APRIL IN PARIS IN LOVE
The idea of April in Paris seems sunnier and springier than it mostly is. Paris still shivers under swirls of gray sky. Lovers hold each other more tightly.
A walk across the Pont des Arts, with hundreds of little locks jangling and big ones mumbling in low vibrato against the damp breeze, has been raising questions about love ever since people started attaching padlocks to the bridge's metal railings about five years ago.
Do the people who lock lightweight padlocks onto the Pont des Arts fence love less than those who clamp on the big heavy brass? Is it that their hearts are more free? Are they more secure in their love, not requiring a massive shackle? Are they more unsure and want to be able to cut loose easily, if necessary? Are the heavy ones more committed?
A walk through the Place des Vosges, with the horse-chestnut trees in varying stages of bloom, down side streets with casement windows beginning to crank open, with each breath pulling fresh sweetness into the city’s lungs. Is it most beautiful now?
(Photo: ParisSharing)
When April descends upon Paris, lovers “know the charm of spring” and rush to “meet it in the face.” Everywhere you turn, the city’s inherent romance seeps into the souls of anyone who is paying attention.
April in Paris
By E.Y. Harburg & Vernon Duke
April in Paris
Chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris
This is the feeling
No one can ever reprise
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
Never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris,
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart
