If you lived here you'd understand in your soul how hilarious this is

[starlady]

So I mentioned the Quaker democracy novel in a recent post, yes? I've been doing a little basic research into the origins of New Jersey (of which probably more anon) and of Haddonfield as part of that, and one book I obtained from my library is the inimitable This Is Haddonfield, published by the Haddonfield Historical Society in 1963 on the occasion of the town's semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary. Yes, the town really is snobby enough to warrant pulling out all the stops on the Latinate diction. And yes, my sister and I do have plans for parody lyrics set to "This Is Halloween." 

In the meantime, I can't not make this poetic gem about the Devil coming up to Jersey, and going down the Shore, available to all.


New Jersey's State Flower
THE BIRDSFOOT VIOLET

The Devil once, long, long ago,
Came to New Jersey from below.
He'd grown restless from over-warming,
And thought he'd try his hand at farming.
A better judge of men than land,
He pitched a spot on Jersey sand.
He ploughed and harrowed and planted and then,
As farmers do, he prayed for rain.
But God held back the raintide's flow
And the poor Devil's crops refused to grow.
The winds blew sand into his eyes,
His ears were swarmed with Jersey flies,
And to crown his Majesty's many ills
The malarial climate gave him chills.
He'd a pain in his back, an ache in his hip,
And his family physician called it "grippe."
Then the Devil got mad, and he just said,––"Well.
I'm damned if I don't go back to Hell!"
And he swore and swore, as his anger grew,
Till he'd turned everything in Jersey blue.
Then off he went. The very next day
God's Angel came along that way,
And everything as he passed through
Was just as the Devil had left it,–Blue
And the Angel said,––"I must use all care
To right the mischief that's been done here.
I will leave the blue in the Jersey sky
For God's sunshine to sweeten by and by;
And I'll leave the blue in the Jersey sea,
God's waves shall wash it to purity;
And I'll leave the blue in the bluebird's wing
As the promise of Spring––unfailing Spring.
But the blue of the sand and the blue of the air
I'll fashion into a flower fair,
And strew those flowers in barren places,
As a sign to man and the coming races.
They will show how evil word or mood
May speedily be turned to good,
And how, in the most forbidding spot,
God's seed springeth and faileth not."
Then the Angel gathered up the blue
And fashioned a flower of wondrous hue,
And, lightly dipping his delicate hand
In the morning dew, he wet the sand,
And in every barrenmost place he set
The beautiful birdsfoot violet;
And there you will find it growing yet.

––James Lane Pennypacker

Comments

[socair.livejournal.com]

The question is, of course, do you still have birdsfoot violets everywhere? I'm envious if you do. Iowa's state flower is the wild rose, and they used to be all over the place, but now you never see them...

And thank you for the comment! :-)

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I've never heard it called the birdsfoot violet, just the violet. And yes, they can still be found pretty easily. Not right outside my door, but there were patches at my middle school, and I can think of multiple spots I've seen them in other towns.

You're welcome. ^_^