Sunday, January 23, 2011

Stargazer lily


                             When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
                             I summon up remembrance of things past. 

The translated English title of Marcel Proust's vast novel A la recherche du temps perdu originates from Shakespeare's Sonnet 30. The Stargazer lily was created in 1978 by Leslie Woodriff, a lily breeder in California, USA.

4 comments:

teegee said...

Thank you! I've always wondered about that most perfect title. Now I'm wondering, from which French translation of the Sonnets did Proust get à la recherche du temps perdu, which is so perfect for 'summon up remembrance...', or is it his how, as it well could be, from the English? Two novels, each in six books, Proust's and Lady Murasaki's are my lifetime favorites. (I don't think the equivalence was due to Scott Montcrieff).

Kevin Faulkner said...

Hi Teegee!

I would imagine Proust as an Anglophile had sufficient grasp of English to make his own transliteration into French for the title of his vast hymn to memory.

teegee said...

Yes, and I am sure that he loved the Sonnets. How could he not? I wanted to look to see whether he had some article or essay on them, but I don't have that much Proustian library at home.

thefieryangel said...

Sounds interesting..by its title. Not into novels but I read sometimes and when I do, I usually fall in love with them. Maybe I'll give it a shot this coming school break :)