Latest / Abide Meditation App / FALL ASLEEP with a RAINY Story 🌧️ The Nightingale Walk 🌧️ Sleepy Story with Rain Sounds
Transcript
- 0:02Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, the podcast where we listen, we relax,
- 0:10Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. In tonight's story, we'll follow in
- 0:18Speaker 1: the footsteps of the famous poet, John Keats, and drift
- 0:24Speaker 1: off to sleep, accompanied by the song of the nightingale.
- 0:33Speaker 1: So get yourself comfortable and cozy, making sure you're pleasantly
- 0:40Speaker 1: warm under your covers. Now take a deep breath in
- 0:56Speaker 1: and let it flow out gently. at a rhythm that's
- 1:02Speaker 1: comfortable for you. Some thoughts might pop into your head,
- 1:11Speaker 1: but it doesn't matter. You don't need to deal with
- 1:17Speaker 1: any of them right now. Just let them float away,
- 1:26Speaker 1: drifting further and further Like clouds in the sky. Each
- 1:38Speaker 1: breath can send another thought or a fragment of that
- 1:44Speaker 1: inner chatter up into the clouds. And you can feel
- 1:53Speaker 1: your head becoming a clearer, quieter place. As all of
- 2:01Speaker 1: the thoughts drift away, bit by bit. Now, as those
- 2:14Speaker 1: clouds pass by, imagine that you are with them, up
- 2:20Speaker 1: in the sky, floating freely and comfortably. You look down
- 2:31Speaker 1: and watch the earth turn slowly below you. Then something
- 2:40Speaker 1: catches your eye. It's a city and it seems to
- 2:47Speaker 1: be calling for your attention. So you decide to float
- 2:53Speaker 1: closer and take a look. You're looking down on a city.
- 3:13Speaker 1: Rows and rows of red rooftops and chimneys. But it
- 3:20Speaker 1: doesn't seem quite like a city. There's so much green.
- 3:28Speaker 1: Every street seems to be lined with trees. And to
- 3:33Speaker 1: the north, you can see a vast, hilly stretch of woods.
- 3:40Speaker 1: and fields. Even some of the houses have their own
- 3:48Speaker 1: patches of green. Small private gardens lined with bushes and
- 3:56Speaker 1: colourful flower beds. This is London, but it's very different
- 4:06Speaker 1: from the city centre. Four miles from the centre lies
- 4:13Speaker 1: the quiet suburb of Hampstead. It's a pleasant, leafy neighbourhood
- 4:21Speaker 1: filled with elegant old houses. When people tire of the
- 4:27Speaker 1: hustle and bustle of the city, they come here for
- 4:32Speaker 1: some peace and quiet. And here, amongst the greenery, it
- 4:41Speaker 1: truly feels like a breath of fresh air. Although it's
- 4:49Speaker 1: become part of London, Hampstead was originally a separate village.
- 4:56Speaker 1: It still feels that way now. As you walk through
- 5:02Speaker 1: the streets, past small shops and cafes, You notice how
- 5:09Speaker 1: people seem to know each other. Families say hello as
- 5:15Speaker 1: they pass one another in the street or chat together
- 5:20Speaker 1: in front of the cafes. You notice lots of dogs too.
- 5:29Speaker 1: There's an old man with a black Labrador reading the
- 5:33Speaker 1: paper on a bench. A young woman Jogging, accompanied by
- 5:40Speaker 1: a small brown dog. A couple going for a walk
- 5:46Speaker 1: with their puppy, who's panting happily and covered in mud.
- 5:54Speaker 1: Perhaps they've been for a walk on the nearby heath,
- 5:59Speaker 1: the closest thing to countryside in London. You walk slowly
- 6:08Speaker 1: down the hill. You're in no rush and there's nothing
- 6:13Speaker 1: that you particularly need to see or do. You're simply
- 6:19Speaker 1: enjoying your stroll and the fresh breeze and sunshine. Perhaps
- 6:29Speaker 1: you'll go for a walk on the heath later. But first,
- 6:35Speaker 1: You'd like to explore some of the secluded residential streets.
- 6:43Speaker 1: You turn the corner and find yourself in a tranquil
- 6:47Speaker 1: street lined with beautiful white houses. There's very little traffic
- 6:54Speaker 1: here and you can even hear the birds twittering in
- 6:59Speaker 1: the trees. In one of the houses, The sound of
- 7:05Speaker 1: music drifts through the open window. Somebody practicing the piano.
- 7:14Speaker 1: It's a familiar melody that stays with you, swirling round
- 7:19Speaker 1: and round in your head as you continue down the hill.
- 7:25Speaker 1: Sweet and soothing, almost like a lullaby. Many of the
- 7:35Speaker 1: houses here have front gardens. Some have neat little lawns
- 7:42Speaker 1: lined by rose bushes. Others are wilder, charmingly overgrown with
- 7:49Speaker 1: cascading vines and trees that hide the windows. These gardens
- 7:57Speaker 1: are gorgeous and you're curious about the people who live here.
- 8:03Speaker 1: If only you could go inside. You come across a
- 8:11Speaker 1: larger garden that catches your eye. Peering over the fence,
- 8:17Speaker 1: you see an elegant white detached house. There are a
- 8:23Speaker 1: couple of people sitting beneath a tree, talking and laughing together.
- 8:31Speaker 1: You can also see a young girl sitting on a
- 8:34Speaker 1: bench in the shade, reading a book. It looks like
- 8:40Speaker 1: an oasis of calm. Then you notice a sign and
- 8:48Speaker 1: realise that the house must be open to the public.
- 8:55Speaker 1: You push open the gate and follow the sign, walking
- 9:00Speaker 1: down the path. that leads round to the back of
- 9:03Speaker 1: the house. The door is open. You walk inside and
- 9:12Speaker 1: find yourself in a beautiful blue room decorated in Regency
- 9:17Speaker 1: style with patterned wallpaper and a white marble fireplace from
- 9:24Speaker 1: a prior era. It's like finding yourself in a Jane
- 9:30Speaker 1: Austen novel You almost expect to be greeted by a
- 9:35Speaker 1: person in period dress. You notice a portrait in a
- 9:43Speaker 1: gold frame hanging on the wall and walk towards it
- 9:48Speaker 1: to get a closer look. The painting shows a young
- 9:54Speaker 1: man with long golden-brown hair sitting at a desk. His
- 10:02Speaker 1: elbow rests on an open book. He gazes out of
- 10:08Speaker 1: the frame with a contemplative expression, as if he's thinking deeply,
- 10:14Speaker 1: or perhaps looking out into another world altogether. This is
- 10:22Speaker 1: the poet John Keats, who once lived in this house.
- 10:29Speaker 1: In the early 19th century, when Hampstead was just a
- 10:33Speaker 1: village on the outskirts of London, Keats and a friend
- 10:38Speaker 1: rented one half of the house. While he was living here,
- 10:46Speaker 1: Keats wrote some of his greatest works. Masterpieces of romantic
- 10:52Speaker 1: poetry that are still read today. The other half of
- 11:00Speaker 1: this house was inhabited by a family, including a young
- 11:05Speaker 1: woman named Fanny Braun. It was here that Keats and Fanny,
- 11:14Speaker 1: the girl next door, met and fell in love. Some
- 11:20Speaker 1: say that he first caught sight of her in the garden,
- 11:25Speaker 1: from this very window. You gaze through the window into
- 11:32Speaker 1: the peaceful garden and imagine the scene. A young, dark-haired
- 11:39Speaker 1: woman in a simple white dress and bonnet, walking across
- 11:45Speaker 1: the grass, smiling to herself. it wasn't quite love at
- 11:52Speaker 1: first sight. In a letter, he described her as beautiful, elegant, graceful, silly, fashionable,
- 12:04Speaker 1: and strange. But as the two neighbors got to know
- 12:09Speaker 1: each other, they discovered that they had many things in common,
- 12:15Speaker 1: including a passion for literature. they soon fell deeply in love.
- 12:24Speaker 1: She became his fiancée and his muse. Many of his
- 12:30Speaker 1: most beautiful love poems were inspired by her. You think
- 12:39Speaker 1: back to one of his writings you heard long ago.
- 12:44Speaker 1: In the poem Bright Star, Keats wishes he could be
- 12:49Speaker 1: as eternal and unchanging as a star, locked in an
- 12:54Speaker 1: everlasting embrace with the woman he loves. He writes, awake
- 13:03Speaker 1: forever in a sweet unrest, still, still to hear her
- 13:11Speaker 1: tender taken breath. You sit in a chair and close
- 13:19Speaker 1: your eyes as you recall the poem, savoring the melody
- 13:25Speaker 1: of the words. They seem to pass through you, touching
- 13:31Speaker 1: some special inner part that appreciates all forms of beauty.
- 13:38Speaker 1: The power of words is remarkable, something that allows people
- 13:44Speaker 1: to connect across countries and centuries. With your eyes closed
- 13:53Speaker 1: the rest of the world fades away. In your mind
- 14:00Speaker 1: you hear nothing but the words, beautiful words that seem
- 14:06Speaker 1: to echo through you. As you rest You think of
- 14:14Speaker 1: how this place and its atmosphere inspired a poet to
- 14:19Speaker 1: write such heartfelt lines. And you remember you still have
- 14:27Speaker 1: the rest of the house to explore. You wander from
- 14:35Speaker 1: room to room, treading quietly over plush carpet and creaking floorboards.
- 14:42Speaker 1: you discover so many wonderful things. Old books, paintings and
- 14:51Speaker 1: antique furniture. The objects bring the past to life and
- 14:58Speaker 1: you can picture everything in vivid detail. Even without closing
- 15:05Speaker 1: your eyes, it's as if you can see them. Keats
- 15:10Speaker 1: sitting at his desk lost in thought, or Fanny chatting
- 15:17Speaker 1: happily with her younger sister. After exploring the top floor
- 15:25Speaker 1: of the house, you return downstairs and stand alone in
- 15:31Speaker 1: Keats' sitting room. It's a cosy little room with red
- 15:37Speaker 1: carpet and pale pink walls. You imagine Keats sitting here,
- 15:44Speaker 1: reading or writing, lost in his own private world. This
- 15:51Speaker 1: is the room where he wrote many of his greatest poems, including, perhaps,
- 15:59Speaker 1: Ode to a Nightingale, which tells of the light-winged dryad
- 16:06Speaker 1: who sings in the trees. You wonder where he heard
- 16:12Speaker 1: the birdsong that inspired the poem. In the garden, perhaps.
- 16:20Speaker 1: Or maybe a little further away, among the trees of
- 16:25Speaker 1: Hampstead Heath. You glance through the window and see that
- 16:34Speaker 1: the sun has come out again. It's time to leave.
- 16:39Speaker 1: and go for a stroll on the heath. You'd like
- 16:44Speaker 1: to discover the source of the poet's inspiration. From the
- 16:51Speaker 1: house to the heath, it's just a five-minute walk, down
- 16:57Speaker 1: to the end of the sleepy residential street, across the
- 17:02Speaker 1: road to the grass and the duck pond This is
- 17:10Speaker 1: the beginning of Hampstead Heath. It's not a typical city park,
- 17:17Speaker 1: but a wild expanse of lawns, hilly slopes, woods and ponds.
- 17:28Speaker 1: Once you're inside and you've left the hum of the
- 17:31Speaker 1: traffic far behind, you could almost be in the countryside.
- 17:41Speaker 1: You follow the path around the pond. An elderly couple
- 17:46Speaker 1: are sitting on a bench watching as their young grandchild
- 17:51Speaker 1: feeds the ducks. He smiles as the brown ducks glide
- 17:57Speaker 1: towards him, dipping their beaks to catch the food. His
- 18:04Speaker 1: grandparents sit in silence, watching fondly as they relax on
- 18:09Speaker 1: the bench. You could happily stay here too, enjoying the
- 18:16Speaker 1: tranquility of the scene. You stand there for a while,
- 18:23Speaker 1: watching the boy and appreciating the ducks in the pond.
- 18:29Speaker 1: Everything is peaceful, rhythmic and relaxing. Apart from the low
- 18:37Speaker 1: quacking of the ducks, and the wind rustling through the
- 18:40Speaker 1: branches of the trees. There are no other sounds. You
- 18:48Speaker 1: close your eyes, breathe in deeply, and savor the moment. Eventually,
- 19:01Speaker 1: you decide to walk on, now making your way to
- 19:05Speaker 1: the woods. You want to see more of the Heath
- 19:10Speaker 1: and the landscape that inspired Keats' poetry. Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wordsworth, Coleridge,
- 19:26Speaker 1: all the great English Romantic poets were deeply inspired by
- 19:32Speaker 1: the natural world. They spent many hours walking in the
- 19:37Speaker 1: countryside around their homes. Just as Wordsworth and Coleridge explored
- 19:46Speaker 1: the hills and lakes of northern England, Keats enjoyed long
- 19:52Speaker 1: walks across Hampstead Heath here immersed in nature he found
- 19:59Speaker 1: scenes of beauty that stirred his imagination his poetry is
- 20:07Speaker 1: littered with natural imagery A young couple embracing in a
- 20:14Speaker 1: flower-filled forest glade. The image of a golden wheat field
- 20:22Speaker 1: on a crisp autumn day. A nightingale singing joyfully in
- 20:30Speaker 1: the woods. You'd like to think that Keats listened to
- 20:37Speaker 1: the nightingale while walking on the Perhaps if you stay
- 20:44Speaker 1: here till dusk, you too will hear the whistling, warbling
- 20:49Speaker 1: melody of this special bird. Walking on, you reach shady,
- 20:58Speaker 1: wooded pathways that wind uphill. At the crossroads, you pause,
- 21:07Speaker 1: unsure of which direction to choose. but it doesn't really matter.
- 21:15Speaker 1: Whether you go left or right, east or west, you
- 21:19Speaker 1: can't go wrong. You don't have any particular goal except
- 21:26Speaker 1: to explore the heath and uncover its beauty. You wonder
- 21:36Speaker 1: if you're following in the footsteps of the poet, if
- 21:40Speaker 1: he too chose this winding path. Here, beneath the trees,
- 21:48Speaker 1: it's possible to imagine that nothing has changed in the
- 21:52Speaker 1: last two centuries. It's exactly the same as it was
- 21:58Speaker 1: in Keats Day. You can tell that some of the
- 22:03Speaker 1: trees must be very old, as they have huge, thick
- 22:09Speaker 1: trunks and curving branches that twist above the path, creating
- 22:15Speaker 1: a canopy of leaves. From the branches above rings the
- 22:22Speaker 1: twittering conversations of birds, pigeons, sparrows and crows. No sign
- 22:31Speaker 1: of the nightingale yet, but perhaps it's too early. As
- 22:41Speaker 1: their name suggests, the nightingale usually sings at night, or
- 22:47Speaker 1: perhaps at dusk. In Old English, their name translates as
- 22:55Speaker 1: night songstress, and their beautiful song has inspired countless poems
- 23:03Speaker 1: and music across the world. The nightingale can symbolize creativity
- 23:11Speaker 1: purity or virtue. For some listeners, the birdsong sounds melancholy,
- 23:21Speaker 1: while for others it represents hope and joy. For Keats,
- 23:28Speaker 1: the nightingale was a muse, a powerful source of creative inspiration,
- 23:35Speaker 1: and its song was joyful. He describes the nightingale singing
- 23:43Speaker 1: of summer pouring out its soul in ecstasy. You hope
- 23:50Speaker 1: that later you'll have the chance to hear the bird
- 23:53Speaker 1: yourself and to decide whether it sounds melancholy or joyful.
- 24:04Speaker 1: As you walk through the woods, taking care not to
- 24:07Speaker 1: trip over the roots of the trees, you gradually become
- 24:12Speaker 1: aware of other sounds. In the distance, beyond the birds
- 24:18Speaker 1: and the breeze passing through the leaves, you can hear
- 24:23Speaker 1: voices and splashing water. Could there be a swimming pool
- 24:29Speaker 1: on the other side of the trees? Coming closer, you
- 24:36Speaker 1: find a gap in the woods and peer through. It's
- 24:41Speaker 1: not a swimming pool, but a natural bathing pond. This
- 24:48Speaker 1: oasis on the heath is where the locals come to
- 24:51Speaker 1: swim and enjoy the natural surroundings. In the sunshine, the
- 25:00Speaker 1: reflection of the leaves makes the water appear green. You
- 25:07Speaker 1: can see swimmers going up and down, slowly crossing lengths
- 25:12Speaker 1: of the pond. Most of them are swimming breaststroke, their
- 25:18Speaker 1: chins resting on the surface of the water. Some are
- 25:25Speaker 1: moving so slowly they hardly seem to be swimming at all.
- 25:31Speaker 1: It's like an act of meditation, a moment of calm
- 25:38Speaker 1: drifting peacefully through the green water. You'd like to try
- 25:46Speaker 1: swimming in the pond, but that is for another day.
- 25:51Speaker 1: For now, you're happy to stand beneath the trees and
- 25:56Speaker 1: follow the slow lengths of the swimmers across your vision.
- 26:03Speaker 1: They go up and down or round and round in
- 26:08Speaker 1: lazy circles It's relaxing just to watch them. You spend
- 26:19Speaker 1: the rest of the afternoon exploring the heath. It's even
- 26:24Speaker 1: bigger than you imagined. You encounter so many wooded areas,
- 26:31Speaker 1: rolling expanses of grass and even other bathing ponds. Every
- 26:40Speaker 1: now and then, You pass other visitors, mainly joggers or
- 26:46Speaker 1: dog walkers, but it's easy to find secluded spots. You
- 26:53Speaker 1: can pretend that you have the whole place to yourself.
- 26:59Speaker 1: It's just you and the trees in endless greenery. You're
- 27:09Speaker 1: starting to feel sleepy. You've been walking for a long time.
- 27:17Speaker 1: Now would be a good time to find a patch
- 27:20Speaker 1: of grass where you can lie down and rest your
- 27:24Speaker 1: weary feet. You could even take a nap. You wander
- 27:34Speaker 1: across the heath looking for the perfect spot. Everywhere looks inviting.
- 27:43Speaker 1: soft green grass spotted with daisies and dandelions. Other people
- 27:52Speaker 1: are relaxing here, groups of friends having picnics or lying
- 27:59Speaker 1: side by side, basking in the fading sunshine. Walking a
- 28:09Speaker 1: little further You find an empty expanse of lush grass.
- 28:16Speaker 1: The voices of the other people seem to soften in
- 28:20Speaker 1: the background and gradually fade away. You open your bag
- 28:27Speaker 1: and take out a soft tartan picnic blanket then spread
- 28:33Speaker 1: it below you. You slip off your shoes, lower yourself
- 28:39Speaker 1: to the ground and lie down you feel your whole
- 28:46Speaker 1: body breathe a sigh of relief resting at last after
- 28:52Speaker 1: the long walk you take a big yawn you're feeling
- 29:02Speaker 1: so pleasantly sleepy that your instinct is to close your
- 29:08Speaker 1: eyes but you keep them open for a little while
- 29:14Speaker 1: to watch the white, billowing clouds pass above you. The
- 29:22Speaker 1: wind carries them quickly, and they seem to change size
- 29:28Speaker 1: and shape every second. They swell and grow, stretching out
- 29:38Speaker 1: and then shedding creating infinitely smaller clouds that are whisked
- 29:44Speaker 1: away by the breeze then another large cloud blossoms into
- 29:54Speaker 1: view and the whole process begins again And again. And again.
- 30:09Speaker 1: You close your eyes and take a deep breath in.
- 30:18Speaker 1: And then out. You're starting to feel more finely attuned
- 30:27Speaker 1: to your surroundings. Conscious of every single sound and sensation.
- 30:36Speaker 1: The soft fleece of the blanket beneath your skin. The
- 30:42Speaker 1: gentle prickling of the grass between your fingers. The fresh
- 30:50Speaker 1: smell of the earth and the cool air. The faraway
- 30:56Speaker 1: murmur of voices. and a dog barking. And the birds.
- 31:05Speaker 1: So many birds. In your sleepy state, you can't distinguish
- 31:16Speaker 1: one bird from another. Chirping, cooing, cawing. The soft sounds
- 31:26Speaker 1: all seem to blend into each other, creating a soothing
- 31:32Speaker 1: chorus of birdsong. But after lying in the grass for
- 31:41Speaker 1: what feels like a long, long time, resisting the urge
- 31:46Speaker 1: to slip into sleep, you hear a sound that's different
- 31:53Speaker 1: from all the others. It trills and twitters, rising and rising,
- 32:06Speaker 1: until it breaks into a sweet warble. The sound seems
- 32:14Speaker 1: to vibrate and echo through the trees. Then it repeats
- 32:21Speaker 1: again and again. The key and volume of the birdsong changes,
- 32:32Speaker 1: but it's always melodic, always joyful. It can only be
- 32:42Speaker 1: the nightingale. At last, you're listening to the same enchanting,
- 32:52Speaker 1: ecstatic melody that moved the poet more than 200 years ago.
- 33:05Speaker 1: You take a slow, deep breath in and then out.
- 33:20Speaker 1: The song of the nightingale seems to pass through your
- 33:25Speaker 1: body Guiding you deeper and deeper into relaxation. And easing
- 33:39Speaker 1: you gently towards sleep. Then the cheerful serenade grows quieter.
- 33:59Speaker 1: fading as you drift into peaceful dreams so.
- 34:38Speaker 2: Amen. Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 40:14Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
- 41:47Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 42:19Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 47:08Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 48:05Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 49:01Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Thank you.
- 53:04Speaker 1: Bye.
- 53:59Speaker 2: Thank you. Let's pray. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 56:44Speaker 1: Amen. Thank you.
- 59:08Speaker 2: Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:02:32Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:06:47Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:10:06Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:14:53Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:18:45Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:21:37Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 1:22:07Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:23:59Speaker 1: Amen.
- 1:24:28Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 1:25:03Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 1:25:42Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:28:47Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:34:28Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.
- 1:37:48Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:41:28Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:46:58Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 1:47:18Speaker 1: Amen.
- 1:47:57Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:49:45Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 1:51:49Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.
- 1:54:55Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 1:55:26Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 1:59:09Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:00:13Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 2:00:45Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:06:23Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:09:58Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:15:40Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:19:24Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 2:25:07Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.