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Honeysuckle
Chèvrefeuille - زهر العسل
Description
This climbing shrub with two-toned flowers is well known for its fragrance and is particularly popular with birds and pollinators. Its name is said to come from its sweet taste (loved by goats). Hardy and vigorous, it requires little maintenance and grows particularly well on trellises. Because it attaches itself so firmly to whatever it can, it has become a symbol of fidelity. Although Charles Corm did not write about this plant, he did write about ivy, whose “clinging” qualities echo those of honeysuckle.
Poem
The Ivy
The flower may sulk in spring, taking offence
Of winter’s hailstones or summer’s impeding blaze;
But steadfastly devoted to its humble task,
The ivy endures:
“I cling or else I die,”
The tree, to become a mast crowned by a cloud of foam,
Leaves its native sky, swept away upon the waves;
But steadfastly devoted to its humble task,
The ivy persists:
“I cling or else I die,”
The old ancestral roof, heavy with memories,
Falls into ruin once neglected;
But steadfastly devoted to its humble task,
The ivy remains.
“I cling or else I die.”
Published in La Montagne Parfumée
Éditions de la Revue Phénicienne, 2004
