Communicator (communicator) wrote,
Communicator
communicator

Steady on, old man!

Guess who wrote this erotic paean to the men of Tahiti. It gives me nice mental pictures: 'the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper'

"The common people of Tahiti, when working, keep the upper part of their bodies quite naked; and it is then that they are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad- shouldered, athletic, and well-proportioned. A white man bathing by the side of a Tahitian, was like a plant bleached by the gardener's art compared with a fine dark green one growing vigorously in the open fields. Most of the men are tattooed, and the ornaments follow the curvature of the body so gracefully, that they have a very elegant effect. One common pattern, varying in its details, is somewhat like the crown of a palm-tree. It springs from the central line of the back, and gracefully curls round both sides. The simile may be a fanciful one, but I thought the body of a man thus ornamented was like the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper."

Charles Darwin 'Voyage of the Beagle' Chapter 18
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  • Phew what a scorcher

    I see Gove has backed down on climate change and it's back in the curriculum again.

  • GCSE Computer Science

    My book is now for sale

  • LJ Settings

    At the moment I have set up this journal so that only friends can comment. I hate doing this, but I was just getting too much Russian spam.