Cherry Time

On a little island in the South China Seas, fresh cherries have been on sale for a couple of weeks at HK$32.00 a pound. Today, they were on sale at HK$28.00. Penny careful, pound foolish; Mister B bought two generous handfuls of big, dark red, juicy cherries (HK$17.00).

They are delicious. But who knows where they come from? Each cherry is packed with water, but where grew the cherry tree whose roots sucked up the earth's moisture that filled that cherry? Haven't a clue. No idea. Isn't that sad, not knowing? Must ask the lady at the fruit and veg.

Meantime, Mister B will hum the well-known left-wing chanson Le Temps des Cerises (The Time of Cherries), by Jean-Baptiste Clément (1836-1903).

The song was dedicated to Louise, a communarde ambulance woman killed during the bloody right-wing destruction of the Paris Commune (1871). During World War II, Le Temps des Cerises became the signature rallying point during the Nazi occupation for the French Communist Party's resistance fighters: Le Temps des Cerises

Mp3 (scroll down page): Le Temps des Cerises
Paroles: Le Temps des Cerises