Paideia: Friday Flowers: Anemones Purple and Red

Friday, February 24, 2012

Friday Flowers: Anemones Purple and Red

Anemone Coronaria: Purple Buttercup

Afternoon on a Hill
(By Edna St. Vincent Millay)

I will be the gladdest thing
   Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
   And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
   With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
   And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
   Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
   And then start down!

I grew up under the shadow of Modernism, the Beats, and Confessionalism, all of which instilled within me a disdain for "old-fashioned" rhymes and meters, silly sing-song poetry. Although very well-regarded during her lifetime, Edna St. Vincent Millay was no longer an American literary luminary when I started to learn how to handle verse. But, as contemporary poetry sloughs off the automatic bias against traditional styles and forms, her reputation is again on the rise.

And, since I like her writing, I think this is a good thing.

Anemone Coronaria: Mona Lisa Wine

As for the anemones, I figured that they were too pretty to not share with you all. So lovely, even Adonis would have to gaze upon them with appreciation. ;-)

With their old-fashioned appeal and mythic symbolism, is there a better flower to share a post with Edna? I think not!