Monday, November 17, 2008

SOTD: Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti

So we are unseasonbly warm weather, starting on Friday the tempertures have been in the upper 80's and today is likely to be no different, although I do look forward to Wednesday when the temperture is supposed to drop. This weather has of course left me wanting my spring and summer scents, so today I am going Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti, which I always seem to forget is a delicious vanilla.

As you can see in my goodreads widget I am currently reading The Complete Poems of Christina Rossetti, for the most part I must say the poems are very Victorian, but a few days ago I read a poem that is utterly ageless in its sentiment:

"No, thank you, John."

I never said I loved you, John:
Why will you teaze me day by day,
And wax a weariness to think upon
With always "do" and "pray"?

You know I never loved you, John;
No fault of mine made me your toast:
Why will you haunt me with a face as wan
As shows an hour-old ghost?

I dare say Meg or Moll would take
Pity upon you, if you'd ask:
And pray don't remain sing for my sake
Who can't perform that task.

I have no heart?-Perhaps I have not;
But then you're mad to take offence
That I don't give you what I have not got:
Use your own common sense.

Let bygones be bygones:
Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:
I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns
Than answer "Yes" to you.

Let's mar our pleasant days no more,
Song-birds of passage, days of youth:
Catch at today, forget the days before:
I'll wink at your untruth.

Let us strike hands as hearty friends;
No more, no less; and friendship's good:
Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,
And points not understood

In open treaty. Rise above
Quibbles and shuffling off and on:
Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,-
No, thank you, John.

And now for something completely hedonistic:
Time to Pretend by MGMT


image proveded by artnet.com
image: Dragon YONG, TOKI, Pink Bunnies, and Yellow Flower Ring
video uploaded by AleChievoAle

6 comments:

The Daily Connoisseur said...

I love that poem! I have never read any of Christina Rossetti's work... thanks for the introduction.

Unknown said...

Welcome, her most famous poem is The Goblin Market which can be found here http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/roset01.html

ScentScelf said...

While you are having unseasonable warm, we have been gobsmacked with outright winter. A particularly difficult turn of events, given that last week was unseasonably mild...

Hence, I am focusing on smoky woody stuff. (Sometimes with vanilla involved.) And enjoying it. :)

Rose said...

I read a Rosetti at a great friends wedding- The Birthday. She chose it and when I heard I thought it might be strange at a wedding but it was much happier than her normal stuff, although still very Victorian and over the top. Still I admire her, a bit of a mould breaker.

Perfumeshrine said...

Oh Jena, bless you!
"No fault of mine made me your toast": LOL! I loved that line in what reads like a serious poem.
Hope you get some much craved for colder weather. We did, so why shouldn't you as well? ;-)

Unknown said...

Scentscelf, the weather has gone back to being cool again which is exactly how i like it.

Rose, after your comment I went and read the birthday, it really is one of her happier poems.


Helg, the weather did turn for the better this week. Glad you enjoyed the poem; it is very unlike her usual stuff.