with
music
he parts the mists in my heart –
i am at peace
the lions of judgment
will have to wait in silence
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Henri Rousseau. The Dream.
Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s “The Dream”.
Rousseau wrote a poem to accompany his artwork:
Yadwigha in a beautiful dream Having fallen gently to sleep Heard the sounds of a reed instrument Played by a well-intentioned [snake] charmer. As the moon reflected On the rivers [or flowers], the verdant trees, The wild snakes lend an ear To the joyous tunes of the instrument.
The name “Yadwigha” reminded me of Jadwiga of Poland. Some
research on Wikipedia revealed that the woman in the painting is a Polish
mistress from Rousseau’s youth. And since I was raised in a part of the world where being Polish makes one the butt of many jokes — knowing that this lovely lady is YADWIGHA makes my heart happy in about twenty different ways.
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