Lilies of the Valley

Images from childhood can unexpectedly flash into our minds at a moment's notice.

One of the clearest I have is of  walking in the woods in spring with my cousins and my Aunt Gert. She would point out the most beautiful little white flowers on long, slender stalks. They were, of course, lilies of the valley.

Their fragrance was sweet and beautiful. I loved picking  bouquets of them and then sticking my nose into the white, bell-shaped flowers to sniff them. Ahhhh, it was such a fabulous scent.

Then, in school, we learned a traditional round about lilies of the valley.

Any baby boomers out there, see if you remember it. This is how it went:

                                 "White choral bells, upon a slender stalk
                                   Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk.
                                  Oh, don't you wish, that you could here them ring?
                                  That will only happen when the fairies sing."

In the ensuing years since elementary school days in western Mass,  while singing it, somehow  the word "fairies" got changed to "bluebirds."   Even in Girl Scout rounds, however, the verses all read "fairies."

By the way, I questioned the spelling of the word that comes after "White" in the song. Many versions on YouTube spell it "coral."  Well, lilies of the valley are white, not the color coral, so it's almost a sure bet the spelling is "choral," as in chorus.

If you want to hear how the tune goes, here's one place you can listen to it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHJgTqBM-Cc&feature=related

Anyway, whenever I see lilies of the valley now, their intense beauty will be tinged with sadness. My aunt died this year. We will never walk in the woods again or rejoice over the magnificence of a fragrant lily of the valley.

Like the woodland walks, my beloved aunt will now be part of my most precious memories.

DO LILIES OF THE VALLEY GROW WHERE YOU LIVE?