"Tiger,Tiger burning bright"

(Taken at Animal Kingdom, Orlando)

TIGER, tiger, burning bright  

  In the forests of the night,  

  What immortal hand or eye  

  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  

(William Blake)

Two years ago, I read a book that had me spellbound, if terrified.  My pulse quickened with every expedition as local villagers entered the jungle to harvest honey.  I held my breath as tigers silently stalked boats in the delta at twilight (and oh yes! they DO swim!!).   I imagined the kalash vipers waiting patiently for nighttime -- when they would slither into the homes, and beds, of their unassuming victims -- paralyzing them into eternal rest.  Yet despite all of the dangers recounted, part of my spirit longed to be with the author on her adventure!  

The book is Spell of the Tiger by Sy Montgomery.   The author is a naturalist who traveled during the 1990‘s to the Sundarbans, a tidal delta and mangrove swamp on the Bay of Bengal, up near the border with Bangladesh.  It is a region inhabited by a very aggressive group of tigers that actively prey upon humans while they fish, collect honey or chop wood.  In spite of the threat to their very lives, the locals revere the tiger.  The book details the myths, legends and worship of the people living in the Sundarbans even as it chronicles the predatory tactics of the tigers.

In my life, I, too, revere the tiger as a powerful symbol for those “places” in which I struggle with faith and/or fear.  I am reminded of the cautionary words of Russian Orthodox prelate, Anthony Bloom (from his book Beginning Prayer) words I read long,long ago:

To meet God means to enter into the ‘cave of a tiger’ –it is not a pussy cat you meet–it’s a tiger. The realm of God is dangerous. You must enter into it and not just seek information about it.”

As for the photo?

I have not been to the Sundarbans.   While I dream of a photo safari in India, I doubt that will ever happen given the increasing terrorism risks for Americans who dare to venture into that section of Asia.   Thus, this is an item on my “bucket list” that may remain unfulfilled.

To accentuate the fact that this magnificent beast inhabits the world of my dreams and imagination,  I have used a special technique called “post-crop vignetting”.   

Sadly, if more is not done to protect these wonderful animals, all we will know of them is what we see in our dreams, our books and our artwork:

(Taken at Animal Kingdom,Orlando)

(PS. Since Montgomery’s book was published, an even more powerful book has been written by John Vaillant, The Tiger: a True Story of Vengeance and Survival describing a powerful group of man-eating tigers in Siberia.  It was one of the nature books of the year for 2010.)