A SAILOR'S DELIGHT

There's an old saying "Red sky at morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight". I've wondered about the origins of that weather prediction and this is what I found. "One of today's better known weather proverbs, this saying appeared in the New Testament Gospel According to Matthew (A.C. c 65) as 'When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring.' The earliest mention outside the Bible gave only the proverb's second part, 'The skie was very red this mornyng. Ergo we are like to haue rayne or nyght,' and appeared in the 'Rule of Reason' (1551) by Thomas Wilson. Soon after, a version containing both parts was rendered as 'The element redde in the euenyng, the next daye fayr, but in the morning redd, wynde and rayne,' in 'Prognostication to Judge of the Weather (1555) by Leonard Digges. The English author Reginald Scot gave another version, combining both elements in 'The Discouerie of Witchcraft' (1584): 'The skie being red at evening Foreshews a faire and clear morning; But if the morning riseth red, Of wind or raine we shall be sped.' A version comes closer to the modern appearing in R. Inwards's 'Weather Lore (1893) as 'Sky red in the morning Is a sailor's sure warning; Sky red at night Is the sailor's delight.' The current version with the word 'shepherd' substituted for 'sailor' was recorded in the magazine 'Punch' (1920). Versions using 'sailor' and 'shepherd' (usually just the first or second part) were quoted in print frequently during the twentieth century."

This was a particularly delightful beginning to the night. Santa Cruz, CA is blessed with so many wonderful things. One is beautiful sunsets. The end of another day in paradise.