faner
Friday, July 11, 2008
The ancient walls of Gigondas (Vaucluse) where genêt gilds the countryside.
faner (fa-nay) verb
: to wither
La gloire soudaine se fane très
vite.
Sudden glory quickly withers.
--Proverb
Hear the French word "faner" and today's quote, read by my son, Max: Download faner.mp3 .Download faner.wav
Is it too late
to talk about sweet-scented French broom? "Le genêt," as it is called in
France, is now withering across the French countryside, but nostalgia for the
shrub never fades.
Also: "une fane" is a dead leaf... and... the verb "faner"
finds itself before "fanfare" in the dictionary (while one conjugates to
"withered," the other boasts a "showy outward
appearance").
With French maracas playing in the background (those
cicadas do give off such a rhumba-shaking sound), I sit at my desk beside an
open window and study "The Perfume of Broom". It is a tender short story
written by my francophone aunt. The sweet-scented scenes sweep me back to
Marseilles... to the chalky heights that tower over a deep blue sea; in
between the two, a delicate yellow flower softens more that the rugged
landscape...
.
Among
all of the goodies that nature offers us in spring, a certain
magical blooming has a particular importance to me, and each May brings me
back to my adolescence...
Back then I was a student in Marseilles. I
studied in an exceptional school, exceptional as much for the education as
for the magnificent environment. The buildings spread out over the hills
which scaled the limestone high massif that dominates the city.
At
that time the Bac* took place over a two year period, sanctioned by
two successive exams in the month of June. As soon as May approached, the
vegetation surrounding our classes woke up, and the sea, close by, attracted
the less studious. But the most conscientious among us knew that the dates
for the dreaded exams approached... and so we threw ourselves into the
non-stop revisions, even during recreation and in between classes.
In
little groups, we looked for the pénombre* to continue working.... Seated
at the foot of the towering broom that had just covered itself with golden
flowers, we formed little industrious conclaves.
Perched over our
books and our cahiers,* we were intoxicated by the honey-like perfume that
the flowers emitted; it made us forget the stress and transformed us into
little worker bees.
I received my Bac, and my life unfolded... but each
year I am rejuvenated by the arrival of these flowers. I love the genêt*
that, here, splashes the thickets, gushing up between somber berries and
forming great joyous families along the chemins* that surround the vineyard
parcels. I gather great brassées* which I bring back to the house in order to
enjoy their sunny "fireworks" and especially for the perfume of my youth. And
I wish "bonne chance"* to the young people who, in turn, prepare their own
exams.
If you enjoyed Marie-Françoise's story, why not let her know? Thanks for leaving her a message in the comments box at the very end of this post. You might tell Marie-Françoise a bit about yourself as well :-) P.S.: If any of the messages look odd, that may be due to website spam, which I'll clear out of the box as soon as I discover it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~References~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
le bac
(baccalauréat) (m) = a French diploma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccalaureat
; la pénombre (f) = half-light, dusk; le cahier (m) = notebook; le genêt (m)
= broom; le chemin (m) = (country) road; une brassée (f) = armful; la bonne
chance (f) = good
luck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Boutique~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excellent
French/English dictionary
Provence
French Linen Water - in Summer Jasmine
Summer
Black French Truffles
In
French hair care: Rene Furterer Complexe 5
In
Music: pre-order Carla Bruni's "Comme Si de Rien N'était"
A Message from Kristi: For twenty years now, support from readers like you has been an encouragement and a means to carve out a career in writing. If my work has touched you in any way, please consider a donation. Your gift keeps me going! Thank you very much.
Ways to contribute:
1. Send a check (to this new address)
2. Paypal or credit card
3. A bank transfer via Zelle, a great way to send your donation as there are no transaction fees.
Or purchase my book for a friend, and so help spread the French word.
For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety