The following is the text of a poem I wrote upon the birth of my niece, Suzanne, in January 1982. I gave a copy of the poem together with two white lilies to my sister and brother-in-law. The name Suzanne is derived from the Hebrew Shoshanna, which means lily. The poem is a jumble of English, French, and German.
Most wond'rous birth--quel miracle!
Spring leaps forth with a flower in her hand
breaching winter's chilling shackle
defying nature's solemn reprimand.
Say, what flower blooms with such allure
'mid winter frost and wind-swept flourish?
C'est l'enfant d'un coeur si doux et pure
que nous l'appellons une fleur fraiche, alors!
Mais quelle est nee en janvier
au commencement de l'annee, au lieu de mai?
Il faut que ca soit un fleur-d-lis,
une fleur d l'ile enchantee.
Une fleur d'une ame suss'
--une suss' ame--
Mai oui, sans doute, elle est le fleur-de-lis, Suzanne!!
(Suzanne, name derived from Hebrew word for lily)
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I was probably inspired to write the poem by a birthday greeting the composer Richard Wagner gave to his wife, Cosima. He set to music a poem he had written which poses the question: "What flower blooms at Christmas?" Wagner's wife, Cosima, was born December 25th.
The poem appears to have an affinity with schizoid fantasy in which the schizoid fantasizes about luxuriousness in the midst of emotional emptiness.
ReplyDeletehttp://dailstrug.blogspot.com/2010/02/etosha-national-park-and-schizoid.html
See also:
http://dailstrug.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-favorite-holiday-song.html