Sally,

Thanks for your points. I tried "People envy birds" and "Woman envies bird"
with appropriate amendments down stream, but "She envied the bird" or
perhaps more compactly, "She envies birds" is another possibility and a good
one at that. As to whether it's human kind or just one person I am not so
keen on it being all humankind. Rather one person or (implied) limited group
of people. That way there would be others left over to be play the role of
birds.

BW,
Colin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Evans" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 11:26 PM
Subject: Re: newsub/inside and out


> Hi Colin. Enjoyed this. Re your dilemma: Are you trying to say that
> >earthlings< envy birds? I think 'we' works quite well or you could have
an
> imaginary woman: 'She envied the bird...' there would have to be one woman
> and one bird, in that case.
>
> On this question of using 'man' for the race of people, I do agree its
> outdated. Eliot came up with 'humankind' in four quartets but that is
quite
> a formal expression and wouldnt work here for that reason.
>
> bw
> SallyE
>
> on 28/4/03 6:29 pm, Colin dewar at [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > Inside and Out
> >
> > We envy birds
> > but what can we really say
> > of the long flight,
> > the rough air against eyes and the hungry months at sea.
> > They who fly must force themselves on
> > or fall underfoot.
> >
> > We see nobility of plumage,
> > the quest for height, angelic blue,
> > all from the outside.
> > The aesthete in us gazes
> > but does not feel with bird
> > the leaden weight of its freedom.
> >
> > Bird feels but does not see itself,
> > lives only with land in view.
> > Are we really so strong
> > that we could soar with aching wing
> > and sing still of the moon,
> > of bright air around us,
> > uplifting on updraft arms,
> > of how it is in heaven
> > to dwell among stars?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ____________________________
> >
> >
> > Colin
> >
> > Original first line was "Man envies bird" but I changed it in case it
> > sounded sexist. Thoughts?
>