FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Gone fishing.


aveugle (a-vuhgl) noun, masculine/feminine

  : blind man, blind woman

adjective
   blind

Le monde est aveugle. Rares sont ceux qui voient.
The world is blind. Rare are those who see. --Bouddha
.

When your frigo* begins talking it's time for you to take a break. And so it is that this thrice-weekly letter will go on leave. The words will resume in under a fortnight (and after a fort* dose of R&R).

Entre temps,* and just to reassure you (and me) that I am not really "hearing things," I will partager* the nugget of "frigian" philosophy that our ice-box shared with me the other day when it offered up the following maxim:

     "Sur aveugle parole tombe."
     (Upon a blind man words fall.)

Boom. The French words hit me like hailstones (or sharp-edged magnets, according to the way the words revealed themselves: black on white, along a sticky, linear line, and over a metallic surface.)

I approached the fridge and stared at the door full of French word magnets, four of which had seemingly gathered themselves together, like foam above a windswept sea.

      "Sur aveugle parole tombe."

"Harrumph! Well THIS explains things!" thought I, remembering a certain stubborn someone in my immediate entourage. No use trying to talk sense into him--he can't even hear me. My words "fall" right off of him--he is blind to the truth!

My eyes remained glued to the magnetic maxim. How can one with blinders on "see the light" or "hear reason" or "be reasoned with" if you like (...or rather, if "I" like? For it IS all about me after all isn't it?).

This last inspiration is slow in coming, as is the tray of water destined to become one dozen ice cubes if you leave it be. (And if your husband hasn't returned an empty tray to the ice-box, as he does. But never mind that, it isn't about the ice cubes. It never is.)

Back to that last inspiration based on the pop psychology mantra: "It Isn't All About You!" OK, so it's not about me. It can be more about us and all of the things we have in common: l'espoir, la peur, la colère, l'orgueil; la tristesse, besoin. Le besoin d'amour.* And blindness. And deaf ears.

      "Sur aveugle parole tombe."

I look back at my freezer door behind which I was about to return a half-empty pint of Numb-Thyself-Noisette.* I run my fingers across the word magnets until the smooth surface and sage words bring my senses back to the here and now. No longer blinded by my emotions, I hear the music once again.

......................................................................................................................
References: le frigo (m) = fridge; fort = heavy; entre temps = meanwhile; partager = to share; l'espoir (m) = hope; la peur (f) = fear; la colère (f) = anger; l'orgueil (m) = pride; la tristesse (f) = sadness; le besoin (m) = need; le besoin (m) d'amour = the need for love; la noisette (f) = hazelnut

:: Audio Clip ::
Aveugle. Le monde est aveugle. Rares sont ceux qui voient.
Download aveugle.mp3
Download aveugle.wav

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Terms & Expressions:
  devenir aveugle = to go blind
  le point aveugle = blind spot
  faire quelque chose en aveugle = to do something blindly
  suivre quelqu'un en aveugle = to follow someone blindly
  l'amour est aveugle = love is blind

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