set up in the middle of the High Street to be hanged in front of a crowd of onlookers.

When I walk over that spot these days, I feel nothing which could be attributed to the old public executions. Maybe - like the many weddings which take place there these days - they were not important enough events.

18 comments:

  1. My father would have said that you had been to that very port in a past life and that what you experienced wasn't so much a dream, as a memory. I'm not saying that, though, because I don't want to sound somewhat crazy. -Jenn

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    1. Well I definetly had dark hair in s previous life!

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    2. I can't cope with phone keypad... A!

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  2. I would say it's either past life or a TV show that you've seen before.

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    1. I hardly watch TV, but I do have a very vivid imagination.

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  3. We've all passed this way before. Do you wonder who you were?

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    1. Everyone who I have heard that has been brought back to a past life through hypnosis has been previously famous - like all the Napoleons in Mental hospitals. Except one, who was a boy sailor 'powder monkey' on an English battleship. That was very convincing, especially when he shouted, 'Swing that match!' - an instruction to keep the rope taper alight for firing canon which he swears he knew nothing about.

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  4. The Native Americans believe that dreams are your future. God, I hope not some of mine.

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    1. I have lived out many of my dreams already - except the last one. I have been living the dream, but that is not all it has been cracked up to be.

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  5. I think it is a good thing you have avoided reading Jude the Obscure. It might give you bad dreams.

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    1. I read the first few paragraphs, but became bored very quickly. I have more or less lived out other authors though. I don't blame H.G. Wlls for getting the Martians to destroy Woking - it was my home town and is a dump worthy of destruction by any species. 'Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough...'

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  6. I believe the Chinese have 'Execution vans' that go from court to court. When someone is sentenced to death, they are simply led to the van; and bingo!

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    1. Some courts have an execution field right next to them so they don't even need a van ride.

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  7. Dreams are the pits. So much weird, so little point. I remember so many of mine and wish I didn't.

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    1. I think you are the only person I know who does not like dreams, Maryanne. Maybe your stage life takes care of all that stuff before you go to sleep.

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    2. I like the nice ones but mostly they are annoying and silly ones about not being able to do what I am trying to do, or the old tried and true ones of realising I am meant to be in a show on the other side of town ten minutes ago etc!

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