Sunny photo taken in the port of Cassis.
Hâte-toi de bien vivre… Make haste to live and consider each day a life… Seneca
TODAY'S WORD: Hâte
: haste
Also: avoir hâte de faire quelque chose =
to be eager or anxious to do something: J'ai hâte de te voir! I can't wait to see you!
ECOUTER
Listen to my daughter, Jackie (soundfile recorded 10 years ago!), pronounce today's quote: Download hate.wav or
à la hâte = hurriedly, hastily
en hâte = fast as you can
hâter le pas = to quicken one's step
se hâter = to hurry, to force
se hâte de faire quelque chose = to hurry to do something
hâtif, hâtive = forward; premature; precocious, hasty
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
I was staring at the empty branches of our dogwood tree,
willing its wooden limbs to quiver and send forth so many rosy blossoms,
when I recognized a vague longing coming from within.
I stood up and walked over to the north window,
threw open the painted green shutters
and saw a small feathered creature pacing back and forth
over a bed of crumbling leaves,
just above the would-be strawberry patch.
I recognized another restless soul throwing its own will around,
this one willing so many worms to pop out of the cold ground!
I looked at my dogwood,
the red robin at its frozen patch,
neither of us able to get the universe to dance for us.
On days like this the worms rejoice and the dogwoods,
still as they are, cause willing hearts to stir.
It is hope that keeps us going.
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Blossoming in Provence. Have a lovely weekend.
Amicalement,
Kristi
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Sweet! One of my favorite posts of yours.
What a lovely post, hope and a cup that is always half full rather than half empty – definitely what keeps us going. Right now I am hopeful that spring really is emerging, for much as I love the bare branches and twisted gnarled limbs of our ancient trees, I also love them when they explode into a sea of green and the dappled sunlight underneath, yes I am definitely ready for spring! Have a lovely weekend
Hi Kristi,
I enjoyed your poem and I enjoy your blog. The current photo of the doorway in Cassis invites one to rush off to
Provence. Your positive outlook, your willingness to be open not only to French society but to the world at large and to share your perceptions with the vast ether, shows great courage.
Having studied in France long before you were born and having fallen in love with the richness of French culture, the beauty of the country and the elegance of the cuisine, I welcome your posts which celebrate the best of French life.
Thank you, too, for including French vocabulary lessons. My French gets worse each year from lack of use, so regular reminders of idioms and new words are most welcome.
It is raining lightly here in CT as I write. I hope you will have a soft rain in Provence to encourage all the wonderful growth which that region generates. I wish you a happy weekend,
Janet
Thank you for your lovely post Kristi….aah the promise of Spring. Bon week-end
Good morning, Kristi. The longing for the promises of Spring is so natural this time of year. I look forward to digging in the earth again, and false-spring this week (temps in the 70s!) has me rooting around in the garden beds too early. One loan hyacinth is blooming reminding me that once again I didn’t plant fall bulbs. I have enjoyed watching you mature as a gardener over the years, and would love to visit with you someday. Happy Spring, dear Kristi!
Lovely writing and quotes, as always.
Thanks for the reminder that I need to re-read Blossoming. Your words and expressions are copied into my French cahier for later reference. Merci, Kristi, et bon week-end.
Really nice poem. I think poetry may be your best form. I you. l’d take out the exclamation point, though. It seems incongruous with the quiet, mediative tone of the poem.
Oops, mistake in editing. I meant, if I were you, I’d take out the exclamation point.
As always, an inspiration. Merci.
Love the poem (and the ! seems appropriate in that willful line)…
and the photo. My mom’s little “5 miles from the beach” house (still difficult to call it mine) is painted yellow, though a little less deep color. Always appears very cheerfully welcoming.
I have trouble living in the moment and welcoming and appreciating spring here. The season is much too short; we often move from heat to AC (last year 90s Apr – Nov). I miss a season of open windows with comfortable breezes and the sounds of nature. Yesterday it was already 85 degrees. Sigh. I should enjoy, and yet I find myself having anxiety over anticipatory thoughts of our long hot summer.
Thanks for the reminder, through a beautifully detailed description, of a seasonal spring.
I am sure that you and most (if not all) of your readers realize this, but being logically minded, I thought I would point out that whenever you see the accent circumflex in French, it is an indication that in prior times there was an “s” following the vowel. This can help one like me who has trouble memorizing vocabulary, because it frequently will give you a clue as to what the word means – as it does in this case with “hate” becoming “haste”.
Love the poem. Merci Kristi.
What a beautiful post! Merci!
Beautiful poem. I always appreciate how you honestly reflect on your life and your world. Merci!
Beautiful poem !
I read the French Academy has eliminated the circumflex.
……… your poem is food for the restless soul… Merci une mille foie et bon weekend a tous! Judi.. Tallahassee, Fl.
Beautiful as always.
xoxo
Dear Kristi,
Such a touching, perceptive and positive sentiment, subtly profound, as are so many of your reflections…like sparkling jewels pulled from a treasure chest of thoughts.
Lovely, as always. Dogwoods (are they the same in Framce as in the US?) hold a special place in my heart. I used to marvel at one, through all its phases, from my upstairs bedroom window when I was in high school. Ah, hope. What keeps us going in this life. Quick question. I often am not able to hear the pronunciation since the “wav” format. Is there some reason the other format isn’t an option anymore? Thanks. I’m technologically challenged.:)
Hi, Cheryl, the mp3 is still available – only not for this recording.
Beautiful Kristi! 🙂
I would love to see this in French, please!
Our dear Kristi,
Your beautiful words(and poem!) today have(once again) wrapped us in hugs!
THANK YOU!!
And!Seneca is just a special treat!
Despite his awful ending,his wisdoms never fail to stir my imagination and fill my mind with thoughts to savor.
This one is certainly no different,though with apologies to him,I think I’d change vivre to cadeau.I like to take every new day that way.
Love
Natalia XO
Yes, I wondered about that circonflex, so helpful to me in learning French words. Will it be eliminated? Is it just a discussion now?
Spring seems to be coming early here, but March is not a predictable month. It is nice now, bulbs are showing their leaves, that is enough for now.
Dear Kristi,
Your lovely poem symbolizes the hope we all must have within our lives. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your poem, though I’m far from robins and frozen dogwood, with Magpies warbling beautifully and warm sun on a glorious autumnal day in Adelaide, South Australia.
I do value your emails and love the photos. Although I’m working a la hâte to reach the stage where I can just type a response to you off the top of my head, that is still a distant goal. Last year I spent a wonderful week in Avignon and then a wonderful cruise up to Chalon, but every time I tried to speak French the locals immediately burst into English!
All the best,
Clive
Hello, Clive, So glad you brought this up! I, too, have the hardest time commenting just off the top of my head. Only moments ago, I managed to hit the send button, after taking ten minutes to format an awkward, 2-line response to Ellie (of the Have Some Decorum blog!). So heres to all the big-hearted lurkers out there! You are not alone. And many thanks for reading! 💛