A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."
"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."
~Edmund Burke, October 1790
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Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.
That post reminds me of two things. First, I love rosemary even more since my favorite novelist, Elizabeth Goudge, mentioned it so often. And two, as a native Pennsylvanian, I sometimes miss those mountain winters. I love Ohio, but when God makes the valleys exalted and the mountains and hills laid low, he won't have much work around here.
Reminds me of the old English poem: "Are you going to Scarborough fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Remember me to one who was there, She was once a true love of mine."
Here are the lyrics of the original song, which predates Simon and Garfunkel by several hundred years:
Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Remember me to one who lives there For once she was a true love of mine
Have her make me a cambric shirt Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Without no seam nor fine needle work And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme And gather it all with a basket of flowers And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her wash it in yonder dry well Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her find me an acre of land Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Between the sea foam and over the sand And then she'll be a true love of mine
Plow the land with the horn of a lamb Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Then sow some seeds from north of the dam And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme And gather it all in a bunch of heather And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she tells me she can't, I'll reply Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Let me know that at least she will try And then she'll be a true love of mine
Love imposes impossible tasks Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Though not more than any heart asks And I must know she's a true love of mine
Dear, when thou has finished thy task Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Come to me, my hand for to ask For thou then art a true love of mine
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Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Remember me to one who lives there For once she was a true love of mine
Have her make me a cambric shirt Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Without no seam nor fine needle work And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme And gather it all with a basket of flowers And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her wash it in yonder dry well Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her find me an acre of land Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Between the sea foam and over the sand And then she'll be a true love of mine
Plow the land with the horn of a lamb Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Then sow some seeds from north of the dam And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme And gather it all in a bunch of heather And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she tells me she can't, I'll reply Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Let me know that at least she will try And then she'll be a true love of mine
Love imposes impossible tasks Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Though not more than any heart asks And I must know she's a true love of mine
Dear, when thou has finished thy task Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Come to me, my hand for to ask For thou then art a true love of mine
The above lyrics are from this link. Scarborough Fair took place in the middle ages during Lammas-tide at what was a thriving port. Each of the herbs represent a certain virtue.
It is also in Tasha Tudor's book of nursery rhymes!
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9 comments:
I ilke rosemary, too. It reminds me of incense. It is great to have lots of it around the house at Christmas time.
"Rosemary for remembrance." I always liked that.
That post reminds me of two things. First, I love rosemary even more since my favorite novelist, Elizabeth Goudge, mentioned it so often. And two, as a native Pennsylvanian, I sometimes miss those mountain winters. I love Ohio, but when God makes the valleys exalted and the mountains and hills laid low, he won't have much work around here.
I agree, melanie, about the incense.
Yes, Jeffrey, I drove through the mountains near Altoona yesterday and they were covered with snow, it was beautiful.
Yes, rosemary was used a great deal in the old days. I have never read Elizabeth Goudge but I have been planning on it for awhile.
Reminds me of the old English poem: "Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to one who was there, She was once a true love of mine."
Here are the lyrics of the original song, which predates Simon and Garfunkel by several hundred years:
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
Have her make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seam nor fine needle work
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all with a basket of flowers
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her wash it in yonder dry well
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the sea foam and over the sand
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Plow the land with the horn of a lamb
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Then sow some seeds from north of the dam
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she tells me she can't, I'll reply
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Let me know that at least she will try
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Love imposes impossible tasks
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Though not more than any heart asks
And I must know she's a true love of mine
Dear, when thou has finished thy task
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Come to me, my hand for to ask
For thou then art a true love of mine
↑ Back to index
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
Have her make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seam nor fine needle work
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all with a basket of flowers
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her wash it in yonder dry well
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Have her find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the sea foam and over the sand
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Plow the land with the horn of a lamb
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Then sow some seeds from north of the dam
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she tells me she can't, I'll reply
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Let me know that at least she will try
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Love imposes impossible tasks
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Though not more than any heart asks
And I must know she's a true love of mine
Dear, when thou has finished thy task
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Come to me, my hand for to ask
For thou then art a true love of mine
↑ Back to index
http://www.geocities.com/paris/villa/3895/
The above lyrics are from this link. Scarborough Fair took place in the middle ages during Lammas-tide at what was a thriving port. Each of the herbs represent a certain virtue.
It is also in Tasha Tudor's book of nursery rhymes!
"Love imposes impossible tasks" wow, isn't that the truth.
What in the heck is Lammas-tide?
It was the latter part of August, after the feast of the Assumption on Aug.15.
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