Monday, June 30, 2008

Verde Que Te Quiero Verde



Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
El barco sobre la mar
y el caballo en la montaña.

(Green, how I want you green.
Green wind. Green branches.
The boat on the sea
and the horse on the mountain.)




Those are the opening lines of the Spanish poet Garcia Lorca's Romance Sonambulo. I studied Lorca in Spanish classes in college (Emory, Atlanta, Georgia, spring of '61, to be precise) and still remember these lines -- they bubble up from my subconsciousness at this beautiful green time of year, when the foliage forms tapestries all around me.



Green's a blessing, a promise of life and growth and abundance. Nature's neutral, it sets off blues and purples, reds, yellows and oranges to perfection. Green rests the eyes and calms the mind,
quiets the noise and refreshes the soul. Thank goodness for green.


Here's another web album. It's what's happening at the end of June in the garden
Posted by Picasa

6 comments:

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Vicki, my favorite of all lines. I'll have to send you my Lorca verde poem. I even named one of my printers years go Verde. And I'm sitting under a painting I bought recently titled Verde.
The photographs are lovely, as always.

Vicki Lane said...

For anyone reading these comments, Kay has put her verde poem up on her blog at

http://www.kathrynstriplingbyer.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Kay! It's lovely!

Susan M. Bell said...

I have to say I'm an autumn/winter person myself. Don't get me wrong: I love when everything turns green and flowers bloom, etc. But when the mountains bring out their autumn hues, and when we're lucky enough to have a bit of snow in winter...well, my heart just soars and I am reminded of why I'm so glad we moved to the mountains.

On another track, you mentioned in your Goodweather Report that Susan T. left a copy of one of your books in Italy for someone to discover. Along those lines, I'd like to recommend BookCrossing (http://www.bookcrossing.com/). You can register books here, put a special number in them, leave them for someone else to find then go to the site and see where it has gone. Kind of a fun idea.

Vicki Lane said...

Book Crossing is a fun idea. There are usually a few copies of my books wandering around there.

Liz said...

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. But to the eyes of imagination, nature is imagination itself" William Blake.
It's always nice to meet others who looks at the mountains (and the trees)like a kindred spirit. Did you every read Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" - she has a lovely line about how it's safe to tell your secrets to a mountain - a mountain will keep your secrets - not like a creek. I've always loved that line. I just finished Art's Blood and now have only Old Wounds until you write another - glad I found your books they are like a home away from home. Best to you -Liz

Vicki Lane said...

There is so much beauty everywhere I turn -- this blog is allowing me a way of saying, 'Look, do you see that? Look closer -- it's amazing!'

I loved Dillard's PILGRIM -- thanks for reminding me it's time to re-read it.

That's a great line -- yes, mountains are strong silent types while brooks are known for babbling.