Entertainment Monday: Spring Time (Monday March 23, 2015)

This week marked the beginning of Spring Time here in the United States where Jon Bear lives, so I figured I would have a bit of an Ode to Spring.  Especially since we kicked off our Spring in the Northeast with another snowfall.  I like to think of it as a farewell to the Winter which was rather brutal from a cold and snow accumulation perspective this year.

One of the first literary works that comes to mind when I think of Spring is William Shakespeare's poem, It was a Lover and his Lass.  I was first introduced to the tune when Gene Wilder sings a small bit of it in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory the original movie version of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

I always thought it kind of humorous and enjoyed reading the poem years later when I thought to look further into it.  Here is a link from PoemHunter.com


IT was a lover and his lass,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green corn-field did pass,
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
These pretty country folks would lie,
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

This carol they began that hour,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that life was but a flower
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

And, therefore, take the present time
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crown`d with the prime
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.                             


I also love Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and someday I would very much like to see a live Ballet performance (something I have never done before).  While the performance is a bit sensual in this youtube clip, that is certainly reflective of the passion in Stravinsky's music and the Season that the music represents.

For me the Spring always seems like the start of the New Year in a way.  While Winter may close out the old year and in fact start the New Year, it's the rebirth of life and the blossoming of trees and flowers that truly signal the start of a new year to me.  I hope to take advantage of the beautiful weather that will be offered to us this Spring and take time to appreciate and be thankful for God's gift of such a beautiful and amazing season.