A snake came to my water-trough
On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,
To drink there.
In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.
He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom
And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of the stone trough
And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,
And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,
He sipped with his straight mouth,
Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently..........
Yes, it is in our garden and it was only just now, checking the name on google, that I found out that this fritillary was originally a wild plant. We did have two but the other one disappeared when Ray made the scree for the new owl sculpture.
A beautiful pic of this lovely Fritillaria meleagris { in Dutch : Kievitseitje = egg of a Kievit (Vanellus vanellus) } And a beautiful poem to it. I love poems
I hate to say this but I`ve spent this afternoon 2 hours to translate a Haiku
( a kind of a Japanese poem )from Dutch to English as it fitted so well by the pic. I intended to send in.
I hope you don`t mind. It`s really a coincident .
I am looking forward to seeing your photo and its poem. Of course I don't mind. I think it's mental telepathy. I've heard of Haiku - a certain number of syllables and a certain form? Was that from Japanese to Dutch to English? (kidding!)
@quietpurplehaze Thank you Hazel , it`s very kind of you.
No from Dutch to English and that was difficult enough. I`ve to fit it to the pic and pay my respects to the original
This is lovely Hazel. We have one that struggles through every year but I wouldn't be surprised if we have lost it this winter. 6c on the cars thermometer this morning. Wet and miserable
Yes, it is in our garden and it was only just now, checking the name on google, that I found out that this fritillary was originally a wild plant. We did have two but the other one disappeared when Ray made the scree for the new owl sculpture.
I hate to say this but I`ve spent this afternoon 2 hours to translate a Haiku
( a kind of a Japanese poem )from Dutch to English as it fitted so well by the pic. I intended to send in.
I hope you don`t mind. It`s really a coincident .
I am looking forward to seeing your photo and its poem. Of course I don't mind. I think it's mental telepathy. I've heard of Haiku - a certain number of syllables and a certain form? Was that from Japanese to Dutch to English? (kidding!)
No from Dutch to English and that was difficult enough. I`ve to fit it to the pic and pay my respects to the original
I think poetry is maybe the hardest literary form to translate.
Thank you. Oooo Southwold, lovely place - and fritillaries too!
Sorryif you have lost the fritillary and what horrid weather for today. It was 16C on my car this afternoon.
I'd love to see that next year!
We have the poem in common then! I read all Lawrence's novels when I was in my teens and twenties but now his poetry is perhaps more to my liking.