Beautiful

 

My favourite

Where I grew up early summer would transform nature covering it with the most gorgeous flowers with the most fantastic scent. I was surrounded by Lily of the Valleys. I picked and picked to give to my mum, to the older lady and her husband who were our closest neighbours, to my teacher for last day in school - at primary. I picked to smell and enjoy, whenever I could. Still I was surrounded by them whenever I went outside. 

When my daughter was born in Scotland, what I remember during hours of labour was the big soap of Lily of the Valley scent that helped me through that. I smelled it and smelled it and eventually she arrived. The amazing thing is that May, the month she was born, the flower for that month is Lily of the Valley! 

After moving to Scotland I have tried and tried to get these lovely flowers to grow in my small garden. That has turned out to not be that easy! A couple of years ago I planted some in a pot and they have grown and flowered. So for a couple of weeks every year I have the amazing pleasure of sniffing these gorgeous beings. Unfortunately the cold weather and lack of sun this year meant I only got two flowers. They did however last a bit longer and still had that fantastic scent. 

In school we were at some point asked to pick a poem and explain more about it, the meaning of it. My choice was the beautiful King Lily of the Valley, touching as it was with the young King in mourning. So sweet, so sad and so beautiful! As written by the fantastic Swedish poet, Gustaf Fröding in 1896:

Kung liljekonvalje

Kung liljekonvalje av dungen

Kung liljekonvalje är vit som snö
Nu sörjer unga kungen
Prinsessan liljekonvaljemö

Kung liljekonvalje han sänker
Sitt sorgsna huvud så tungt och vekt
Och silverhjälmen blänker
I sommarskymningen blek

Kring bårens spindelvävar
Från rökelsekaren med blomsterstoft
En virak sakta svävar
All skogen är full av doft

Från björkens gungande krona
Från vindens vaggande gröna hus
Små sorgevisor tona
All skogen är uppfylld av sus

Det susar ett bud genom dälden
Om kungssorg bland viskande blad
I skogens vida välden
Från liljekonvaljernas huvudstad

I did paint it and write it down, but where that is now I have no idea of. I also suspect it was only the first two verses of the poem. I Google and find a lovely translation, unfortunately it does not tell me who made this great interpretation: 

King Lily-of-the Valley

King Lily-of-the-Valley from the grove,
King Lily-of-the-Valley is as white as snow,
now the young king mourns
over Princess Lily-of-the-Valley-Maiden.

King Lily-of-the-Valley, he lowers
his sad head so heavy and weak;
and the silver helmet shines
in the pale summer twilight.

Around the bier, a spider weaves
from the “incense place” with floral scent
an incense [that] slowly flows;
the entire forest is full of fragrance.

From the birch’s rocking crown,
from the wind’s waving green house
small songs of sorrow sound;
the entire forest is filled up with whistling.

A message is whispered through the valley
about a king’s sorrow among whispering leaves,
in the wide kingdoms of the forest,
from the capital of the Lilies-of-the-Valley.

Sounding like this

Agnetha Blomberg McCormack · Liljekonvalj 140526

I'm still in awe if you amazing flowers. Thank you!

Agnetha 🥀