A.Word.A.Day--cataract

cataract (KAT-uh-rakt) noun

1. A large or high waterfall.

2. A great downpour; a deluge.

3. Opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye, causing impairment of
vision or blindness.

[Middle English cataracte, from Old French, from Latin cataracta, from Greek
katarraktes, kataraktes, probably from katarassein, to dash down : kat-,
kata-, cata- + arassein, to strike.]

"The cataracts blow their trumpets from the steep
No more shall grief of mine the season wrong;
I hear the Echoes through the mountains throng,
The Winds come to me from the fields of sleep."
William Wordsworth, Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of
Early Childhood.

Have you seen the poem about a little girl who, with a lantern in her hands,
goes out in a snowstorm to light the path of her mother coming back from
town? Later, her parents go out to look for her, following her footprints in
the snow when we discover, "And further there were none!" My heart skipped a
beat when I came across those five words. I'm talking about Lucy Gray, a poem
by William Wordsworth ( http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww158.html ), that I read
in my early school days. Later, the emphasis on math and science, and
subsequent studies of computer science in college and grad school, blotted
out the world of poetry. I forgot the name of the poet and other details of
the poem but it has been haunting me ever since. Recently, while researching
some words, I came across the poem again and realized it had never really
left me. Does a poem ever do?

What is it in poetry that moves us so much? Perhaps it is a reminder that no
matter how tough, and worldly-wise we may or try to be, deep inside all of us
have the heart of a child. In this week's AWAD, I'll present words from some
of my favorite poets. Why don't you email me (anu@wordsmith.org ) about your
favorite poets and their poems? -Anu

............................................................................
The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of
civilization. -Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis
(1856-1939)

Q: Some time ago you featured a quote/word about x in AWAD. Could you resend
it?
A: You may search the archives at http://wordsmith.org/awad/search.html
or browse them at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html All the
words and quotes since the beginning of AWAD are available there.

Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/cataract.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/cataract.ram