Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still in the ooze along the tideline, though no one notices. The world is fixed, we say: fish in the sea, birds in the air. But in the mangrove swamps by the Niger, fish climb trees and ogle uneasy naturalists who try unsuccessfully to chase them back to the water. There are things still coming ashore.

Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still in the ooze along the tideline, though no one notices. The world is fixed, we say: fish in the sea, birds in the air. But in the mangrove swamps by the Niger, fish climb trees and ogle uneasy naturalists who try unsuccessfully to chase them back to the water. There are things still coming ashore.

📖 Loren Eiseley

🌍 American  |  👨‍💼 Scientist

🎂 September 3, 1907  –  ⚰️ July 9, 1977
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[Markdown format] The quote vividly portrays the mysterious and often unseen vitality of the natural world, emphasizing that life’s richness persists beneath our notice and comprehension. The imagery of waters from the Devonian period—an era crucial in the evolution of aquatic life—serves as a metaphor for deep evolutionary roots and ancestral memories that ripple through time. This underscores nature's timeless capacity to surprise and defy human expectations.

The mention of invisible music vibrating through the composer’s mind symbolizes the subtle, almost imperceptible forces shaping existence—lingering in the depths of history, the sediments, or the unconscious mind. The oozing remains along the tideline evoke a sense of primordial origins, suggesting that life’s beginnings are always lurking just beneath the surface, unnoticed by the hurried modern observer.

Furthermore, the absurdity of imagining fish climbing trees in the mangrove swamps near the Niger defies conventional biological boundaries, illustrating nature’s adaptability and the endless potential for surprise. It prompts reflection on how human perceptions limit our understanding of nature’s fluid, ever-changing boundaries. The phrase 'things still coming ashore' hints at ongoing change and discovery, reinforcing that nature is an unending story, constantly unfolding beyond our fixed notions.

This entire passage challenges us to reconsider our assumptions about stability and permanence in the natural world. It implores us to stay alert to the unseen, to accept that the universe is full of mysteries—some ancient, some yet to emerge—that continue to shape life in unpredictable and extraordinary ways.

Book: (The Immense Journey) - author: Loren Eiseley

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August 12, 2025

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