Artist

Alexander Averin

Monday 9 June 2008

A Poppy and a Poem







The Little Garden



A little garden on a bleak hillside
Where deep the heavy, dazzling mountain snow
Lies far into the spring. The sun's pale glow
Is scarcely able to melt patches wide
About the single rose bush. All denied
Of nature's tender ministries. But no, --
For wonder-working faith has made it blow
With flowers many hued and starry-eyed.
Here sleeps the sun long, idle summer hours;
Here butterflies and bees fare far to rove
Amid the crumpled leaves of poppy flowers;
Here four o'clocks, to the passionate night above
Fling whiffs of perfume, like pale incense showers.
A little garden, loved with a great love!

Amy Lovell
1874 - 1925

11 comments:

Inthemud said...

Lovely poppies.
Like the poem too.

Frances said...

Cait, what a delightful surprise!

Sunny flowers bobbing in the breeze. A poem that takes me outside to yet another little garden. How long has it been since I have seen four o'clocks?
Strangely, only a year ago. One of the doormen of this apartment building actually planted some four o'clock seeds around one of the trees in front of this building.

Well, the plants emerged, about the time that the building changed owners, and the new owners had very different ideas about what could and could not be planted in front of Their Building. Four o'clocks were removed.

Cait, your blogs always just set my mind a traveling! Thank you. xo

Chris Stovell said...

The poppy seedlings are just appearing in our garden - not long now.

Anonymous said...

Poppies are one of my most favourite wild flower. They grow in abundance on the roadside near Bamburgh Castle and look magnificent with the castle in the background.

Crystal xx

Fennie said...

Hi Cait, I do really love your photographs. You achieve so many tricks with light. The 'where I live' picture is fascinating with the barrel and the black tree trunks. And then the raindrop on the leaf, and the red of the poppies. Like your writing they always have an atmospheric and restful quality - as if you've taken off and are now gliding gently over everything.

Milla said...

I v much like your list of things below (but wasn't sure if you'd go down and see a new comment). Have a horribly insistent NEED of a sudden for strong cheese and biscuits - I really feel that that IS the ultimate meal.

Sam Fox said...

LOVE poppies!!!! Thanks for some early morning cheer, Cait, and what a great poem.

Kim said...

How lovely. Thanks for sharing.

CAMILLA said...

Hello Cait,

I adore Poppies, they are one of my favourite flowers, beautiful pictures Cait, and such a beautiful poem too.


Camilla.xx

Pipany said...

Oh I just love poppies Cait. They remind me of my Dad who pulled them out of the sandy Cornish soil in his veg garden with a passion. He grew all our vegetables, tending them in the precious little spare time he had when he was not at work and out of 7 children I was the only one who picked up his love of gardening. I would trail along behind scattering the seeds everywhere as I loved the scarlet petals so much. He only found out years later! xx

DJ Kirkby said...

I adore poppies and I found this poem very moving.