Pastoral

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Dr. Goodword
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Pastoral

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:28 pm

• pastoral •

Pronunciation: pæs-tê-rêl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Rural, about or related to the country or countryside, hence, rustic, simple, serene, bucolic, halcyon: a pastoral scene. 2. About or related to a pastor, pastoral duties, or the church in general: pastoral lands. 3. About or related to herdsmen or shepherds or their work.

Notes: Today's Good Word is supported by several derivational family members: an adverb, pastorally, and two nouns, pastorism "works written or composed about the countryside", and pastorale [pæs-tê-ræl], a musical composition designed to evoke a sense of the countryside.

In Play: Pastoral is used in reference to the country as opposed to the city: "Reverend McGillicutty became the pastor of a pastoral church nestled in the hills just outside New Monia, Tennessee." However, under the assumption that it is more peaceful in the country, the word is perhaps more frequently encountered in its figurative sense: "Pierce Deere moved out of town to find pastoral calm, but ten years later his house is surrounded by an ever-growing housing development."

Word History: This word comes directly from Old French pastoral, inherited from Latin pastoralis "related to shepherds". The Latin word for "shepherd" was pastor, a word English Protestants use to refer to the preacher in a church. This word, in turn, is derived from pastus, the past participle of pascere "to graze, eat", which is why we see it in English pasture. The Proto-Indo-European word pat- "to feed, protect" came to English via its Germanic ancestors, too. In Old English it became fodor "fodder", which lies behind forage. Foster comes from another relative of fodor, the Old English verb fostrian "to feed, nourish, care for". (Let us wish Martha Summey a worry-free pastoral life as we thank her for suggesting today's bucolic Good Word.)
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MTC
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Re: Pastoral

Postby MTC » Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:45 pm

While traveling around Pakistan some years ago our party stayed overnight at a remote hotel, once the palatial home of a Hindu prince. It was a romantic place, steeped in history. Our rooms were ornamented with elaborate carvings which illustrated tales from folklore and mythology. Overhead wooden fan blades slowly turned in a labored effort to relieve the summer heat. Exhausted, we bedded down for the night. In the morning our hosts served a breakfast of assorted breads, meats, and tea enriched with buffalo milk. After we finished, the owners encouraged us to enjoy ourselves, but for reasons unspecified warned us not to stray outside the hotel grounds. The warning inspired me to separate from the group, leap over a barrier, and wander down a dusty, winding road leading away from the hotel. Coming round a bend, I suddenly saw a shepherd, robed like a figure from the Old Testament, staff in hand, emerging from a cave in the side of a hill where he had spent the night with his flock who now trailed dutifully behind him. Shepherd and flock were one with the earth. I had taken a chance by leaving the hotel grounds, but was rewarded with a scene I will never forget.
Last edited by MTC on Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:33 am, edited 10 times in total.

LukeJavan8
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Re: Pastoral

Postby LukeJavan8 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:12 pm

Most beautiful.
But you were lucky his 'pastoral staff' was not a disguised
gun.

Beethoven's "Pastorale" symphony is my favorite, as Doc
mentions, written to evoke images of a pastoral scene.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Pastoral

Postby Perry Lassiter » Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:40 pm

My pastoral staff usually included a secretary or two, along with a music director, youth director, and sometimes an education director or associate pastor. Sometimes we caught a staff infection.

If you like the 6th, you would also probably like Vincent D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air. Plus, I think LB's 7th has a pastoral feel to most of it.

While I didn't emerge from a cave, when I emerged at the front of the church, I easily found the flock before me. And btw which is the front of the church? You come through the front doors, and looking into the sanctuary, you see the front of the auditorium!
pl


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