Wednesday, September 30, 2009

By My Bed


I love having roses by my bed - their nonchalant elegance, their delicate scent. I also always keep some Post-its and pens. Atop the latest issues of Vogue, which I haven't had time to pore over yet, lays a copy of Johnn Donne's poetry, next on my reading list. It's an old Penguin Poets volume from the 1970's, as always with age old Penguins, the cover's design is almost as precious as the contents.
Here are a few lines from Donne's divine "Extasie':

Where, like a pillow on a bed,
A pregnant bank swell'd up, to rest
The violet's reclining head,
Sat we two, one another's best.


Isn't it beautiful, "one another's best"?

39 comments:

Annie said...

Ahh, sweet dreams, Mary-Laure.

donna baker said...

Those roses are beautiful! I thought it was a copy of W.

Annie said...

It is beautiful and so are those roses.

Laura in Paris said...

The roses as gorgeous - oh, you do know I love all roses but these are so beautiful!

Mary-Laure said...

LAURA - I knew you'd like them - roses are, after all, your favorite fragrance.

artycho said...

What a gentle and refined colour!

J Elaine said...

That stack of Vogue-- always a feature to my personal 'Ritz'. What a pretty space you have created. It looks restive and pure with those elegant roses in a background of white. I am sure that Benjy considers it His!

Taocito said...

Yeah yeah yeah. Now can the Oracle speak up and share some of his insights on the world, life, and being divine in general?

Seeker said...

WOW, beautiful....!!!!

xoxo

abigail said...

those roses are gorgeous!
I bet your bedroom smells divine.

Spangler Cummings said...

You have to be one the most beautiful people I have ever known.

Mary-Laure said...

J ELAINE - this welcoming space is waiting for your visit... Do visit me soon please!

TAOCITO - mais quelle impertinence! Tu seras châtié!

SPANGLER - you're making me blush. You're a treasure of a friend. And a true artist. I hope you know that already.

Sherin said...

Aww, I love those flowers. I need to have pen/paper near my bed as well.

Solange said...

very interesting to see what's on your nightstand, sometimes I feel like half our house ends up on the nightstand... piles of books and magazines...
love the roses, very serene.

Mary-Laure said...

SOLANGE - I hate having a cluttered night stand because if I do, I can't find anything. But keeping it free of empty tea mugs, random papers and bills, magazines, knick-knacks and more is really a lot of work. It demands discipline!!

Marci said...

Realmente el color de estas rosas es muy especial, poco corriente.
Ah...tienes un libro de la editorial Penguin.

Arlene said...

lavendar (or purple) roses are my favorite color for roses. This is a pretty picture.

Sam said...

The colour! The colour!! Those roses really are superb - I can see why you have them by your bed - they look lovely against the white of your bedside table there.

Mary-Laure said...

MARCI - siempre me encantan los Penguins!

ARLENE - yes, they are very rare, a kind of purplish lilca hue.

gracia said...

Yes, you are right there. Roses by the bed sounds utterly swoon-worthy... and those lilac-hued beauties! They are charming.

marie said...

hm that is beautiful! i love old covers on books :)

Angie Muresan said...

Your words, the poem and the roses all compete with each other in beauty...

Unknown said...

I love flowers by my bedside and around the house. Its just such a shame that roses don't last as long as some other flowers.

Joyce said...

I love sterling roses. A perfect way to spoil yourself, having beautiful flowers and your favorite magazine by your bedside.
Sweet dreams my friend! xoxo

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

always so nice to bring the outdoor in...fresh folwers are always perfect! Lovely weekend beautiful!

sealaura said...

wow Mary-Laure! love that color of the roses. que lindas! my nighstand is a mess. you can find anything from Norm's toys to books, coins, jewelry. It is a basically a nightmare! HAHA! I think I need to create a little pretty calm area like yours. gracias por la idea e inspiración.

Sweet_Tooth said...

what a unique color of roses! I always worry that having them round the house will be cliche but those loos positively innovative.

exquisite blog you have here!
XO

http://mylifewithoutsugar.blogspot.com

Mary-Laure said...

ANGIE - oh thank you, you're adorable!

ANA B - yes they are really fragile; mine lasted less than a week...

JOYCE - I treat myself to flowers at the market every week; a small price for such beauty.

SEALAURA - if Benjy's toys are on my bedside table it means that he's been bad and I took them away!!
Why don't you post a pic of your bedside space once it's all tidied up?

SWEET TOOTH - yes roses can seem like a cliché but every time I see and smell them I fall in love with them all over again.

Joyful said...

Absolutely love those flowers! The bedside "essentials" are perfect too.

Mary-Laure said...

JOYFUL - thank you!

Beth said...

What we keep on our bedside tables reveals so much of who and what we are...

Mary-Laure said...

BETH - hmmmmm, I wonder what it reveals about me...

marie-louise said...

many nice things and thougts here, as always!

Maria | Vintage Simple said...

Yes. That is beautiful... "One another's best" and the soft color of the roses in the middle of all that white. Lovely.
-maria

Janis said...

Sterling silver roses? I just got a waft and I am loving it :)

Beautiful...

Joanna said...

Your nightstand is the epitome of luxury: an exquisite bouquet of roses and John Donne's magnificent metaphysical poetry. He and Keats are my absolute favorites.

You must have some very sweet dreams.

Mary-Laure said...

JOANNA -I'm so glad that you too like John Donne! We really have a lot in common when it comes to literature loves...

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billie said...

Love the fluffy aspect of those flowers, I like my roses with as much layers as possible!
Do you know the Pierre de Ronsard variety? One of my favorites!
http://ahahh.blog.lemonde.fr/files/dscn9276.JPG