Tuesday
Apr. 9, 2002
The First Green of Spring
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Poem: "The First Green of Spring," by David Budbill from Moment to Moment: Poems of a Mountain Recluse (Copper Canyon Press).
The First Green of Spring
Our walking in the swamp picking cowslip, marsh marigold,
this sweet first green of spring. Now sautéed in a pan melting
to a deeper green than ever they were alive, this green, this life,
harbinger of things to come. Now we sit at the table munching
on this message from the dawn which says we and the world
are alive again today, and this is the world's birthday. And
even though we know we are growing old, we are dying, we
will never be young again, we also know we're still right here
now, today, and, my oh my! don't these greens taste good.
On this day in 1940, in the early morning hours, Hitler's
troops invaded Norway and Denmark. The invasion involved almost the
entire German navy, six army divisions and a sizable air contingent. By the
end of the day, German forces controlled most of the strategic positions in
both countries. Copenhagen fell in 12 hours. Much of Norway also fell, except
for the northern part of Norway, the Narvik region, where a severe winter had
left piles of snow on the ground. The Nazis were engaged in heavy fighting there
for several months. Norway's King Haakon the Seventh and his family had fled
Oslo by train shortly after the start of the invasion, and they stayed in the
country until the last Allied troops withdrew in June. He was forced to make
a narrow escape aboard the British cruiser HMS Devonshire to London, where he
led a Norwegian government in exile from London for five years.
It's the birthday of songwriter and satirist
Tom Lehrer, born
in New York City (1928). He wrote many, many songs, including "The Old
Dope Peddler," "The Vatican Rag," "We Will All Go Together
When We Go," and, of course, "We're Having Hanukah in Santa Monica."
It's the birthday of J.William
Fulbright, born in Sumner, Missouri (1905). A U.S. Senator from Arkansas,
he gave his name to the Fulbright Scholarships, which provide for the exchange
of students and teachers between the United States and other countries.
On this day in 1865, on a Palm Sunday, the
American Civil War officially ended. General Robert E. Lee surrendered
to General Ulysses S. Grant at a farmhouse in the village of Appomattox Court
House, Virginia. The following day, General Lee issued his last order to his
men, in which he said: "I need not tell the brave survivors of so many
hard-fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented
to the result from no distrust of them. But valor and devotion could accomplish
nothing that could compensate for the loss [of more men]. I bid you all an affectionate
farewell."
It's the birthday of Eadweard
Muybridge, born in Kingston-on-the-Thames, England (1830). An early
photographer, it was he who took the series of photographs that show that when
a horse trots, all four hooves leave the ground for just an instant.
It's the birthday of French poet and critic
Charles Baudelaire,
born to a wealthy family in Paris (1821). At 36, he published his only collection
of poetry, Les Fleurs de Mal (1857, The Flowers of Evil).
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®