Monday, July 6, 2009


Walking Home On A Night In Midsummer

A firefly followed me home last night.
Bobbing and bouncing like a fairy’s torch, it appeared at my shoulder and remained there all the way to my door, a tiny glowing escort, perhaps sent to guide me through the mystery of the twilight. Past the tall poppies holding court in the garden on the corner.... was it my imagination, or did they cease conversation at our approach? On down the side lane where the precocious nicotiana breaches her borders and lolls about in the pathway, scenting the warm air with a heavy perfume that makes it quite difficult to think of a serious thought. I wonder, did I hear a hint of a throaty giggle just as we passed? And behind the weeping willow tree, or beneath the white gardenias.... could those have been scores of green eyes, widening and narrowing as we went by?
It was not yet dark, but not quite light, as if the daytime had lingered a bit to flirt with the night before traipsing off to sleep in her silent bed of violets. The magical hour of an ordinary day when cabbage leaves turn to velvet and the glow of a rose paints the air all around us with the pink gauze of a dream.
We made our way, all alone in the lane, Edward and I, with our own blithe spirit aglow just beside us - our very own Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Cobweb or Moth - and as we opened our gate, the firefly nodded and wove his way off in the dream of a midsummer’s night.

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough briar,

Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,

I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;

And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats, spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,

In their freckles live our savours.

I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I'll be gone;

My queen and all her elves come here anon!

Act II, Scene I
A Midsummer Night's Dream
William Shakespeare

33 comments:

  1. Lovely, lovely post. And good timing...guess who came to our house last night? The tooth fairy! My little one lost her tooth in the middle of the 4th of July festivities. A tooth fairy named 'Sparkle' came to visit (all of our tooth fairies have names), and left behind a golden dollar and a little bit of fairy dust with some red, white, and blue stars as it was such a special night.

    If you visit my blog this evening, you will see my dog Ben...I know you have a fond spot for the furry friends!

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  2. wonderful post Pamela - I have never seen a firefly - someday I will - A Midsummer Nights Dream - one of my favs - love when it's done outside :)

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  3. I am very envious of your fireflies also.

    That is a great photo of mother and daughter below, such a spirit of Joie de vivre. I like Americans too, I like the way they celebrate success.

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  4. This time of year is so special at twilight isn't it..
    I'm enjoying the white flowers that take on a moonlit luminscent glow and the moths are amazing this year. I do so wish we had the fireflies here too though.

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  5. Goodness, how beautiful, Youe prose is right on the verge of poetry, the gulf has narrowed, you're stepping out on the other side.

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  6. a mid summers night dream is one of my all time favourites! i love the poetic way you tell of yours & edwards homeward walk, a magical picture painted. it reminds me twighlight walks with my grandmother in long ago summers. as we walked she would sing old folk songs & tell faerietales that would spark my imagination & set me peeking from left to right to catch a glimps of the wee folks of who she sang. thank you for bringing back those golden memories x x

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  7. Hello P&E,

    Beautiful writing, from both you and Mr Shakespeare! I have seen fireflies only once, in Tobago. They are rather magical!

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  8. Oh Pamela, this has to be one of my favorites -- so magical, so wonderful - so midsummery - seriously fabulous.
    xo Isa

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  9. Oh, my, I thought this was a passage from an old English book, Pamela. You really are a wonderful writer. Your words brought tears to my eyes. I was right there, walking along with you two.

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  10. A fiery gem of a post - one that wil glitter and sparkle in my mind all day long. Quite breathtakingly beautiful.

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  11. P & E.
    how blessed you are to notice.

    xx

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  12. Act 2 scene 1 and your written prose go so well together Pamela. And I love the idea of the nicotiana giggling and the poppies ceasing their conversation as you pass. Beautiful writing.

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  13. I adore that fairy's speech, one of my favourite's.

    So glad to come across an original blogger like you. Keep writing, keep dreaming and sharing.

    "And, as imagination bodies forth
    The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
    Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
    A local habitation and a name."

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  14. I so enjoyed reading this post - it's completely captivating! I can just smell all those delicious perfumes mingling! We have fireflies here KL - magical little creatures!

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  15. Finally, I had time to sit in the quiet and read this. Really, really beautiful. Yours every bit as much as his.
    No dreamy fireflies here, just noisy, intrusive crickets!

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  16. O my....how enchanting...my kind of post ..:)

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  17. Oh, what a gloriously magical post, thankyou:)

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  18. Such a sweet re-telling of your lovely walk with Edward and company. I love to sit on my patio just before the world goes dark and watch the magic of the fireflies - there must be hundreds of them - as they rejoice in the last light of the day.

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  19. I love everything Pamela
    Beautiful

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  20. Beautiful words, yours and William's. I have never seen a firefly but would love to do so. They sound magical. Regarding the post below: wonderful photo of Jacky and her daughter. I like Americans too. I always think of them as friendly and outgoing and gregarious, although there must be the opposites there too.

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  21. I also have never seen a firfly and I know that I would love them. Merci for the lovely birthday wishes and miss D sends her best to handsome Edward and lovely Miss A. xo Susan

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  22. lovely post, I love fireflies and how nice to have one take a role as your personal guide for the evening....

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  23. You and Edward are just too lovely for words and the image of you walking home together accompanied by a firefly is totally wonderful Pamela, xv.

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  24. Such beautiful words - it's so cold here yet I'm sure just for a moment I was there with you in the late summer afternoon. Lovely - thank you. Leigh

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  25. You weave such a lovely and enchanting image for us - thank you!

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  26. How perfectly lovely an entry...

    'Aunt Amelia'

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  27. Lovely, Pamela! You always make me feel like I've escaped to a land of faries, talking animals and a secret garden of magical flowers! Hug the King and queen for me?

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  28. Beautiful...I'm going to keep your post up on my computer to read it again later. I need something beautiful to ponder this afternoon!

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  29. It's funny familiar as I am with Shakespeare he never fails to delight!

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  30. Pamela, what an enchanting post. I was with you on that walk at twilight with the chattering flowers, Edward and the firefly. How beautifully written, then to end with Shakespeare himself, I was that Queen, in a past life.

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  31. Beautiful post and Shakespeare's words go with yours perfectly. I've only seen fireflies once when I was on one of my visit's to the US - such magical creatures.

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  32. You are achingly achingly poetic! Ah, I love to read your descriptions of things (and one of the things we are sadly lacking here in the PNW is fireflies!! A serious oversight, IMO!!)

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!