Most of our lilies (in three different locations) are in full bloom. You can share with us their
sublime beauty, but you cannot indulge the pleasant fragrance they exude.The other day I was transplanting zinnia in the lily zone, to say “so perfumed, the winds were lovesick with them” may be a bit exaggeration, but the constant and steady fragrance filled the air, leading me to imagine how Cleopatra came to meet Antony, the story told by Shakespeare.
The grandeur and beauty of the scene told by Enobarbus (Antony lieutenant) is unmatched by that in the modern movie Cleopatra.
ENOBARBUS
I will tell you.
The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Burned on the water. The poop was beaten gold,
Purple the sails, and so perfumèd that
The winds were lovesick with them. The oars were silver . . . .
(I’ll loosely translate it)
I will tell you. Her barge looked like a golden throne upon the river/waves, burning bright as the sun shone upon it. The rear upper deck was strikingly golden. The sails were dyed purple, and there were perfumed so heavily that the air seemed dizzy with love. . . .
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