seasonoftowers: (Default)
seasonoftowers ([personal profile] seasonoftowers) wrote in [community profile] common_nature2020-03-21 09:06 am

A patch of alpine squill

A patch of alpine squill

They aren't very alpine in Romania, and mostly grow in shadowy areas such as forests. These I found hidden under a hedge on my daily walk.

Funny little difference: you know all the 19th century romantic poetry using violets as a motif associated to pale, wan, beloved women? In Romanian, the translations use alpine squill instead, because violets are gendered masculine in Romanian - hard to be wan and romantic about a flower called little-axe or three-spotted-brother.

I feel like this works better than the original, however. Alpine squill really is a pale, wan flower that needs specific conditions to bloom, whereas violets are cheerful, hardy weeds that take over entire lawns if you're not paying attention.
shirebound: (Default)

[personal profile] shirebound 2020-03-21 11:27 am (UTC)(link)
What a delightful discovery!

My ancestry is half-Romanian. :)