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Tristan and Iseult

5/28/2014

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"Fold your arms round me close and strain me so that our hearts may break and our souls go free at last. Take me to that happy place of which you told me long ago. The fields whence none return, but where great singers sing their song forever."
Joseph Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
 A hawthorn bush  grows  from the tomb  of Tristan. Its green  and flowery branches always reach the tomb of Isolde, as the magic potion the tragic lovers  had drunk together  made it impossible for them to be apart, even after  death.  The beautifully shiny flowers of golden buttercup remind us of Isolda's hair. Its colour triggered all the dramatic events, whose numerous accounts have been around for centuries. Just like the flowers of buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis).  The  creamy white flowers of hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), dotted with pink anthers appear in elegant inflorescences  growing on thorny  protective stems.  Exactly the way Tristan was towards  his lover.  Both plants bloom every spring at the same time, it could not be otherwise, could it. 


Of course, without the magic potion prepared by the mother of Isolde, the evergreen love affair would probably not have happened at all. That is why a lot of us might doubt the sincerity of the the mutual feeling that captured Tristan and Isolde had they been deprived the magic of the potent liqueur.
However, hawthorn and buttercup may not only  visually symbolise the eternal love. Hawthorn has been known for its medicinal properties affecting  weak hearts. Buttercup is...poisonous, no wonder, it is  commonly called devil-on-all-sides. Maybe Isolde's mother combined the two and created the mixture that was responsible for the love affair of all time? Nobody knows. I  only hope no one is going to try to prepare their own potion using hawthorn and buttercup flowers. I am sure it will not work. What will work though,  is a long walk along a forest line where hawthorn bushes do grow and  then down the meadows covered with the  yellow blanket of buttercup blossoms. If you crave for more, you can always listen to the beautiful ballad about Tristan and Isolde sung by Leszek Długosz or the famous  piece form the opera by Richard Wagner. After such a walk nobody needs any magic  potions, that is for sure!
Jarek
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    I was destined to be born gardener. In order to become a professional  one I had to enjoy years of studying at various  schools and  universities...  read more

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