I have been listening to a lovely CD that Jacob gave me for Christmas, Maude Maggart singing a bunch of songs from the 20’s and 30’s, including ‘I’ll See You Again’ from Noel Coward’s soppy but irresistible show, Bittersweet. The doomed love of the young girl who elopes with her music teacher is an oft told and much loved story. In this very successful show (still being staged) Noel Coward discards his iconic bitchy cleverness for romance and melting melody. And suddenly I had a vision of a perfume ad from years and years ago: the lovely pianist, pulled into the arms of the handsome violinist for a rapturous kiss! Oh Bliss of Love!
What was the perfume? When had I seen it? Well, thanks to the magic of Google I found it–the image is for sale, in fact, on Ebay:
He is–of course–Hungarian. She is young, beautiful, carried away by the music. They will run away together, to Vienna. He will die in a duel, defending her honor. Oh Rapture of Love! Oh Sorrow of Love Lost!
Thank you, Google!
And now, I’d like to find that other memorable image—unfortunately I can’t remember what it was advertising, but such a powerful image it has stayed with me over the years: in a laundromat is a large woman, head in curlers, hands clasped in rapture, face beaming with joy; and on the television is a couple embracing in what is obviously a long awaited happy ending. A Norman Rockwell scene, but a photograph. Gorn, gorn! Though with the right search terms, one might find it somewhere.
I’ll see you again whenever spring breaks through again.
Time may lie heavy between, but what has been, is past forgetting.
Your sweet memory across the years will come to me.
Though my world may go awry, in my heart ’twill ever lie,
Just the echo of a sigh, goodbye.
All my life I shall remember knowing you,
All the pleasures that I found in showing you,
The different ways that one may face,
The changing light and changing shade,
Happiness that must die, melodies that must fly,
Memories that must fade, dusty and forgotten bye and bye.
Hope
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