Wounds of love

O Veuve Clicquot (várias garrafas) está a gelar, o banquete de sushi e sashimi do Aya já está a postos, o bolo de chocolate de Campo de Ourique que se auto-intitula o melhor do mundo (a Mad garante que nos arranja ainda melhor, vai ter de cumprir — óvisteS?) idem.

Depois vos contarei como surgiu esta tradição, agora venho mesmo só desejar-vos um muito santo e feliz Natal. E deixar-vos a todos o meu presente: The Selfish Giant, o maravilhoso conto do meu amado Oscar Wilde. Nunca consigo ler o final sem chorar, tanto me comove. E não podia ser mais adequado para este dia. Wounds of love...

Informação adicional: Oscar Wilde, já nos últimos dias da doença, já naquela cama do hotel paupérrimo onde morreu quase como indigente (sic transit gloria mundi), converteu-se e abraçou a Santa Igreja Católica. Oscar Wilde tinha por S. Francisco de Assis o mesmo culto apaixonado que eu. Da primeira vez que li sobre isto, há muitos anos, tremi nos alicerces. Como se não chegassem os lilases... também S. Francisco? Old souls.

Podem ler o texto integral do conto de incrível beleza aqui. Ponho as palavras finais (as tais que não consigo ler sem chorar) depois do filme.

«Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.

Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.

"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him."

"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."

"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.

And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise."

And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.»

Banda sonora: Wiener Sängerknaben - Adeste Fideles