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!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaL7mllWVG4

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.