Wednesday, February 15, 2012

KALANIT - ISRAEL'S MOST BELOVED FLOWER


This is the time of the year when the Anemones paint whole stretches of the landscape in flaming red. In between some please with other colors, but less - white, purple and with shades of pink.
This song, a homage to the kalaniot, the anemones, the red ones, was written by Nathan Altermann in 1945, and put into music by Moshe Wilensky, and it was first sung by Shoshana Damari, the Yemenite Queen of Hebrew music, and recorded in 1948. It is one of the most played, performed, loved and cherished songs here.

Please listen and enjoy!
The lyrics were translated into English by David Jacobi

ANEMONES 
The evening comes,
the sunset on the hill burns
I am dreaming and my eyes see:
the proud*, young girl descends to the valley
and it blazes with a fire of anemones.

She'll pick flowers to put in a bundle
and in the paths covered by dew
to Mother she rushes - calling out to her:
look what I brought for you in the basket!

Anemones, anemones
reddish, red-haired
Anemones, anemones
anemones of dew and grace/charm

Sunset on the hill will blaze and go out
but the anemones will always bloom.
Storms will thunder and roar greatly
but the anemones will always bloom.

Anemones...

Years pass, the sunset blazes again
The girl grew, her beauty is endless.
going to the valley with her heart's chosen
and again anemones bloom in it.

Her heart's chosen extends his hands to her
and she's laughing and bedewed
she whispers to him between the kisses
Look what I gathered here in the basket!

The vows of love will be forgotten,
but anemones will always bloom.
For the vows are light as smoke,
but the anemones are always the same.

Years passed, sunset blazes in the hill.
The girl is a grandma already, friends
Her granddaughter goes to the garden
and again anemones bloom in it.

And when the girl calls to her:
"look Grandma what I brought you,"
from laughter and tears her eyes glow
and she remembers a forgotten song melody...

Yes, generations come and pass without end
but each generation has an anemone in a tune.
Happy is the man if between storms and thunder
an anemone bloomed for him, if only just once.


The song was written a long time ago. Nowadays the Kalaniot, the Anemones, are protected and of course are not to be picked and put into baskets! :-)
 

Photographs taken on our outing to the Galilee last weekend by my husband Uri Eshkar.

9 comments:

Jutta said...

Liebe Yael,

sieht das wunderschön aus, diese vielen verschiedenen Mohnblumen. Tolle Fotos sind das geworden.
Die Eiseskälte ist bei uns nun auch vorbei und wieder haben inzwischen ein paar Plusgrade. Aber bis alles getaut ist, wird es noch ein Weilchen dauern.

Liebe Grüße
Jutta

Yael said...

Nein liebe Jutta, keine Mohnblumen, die kommen etwas spaeter, das hier sind Anemonen. :-)

Anonymous said...

Oh wie traumhaft die Anemonenfelder! Habe die noch nie in solcher Menge blühen gesehen!!
Liebe Yael ich wünsche dir einen frôhlichen Nachmittag
♥-lich Brigitte

Tomoko said...

Wow, So many poppies! So beautiful!!
Frankly, It is first time for me to see white ones,Yael.They are brightening under the sun.
Tomoko

Yael said...

Oh dear oh dear - no Poppies, Anemones! :-)
Yes, a poppy is very beautiful too, but it is a different flower! :-)

Annuk said...

Oh how wonderful!!!!! Now I'm wondering if the "poppy" fields I photographed last April in Rhodes were actually anemones too??? I have to check the pictures! ;)

Hilde said...

Love love love the photos, Yael, what an amazingly beautiful sight!!
I have never seen such a large area covered in anemones. Thanks for sharing :)

Tomoko said...

Hi,Yael.
Sorry!I understood,those are anemones! You mentioned it on your writing! They are so beautiful and looks fragile. I love it!!
Tomoko

Handmade in Israel said...

I love your posts! The photography is so wonderful. We too went searching for anemones this last weekend. They are just stunning!