Tuesday, 7 February 2012

Sweet Lovers Love the Spring

"Don't come cooing on my drainpipe!"  roared Captain Butterfly as he strode forcefully towards the balcony, and a pair of courting doves sped wisely off.

Spring must be on the way.  A pair of them tried to nest in our downpipe last year.

Pen left for London this morning and I was out on the door to door preaching work with Audrey - cold but sunny - croci everywhere - very little interest - a bit cold to keep people at their doors talking anyway.  Still at least I am back to work.

Col was off at Wisley, drinking in the butterflies.  There will be some wonderful photos on his blog soon.  He bought me back a present from the bookshop there.  An anthology by Owen Sheers called "A Poet's Guide to Britain".

I have already found an old favourite from my Uni days - Wulf and Eadwacer.  We  don't know who wrote it.  It is a voice of longing from the past - maybe from a spring many many hundreds of years ago.

It begins:

"The men of my tribe would treat him as game:
 if he comes to the camp they will kill him outright...

Wulf is on one island, I on another.
Mine is a fastness: the fens girdle it
and it is defended by the fiercest men.
If he comes to the camp they will kill him for sure...

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