Roses From Snow

I hear the hounds of winter

just beyond the ridge

Chasing that cold Alberta Clipper

as it comes roaring down upon us,

bringing the cold weather blues.

And we are trapped under ice,

leaving footprints in the snow.

For love, like winter.

has its cold spells too.

And if we make it through December…

through a hazy shade of winter

Roses from snow will emerge.

So let it go

leave the winter things behind,

and sing your love song

from the white winter hymnal,

“I’ve got my love to keep me warm.”

Photo of Roses taken this morning 12/6: Dwight L. Roth

Today at d‘Verse, Lillian gave us a list of song titles about winter and asked us to write a poem incorporating at least two of the titles in our poem. I decided to play with the list and see how many I could use. I think I have used all but four of sixteen.

** If you want to know who sang the songs in dark print, go to our site: https://dversepoets.com for the list.

 

 

 

Tum balalaika – 48th Anniversary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He3efzCCwfA

When Ruth and I were dating many years ago we sang this song together. She had learned it in elementary school in Northern Alberta, Canada, and shared it with me from recall. That was forty-eight years ago today. I just discovered that it is a popular  Yiddish folk song that has been sung for many years in Romania and elsewhere. There seems to be several verses and translations of it into English. After we were engaged we often sang it together.  This is the version she taught to me. I sang the first verse. She sang the second verse. We sang the refrain together. We later recorded it on a record with The Opitmists, our college singing group. I don’t have a digital copy of that record to share with you.

Tum Balalaika

Maiden Maiden tell me true

What can grow without the dew

What can grow for years and years

What can cry yet shed no tears

Refrain:

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

 

Silly Lad I’ll tell you true

Love can grow without the dew

Love can grow for years and years

Love can cry yet shed no tears

Refrain:

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

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*The video at the beginning of the post has had over a million views!

*Here are two more versions you might enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTBOMT5bMRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6uBysoQkDw