Sunday, February 15, 2015

The "Wistful Fragrance of Violets"




 "Describe to me scientifically the haunting wistful fragrance of a bunch of violets." -From the film, "A Man Called Peter"

Sometimes a breeze catches the scent of the violets in spring, but the delicate aroma is more apparent when there is a cup full of the pretty blossoms. The violet has a delicate sweet scent. To make a violet perfume, do a web search for recipes.  It is hard to find violet perfumes.



Gather a handful of the blossoms and take a breath. They smell like a confection.


The Violet
by Jane Taylor
 
Down in a green and shady bed,
A modest violet grew;
Its stalk was bent, it hung its head
As if to hide from view.
And yet it was a lovely flower,
Its colour bright and fair;
It might have graced a rosy bower,
Instead of hiding there.
 
Yet thus it was content to bloom,
In modest tints arrayed;
And there diffused a sweet perfume,
Within the silent shade.
 
Then let me to the valley go
This pretty flower to see;
That I may also learn to grow
In sweet humility.
 
 
 
Violets
By L. Young Correthers
from “These Blooming Rascals”
 
Violets can be devastating
When they look up at you with faces sweet
Breathing sheer poetry into the air
Making spring and life and love complete
But they also can be exasperating
And I’ll tell you why and when and where.
Treat them too well—they run to leaf--
Neglect them—then they come to grief
But whatever you do—under the ground
They send tough rootstocks round and round
Until plants nearby are choked and bound.
Yes—violets charm with their artlessness
But underneath—they’re a perfect mess.

5 comments:

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I love the soft sweet scent of violets. I used to buy violet cologne that was made in England.

The little violets that grow around here in the yard in very early spring, do not have any scent, but I am always happy to see their pretty little purple blooms in the yard anyway.

How nice to be inspired by your writing today to think about the scent of violets, and how pretty they are growing in the yard. I am sure that the violets are right underneath that layer of snow that continues to get deeper as the snow falls tonight. Hopefully, not long now until we will have violets instead of snow in the yard.

Raggedy Cottage Garden said...

This is very nice. I love to use items in nature to make wonderful things. Lately I have been making items with pine. (needles, baskets, teas, salves etch)

Lydia said...

Susie, pick a handful if the blossoms ans smell them and you will find a faint scent that is lightly sweet. They are sometimes called violas and are not the same as African violets

SharonR said...

Yellow and purple violets are what the main character in "The Harvester" by Gene Stratton-Porter sold door to door looking for his dream-girl. Some may find it a silly book, but I loved it. The man built a beautiful home for the girl he hoped to bring into it. When he finally found her, he patiently wooed her. Sweet story.

Marianne said...

Some of my best childhood memories are of playing in a small woods near our house, where wild violets grew , covering the ground. I think that might be where my romantic nature was nourished!