A History of Love

There is a wonderful old bookstore downtown that sells mostly used books. I especially love to go upstairs and wander along the creaky wooden floors through the many tall shelves, eyes and heart open to whatever quietly beckons my attention. All this place is missing is a resident cat.

There is one small shelf that contains really old books. Some of them have the most beautiful covers. Like this one. I had to have it... I'm known to judge books by their covers, and I really only bought this one because of the cover. I had no idea what was inside until I brought it home.

The very first page, the very first few lines brought a smile to my face...

It is the fairy forest old,

With lime-tree blossoms scented!

The moonshine had with its mystic light

My soul and sense enchanted.

Yes. I was hopelessly enchanted. This little gem is full of beautiful phrases. 

And that wasn't the only gift I found within its pages. In four different places, I found four leaf clovers, pressed within the pages oh so very long ago.

It makes me wonder who owned this book.  No doubt, she loved it.  Did she carry it with her everywhere? Did she lay in a field on a warm summer day, reading out loud the phrases that moved her, plucking clovers and tucking them into her favourite pages? Perhaps she was stowing away her good fortune for a less than perfect day. Was she in love? With one precious someone? With the world?

One clover was on a page containing this...

Immovable, unchanging,

The stars stand in the skies,

Upon each other gazing

With sad and loving eyes.

And it doesn't matter really, what page I turn to... each page is adorned with beautiful lyrics... this book of songs. I will devour it slowly. One page at a time. Perhaps there are other things hidden within these pages that I have yet to find.


ps.
If you would like to see the the critter I captured today in all her adorableness, head over here.