The bummer about blogs is that only so many of your senses can be activated (although I wouldn't be surprised if someone eventually figures out how to add the sense of smell to virtual experiences.) Do you love the smell of spring dirt as much as I do? How about the
honey-suckles or the wild roses? Last week I spent some time nose deep in lilac blossoms, and remembered (!) to pick some of my lilies-of-the-valley to put alround the house.
In celebration of the delights of scent, here's a piano piece by Edward MacDowell, "Ode to a Wild Rose" and a poem by Thomas Carew. McDowell, a Romanticist, was an American composer and pianist. "Ode to a Wild Rose is from his piano suites "Woodland Sketches," published in 1896. One of my fondest memories was walking home from school in the spring and noticing the wild roses along the road. Not only is this piece delightful to listen to, but the pace encourages me to take time to breathe deeply.
Carew, one of the British "Cavalier Poets,' lived and wrote in the 17th century.
Sweetly Breathing, Vernal Air
Thomas Carew
Sweetly breathing, vernal air.
That with kind warmth doth repair
Winter's ruins; from whose breast
All the gums and spice of the East
Borrow their perfumes; whose eye
Gilds the morn, and clears the sky;
Whose dishevelled tresses shed
Pearls upon the violet bed;
On whose brow, with calm smiles drest
The halcyon sits and builds her nest;
Beauty, youth, and endless spring
Dwell upon thy rosy wing!
honey-suckles or the wild roses? Last week I spent some time nose deep in lilac blossoms, and remembered (!) to pick some of my lilies-of-the-valley to put alround the house.
In celebration of the delights of scent, here's a piano piece by Edward MacDowell, "Ode to a Wild Rose" and a poem by Thomas Carew. McDowell, a Romanticist, was an American composer and pianist. "Ode to a Wild Rose is from his piano suites "Woodland Sketches," published in 1896. One of my fondest memories was walking home from school in the spring and noticing the wild roses along the road. Not only is this piece delightful to listen to, but the pace encourages me to take time to breathe deeply.
Carew, one of the British "Cavalier Poets,' lived and wrote in the 17th century.
Sweetly Breathing, Vernal Air
Thomas Carew
Sweetly breathing, vernal air.
That with kind warmth doth repair
Winter's ruins; from whose breast
All the gums and spice of the East
Borrow their perfumes; whose eye
Gilds the morn, and clears the sky;
Whose dishevelled tresses shed
Pearls upon the violet bed;
On whose brow, with calm smiles drest
The halcyon sits and builds her nest;
Beauty, youth, and endless spring
Dwell upon thy rosy wing!
