May 1st, Feast of St Joseph, is also the 102nd birthday of Sister Sainte Thérèse. She has given us a great gift.

Enclosed in my room,

Outside nothing stirs

Until a bird, singing,

Spoke to my heart.

From the height of my window

On a wind of serenity

There, as I leaned out,

I heard this song.

 

Gentle daisies

With your white ruffs

From below, you bring me

Peace and joyfulness.

You, fragile tulips

Docile in the breeze,

Throw out your rich

But perfume-less colours.

 

What will be cherries,

but still in flower,

Your white shirts

Calm our fears

Of a tardive, killer cold.

And you, beautiful nature,

Who, this evening, reassures me,

As your setting sun

Comes to end my song.

Sr Thérèse (102 year’s old on the 1st May), Vaylats

Pierrette, the niece of Sr. ste Thérèse made a video from this poem; you can watch it by clicking on this link: Poem in video

(Translator’s note: In the original version in French, this ode to nature is written as a song. My apologies for not being able to bring out Sr Thérèse’s impeccable sense of both rhythm and rhyme in the English translation.)