By Robert Fuller Murray
The sun shines fair on Tweedside, the river flowing bright,
Your heart is full of pleasure, your eyes are full of light,
Your cheeks are like the morning, your pearls are like the dew,
Or morning and her dew-drops are like your pearls and you.
Because you are a princess, a princess of the land,
You will not turn your lightsome eyes a moment where I stand,
A poor unnoticed poet, a-making of his rhymes;
But I have found a mistress, more fair a thousand times.
`Tis May, the elfish maiden, the daughter of the Spring,
Upon whose birthday morning the birds delight to sing.
They would not sing one note for you, if you should so command,
Although you are a princess, a princess of the land.
--------
I forgot that I need to put on sunblock more diligently now that it's spring, so I am feeling kind of pink and sleepy after spending the afternoon in Baltimore, first at the Maryland Zoo, then at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory. It was a beautiful day -- sunny but not very hot, low 70s in the sun and lower in the shade. We brought a picnic and ate it at the tables near the elephants after walking halfway through Africa -- the vultures, sitatungas, hornbills, antelope, warthogs, dik-diks, tortoises, zebras, ostriches, rhinos, etc. Many of the penguins were hanging out inside their enclosure, peering out through the plastic opening, and several others were swimming around chasing their keepers. After we ate, overlooked by a pilated woodpecker and several squirrels who wanted our leftovers, we went to see the giraffes, lions, chimpanzees, and lemurs. We also visited the Arctic region, where the bears, foxes, and owls were sleepy.
The conservatory likes to put on theme displays, and right now it's Peter Pan, meaning there are a couple of pirate ship models as well as an Indian encampment, London bedroom, and flying silhouettes in among the tulips and lilies. I am fond of the fountain with koi and desert room with all the cactus. We came home to several hours of Doctor Who -- first the look back at last season, then last week's episode which we hadn't recorded, then the new episode, and then the BBC America cut of the Confidential. I love River Song, and I really enjoyed the scenery in Utah, but I must admit to being pretty apathetic otherwise to the Doctor, his companions, and anything else we've seen so far this season. I'm told by the news that the Redskins and Ravens did well in the NFL draft but I don't know anything about the players they picked. Here are some photos from the conservatory:
Happy Beltane, May Day, or whatever you may be celebrating!
No comments:
Post a Comment