Sunflowers: Bochsler Farm, Mt. Angel, Oregon
"Ah, Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime,
Where the traveller's journal done;
Where the youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!"
- William Blake
10 comments:
Beautiful, poetry in motion.
Beautiful. I love Sunflowers!
Are those sunflowers in your yard? They are magnificent!
And, isn't it a pity that they don't get to live that long? My daughter planted some in our garden a few years ago and they died after a few weeks.
Beautiful poem. I love Blake. In Cuba, the sunflower is the flower that represents Oshun, the 'orisha' (goddess, although that's not a very accurate translation) of love, femininity and sweetness. This 'orisha' also represents pregnancy, the beauty of child-bearing and the sunflower is hte token she chooses to bestow her powers on expectant mothers. Although I am not religious at all, I love the 'patakies' (myths/legends) behind each African deity in the Afro-Cuban pantheon. It is said that when the first Yoruba slaves were rbought to Cuba they immediately identified with sunflowers because of many of the reasons Blake cites in his poems: their golden colour, their attraction to the sun and the symbolism of youth.
Good post. I have to get around to blog-rolling your blog at some point. Life is quite hectic at the moment.
Greetings from London.
Beautiful Blake, beautiful sunflower!
Sunflowers are the happiest of flowers..always following the sun..
I drove by a cottage on the Iowa River yesterday, the river that flooded and left two feet of mud in their cabin, but it also left a ditch full of sunflowers lining the highway. Whether planted after the flood to take away the gloom or natural, it brought a smile to my eye. But it also left them a wonderful sandbar directly across from the cabin. Walking the sandbars after the floods can be a treasure trove of old bottles sticking out of the sand, as the river was the dump back in the day...and probaby still is in most parts...sad!
sharon
Sunflowers are my favourite of all flowers! They always look happy, even when they're a little droopy :)
Reaching toward the sun like a sunflower, I'm in touch with that :) Beautiful post. I have not much knowledge of Blake but will definitely look deeper into his poetry, it is lovely!
oh beautiful sunflower, and i love the ones that have red streaks, and the ones that are almost a deep maroon. what gorgeous flowers.
also, my parents used Blake as part of their wedding vows, so its always a nice reminder to me when i read a poem of his unexpectedly!! thanks!
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