Peonies by Mary Oliver This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting readyto break my heartas the sun rises,as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers and they open –pools of lace,white and pink –and all day the black ants climb over them, boring their deep and mysterious holesinto the curls,craving … Read more
Were we like the Fays That sweetly nestle in the foxglove bell. — H. Coleridge (1796-1849) From Beltane to Midsummer, the Faery Kingdom celebrates the intense, growing delight of Spring. With the guidance of Thalia, we are exploring the relationships between the Faery realms and flowers. Although I have warned you that the faeries are … Read more
O Solitude! If I must with thee dwell,Let it not be among the jumbled heapOf murky buildings; – climb with me the steep,Nature’s Observatory – whence the dell,Its flowery slopes – its rivers crystal swell,May seem a span: let me thy vigils keep‘Mongst boughs pavilioned; where the Deer’s swift leapStartles the wild Bee from the … Read more
Happiness is not a matter of intensitybut of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. – Thomas Merton The Greek Goddess Iris is a Goddess of sea and sky. Her father Thaumas “the wondrous” is a God of the sea, and Her mother Elektra “the amber,” is a cloud-nymph and one of the Oceanids (not the daughter … Read more
Iris © Josephine WallIris on saffron wings arrayed with dewOf various colours through the sunbeams flew. — Virgil In these beautiful days of Spring, we continue our journey with the Graces, particularly noting the gifts of the Grace, Thalia. She is the giver of mirth, growth, and flowering. In Greek mythology, Iris is the messenger … Read more
Wild Iris at Dawn – © Galen RowellIn your neat garden iris growsBright yellow, mauve – in stately rows.This one you’ve picked is a lovely thing,I know it brightens up our spring. But in the forest, springtime’s child,A purple iris growing wild,Can melt my heart as spring melts snow,It’s spoilt me for the sort you … Read more
A basket of tulips and a pot of daffodils, Bring to my home sunshine, cheer and encourage good will.By the elements of earth and water, I bless these blooms,May their springtime energy spread into every room. For the good of all, with harm to none,By earth and water, this charm is done! — Ellen Dugan, … Read more
Today is the day when bold kites fly,When cumulus clouds roar across the sky.When robins return, when children cheer,When light rain beckons spring to appear. Today is the day when daffodils bloom,Which children pick to fill the room,Today is the day when grasses green,When leaves burst forth for spring to be seen. — Robert McCracken, … Read more
Narcissus so himself himself forsook,And died to kiss his shadow in the brook. — William Shakespeare Narcissus (another name for the daffodil), is the word from which we get “narcissism“, which is in reference to the tragic story of the haughty Narcissus in Greek myth. In the tale told by Ovid, one day when the … Read more
The daffodil is our doorside queen;She pushes upward the sward already,To spot with sunshine the early green. No lays so joyous as these are warbledFrom wiry prison in maiden’s bower;No pampered bloom of the green-house chamberHas half the charm of the lawn’s first flower.— from An Invitation to the Country, by William Cullen Bryant We … Read more