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This is a very slight book
but it lingers in my mind
long after I have read it.
Jean Giono tells the story
of a Provencal shepherd
who travels across the hills
planting 100 acorns a day.
The acorns become trees
and the barren hillsides
become alive with woodland.
At the most basic level
this is an ecological fable
but the shepherd did not exist
and the hills of the Vaucluse
are not shrouded in trees.
I know these things
even before I finish reading
and yet the story clings to me.
This is an allegory of hope,
of persistence, of belief.
It is not about trees.
but it lingers in my mind
long after I have read it.
Jean Giono tells the story
of a Provencal shepherd
who travels across the hills
planting 100 acorns a day.
The acorns become trees
and the barren hillsides
become alive with woodland.
At the most basic level
this is an ecological fable
but the shepherd did not exist
and the hills of the Vaucluse
are not shrouded in trees.
I know these things
even before I finish reading
and yet the story clings to me.
This is an allegory of hope,
of persistence, of belief.
It is not about trees.
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There was an exquisite animated film made of this book .......... animated by Frederic Back, I was so moved by it that I took my children out of school one afternoon just to see it. I think it was round about 1987 but it has stuck with me.....
ReplyDeleteOh I loved it! And go back to it, not literally, quite often. it does indeed linger.....
ReplyDeletei do this all the time....really.
ReplyDeleteI have only just found your blog and I love it. I love the style and now you have provided a reference to a book that I think I shall have to read. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOne that has passed my by, how sad. Aren't trees hopeful?
ReplyDeleteI have a small copy of this book on the "books-I-will-keep-forever" shelf. Just love it!
ReplyDeleteoh.
ReplyDeletebut in my world
trees are all about
persistence of belief
and hope