Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Sparrow and the Rose: Edith Piaf.

Edith Piaf - 15 Dec 1915 - 11 Oct 1963.

Through my valley of faded youthfull memories, a song, played over our family's big old valve radio that took up half the frontroom, (as you called the best room in those days) still sings clear. It backdrops memories of ragged pants and barefoot childhood: falling from tall pine trees, roaming farm fields with my many brothers and sisters (the ones I wasn't fighting with at the time), a fox terrier and rusty pitchfork in hand tracking possums, walking the milk-cow 3 miles home, sister screaming her head off with big toe mangled in bike chain sprocket, being bullied at school and other images...all hung on to so desperately these days .
But vivid after so many years is this song. I loved that delicate, plaintive, lost soul voice that came from so far away but yet penetrated so deeply a young kid. I still love it.



The Sparrow and the Rose.

La Vie en Rose
the sparrow sang.

La Vie en Rose
and through the valley
the three bells rang.

From a Parisian street
on a cold winter's night
in a country ravaged by war
wings desperately beating as it took flight 
a little sparrow
would make our hearts soar.

La Vie en Rose
the sparrow sang
from the depths of an anguished soul.

La Vie en Rose
the little sparrow sang
in a voice so hauntingly sad.

La Vie en Rose
the bleeding sparrow sang
impaled on the thorns of life.





Edith Piaf - 15 Dec 1915 - 11 Oct 1963.

The Little Sparrow still sings in my valley.





The above poem, written by myself, was first published on Nov 3 2011 at John Reese's blog.
The French Way Blog: The Sparrow and the Rose.




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2 comments:

Ron said...

A beautiful write, remembrance and verse. Bless you Jim :)

Jim said...

Thanks Ron. She will be singing in my workshop for the next few weeks. Her birthdate coming up so well worth remembering her beautiful singing.