Enga mellom fjella

Count of Cluj observes the Fast

Count of Cluj observes the Fast

At the hour of opening primroses,
safe to go out, he took a tour
of the botanical gardens
beautifully lit in the moonlight, starlight,
abandoned by only him and lonesome lovers
canoodling in the dim-lit bowers

so tempting to join them in eternal bliss,
on such a nice night as this:

yellow lamplight softened ivory oleander,
angel trumpets and winding moonflowers.
as a lingering smell of rotting gardenias
accompanied him down stone paths
of pale tobacco and pink impatiens
past the throats of honeysuckles
nectiferous, waiting to be sucked
to where his favorite flowers bloomed:
cardinal roses, red geraniums, love-lies-bleeding,
by moonlight, almost black.
Jealous, he thought of flicking off aphids,
them remembered to "harm them not"
and inhaled the joy of star jasmine instead,
remembering his promise to fast:
no sustenance from sun's set till sun's rise.
This night would remain safe from his hunger.
And the Count of Cluj was famished for sure
hungry for the dim dint before dawn
when he would fly home to break the fast
on the vials thawed from the freezer
harvested the week before last.

© Kåre Enga 2008 [164.499] 2008-02-05

Cluj (pronounced Kloozh) is now known as Cluj-Napoca and is a major city in the heart of Transylvania in Central Romania. It goes back to the Dacia of Roman times. Today it is 40º and rainy there.

Tourism site:

http://www.romaniatourism.com/cluj.html

Photos of the botanical garden:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/558828716nmCWFz

The historical Vlad Dracul of Wallachia and Transylvania was gruesome, not as nice as my concientious count:

http://www.donlinke.com/drakula/vlad.htm

So why this poem? Lent started yesterday for many Christians and many observe a type of fast. Fasting is common to many religions. Muslims and Baha'is fast from sunrise to sunset (Muslims during Ramadan, which varies throughout the solar year; Baha'is from March 2nd -20th). Romania is a multi-religious society. The first Baha'i community after the opening up of Romania was in Cluj. Historically there have been Romanian Baha'is going at least back to the time of Queen Marie, who became a Baha'i in the early 1900s.

BLOGVILLE:

This is the newest photo of Startiara and her family "Invalid Item" . I was so pleased to see it when I opened up my e-mail. Happy Chinese New Year to all!

ME:

We got all of 5 inches of snow yesterday, so many places were closed . I could've gone downtown but decided to stay home. Should've gone out! The afternoon was brilliant sunshine.

So I went to Kelly's for my half-priced double bacon cheeseburgers. 12 ounces of meat is enough to feed four, I think.

I read and I wrote. Am reading some poetry of Hart Crane today.

Kansas: 32º and bright.

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