Happy May Day!
In France, lily of the valley is the traditional flower of May 1st, and is sold in small sprigs in the streets everywhere.
For an alternative flower, this is one of my friend Xiao Fan’s “Cent fleurs.” To see the other 99 psychadelic and whimsical flowers of varying degrees of volupté and perturbingness, see this link.
This is the flower to make you get out your Carmina Burana and listen to Eugene Jochum’s joyous interpretation of Carl Orff’s “Ecce gratum!”
Ecce gratum (Behold, the pleasant)
et optatum (and longed-for)
Ver reducit gaudia, (Spring, bringing back joyfulness!)
purpuratum (violet flowers)
floret pratum, (fill the meadows,)
Sol serenat omnia. (the sun brightens everything,)
Iamiam cedant tristia! (sadness is now at an end!)
Estas redit, (Summer returns,)
nunc recedit (And now withdraws
Hyemis sevitia. (the rigours of winter.)
Ah!
This song’s childlike joy and lightness is nothing but happy-making, in spite of the Latin lyrics, which may look rather heavy here to the non-Latin friendly. But if you don’t know it, you should try it. Get the CD here, or if you prefer to buy local, just make absolutely sure to get the Deutsche Gramophone recording directed by Eugene Jochum (under the auspices of the composer himself), and read the lyrics, which will touch you and/or floor you, I guarantee.
We all know the first song from horror movies (Young Sherlock Holmes) or Conan O’Brien’s Dick Cheney gag, but it’s really a series of humorous and sensual songs about love, lust, springtime, drinking, and the incredible wiles of Fate. I used the many of the songs as a memory aid during my Latin exams, but had already grown to love them in my Sony Walkman days (long, long ago!).
