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Read and listen to The Rose Without Spring

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Once upon a time there was a beautiful rose that lived in the luxuriant garden of a house on the edge of the woods.

This rose also had a name: Lucrezia, it was given to her by a little girl who lived not far from there and who came to visit her every day.

la rosa senza primavera — non-flowering bud

La rosa Lucrezia era la ventesima figlia di una bella pianta che aveva circa sei anni e godeva di ottima salute, curata com’era dal proprietario della casa, un anziano giardiniere che amava tanto i fiori e li curava con infinito amore.

That winter Lucrezia kept quiet and quiet waiting for spring like every year, the cold had been intense and she couldn't wait to put some petals back on and smile at the new sun.

“When our friend Spring arrives it will warm us all again, and then you will see what a party!” she always said to her shivering sisters.

The whole garden anxiously awaited the summer: the snow, covering it, had bent it to its rigor and the ice during the long nights had often settled on the numb leaves of the plants.

When March finally came, the dawn of the twenty-first day dawned like a miracle, rosy and transparent on the horizon.

“Here it is, here it is! Spring is here!” cried the roses in chorus in euphoria.

“Here she is, yes, she is! Do you feel this warmth? It's really her!" the daisies echoed him.

Slowly, one by one, all the plants woke up from their torpor: they yawned while stretching the leaves and the stem, while the corollas were preparing to receive the sun.

March and also April passed, Lucrezia's sisters had already put on their spring dresses, many new petals competed to appear and show themselves in their fresh beauty.

Lucrezia, on the other hand, hadn't even put one on yet.

"We are in May, it is the month of roses and I still don't have my new petals, why?" she wondered worried.

More days passed, twenty to be exact. It was hot, the garden was full of leaves, flowers, colors and perfumes, but Lucrezia still had her winter dress on.

“Lucrezina mia, non angustiarti!” diceva mamma rosa alla figlia. ”Vedrai che presto metterai nuovi petali anche tu! Non è mai successo che madama Primavera ti lasciasse così, senza il vestitino di stagione.”

“Mamma, “replicava Lucrezia,” so che vuoi consolarmi ma io non sono stupida: vedo le mie sorelle tutte bardate a festa per la bella stagione e io sono ancora in abiti invernali. C’è qualcosa che non va. Forse la signora Primavera ce l’ha con me?”

“Ma no, ma no, figlia mia cosa ti salta in testa? Si tratta certamente di un disguido, o magari non sei molto in forma… te lo dicevo sempre, lo scorso inverno: prendi i sali minerali dal terreno se vuoi star bene! Eh, questi figli, vorrebbero avere tanti bei petali e poi non mangiano abbastanza.”

Lucrezia, however, was not convinced and with each passing day she became more and more sad.

Another month went by, and the poor little rose hadn't put its petals yet.

“Mamma, ho paura che si tratti di un incantesimo,” disse un giorno Lucrezia,” chiedi all’ape messaggera di chiamare la fata dei fiori che sicuramente saprà cosa fare.”

"Sure, I'll spread all my perfume right away, so he'll understand it's urgent."

The messenger bee didn't delay: she immediately flew to the fairy Fioralia.

The latter was a somewhat lazy fairy, she almost always slept in the shade of a beautiful wisteria perched on the wall of a castle, but when the messenger reached her she immediately understood that the matter was urgent: she took her work bag with all the tools to remove the spells, then she shrunk like a gnat and climbed on Magdalene's back who carried her in a flash to Lucrezia's rose garden.

He found the rose in a state of deep prostration.

"My Rosellina, courage: the fairy Fioralia is here who solves all the problems" he said.

"Yes, please!" Lucrezia exclaimed. I haven't put the petals on yet, I'm afraid I'm the victim of a spell. Help me!"

Fairy Fioralia took her spell-finding lens and examined the rose closely with it.

“Hum, I don't think there are any spells here. No, the reason is another."

“And which, which?” Lucretia asked.

“Madama Primavera's temper is at stake here, I feel it. You know how it's done, don't you? A nothing is enough for it to overshadow. You must have offended her in some way, think about it.”

“IOOO? And when? As? It's impossible, I've always been nice to her."

“Think about it, daughter, because I see no other reason. And now, if you don't mind, I'm back to my nap: I'm so sleepy!"

Lucrezia was desperate: how could she have made that crazy girl from Primavera so angry? She just didn't know.

“Sentito, mamma? Te l’avevo detto: madama Primavera ce l’ha con me. E ora che si fa?”

“There's nothing else to do: you have to talk to Madame Primavera. I'll handle that. I tell the butterfly Guinevere to bring her here, she is a friend of hers and surely the madame will not make a fuss if she is the one to ask her to come here."

In fact, the Geneva butterfly was a close friend of Madame Primavera, and often went to her house in the afternoon to have a chat over a cup of good nectar.

Spring lived in a very impervious place that only those with wings could reach.

That day, however, the lady was not at home, she had gone to find the newborn flowers and did not know what time she would be back, as the note attached to the door said.

Guinevere, then, to deceive the wait, went around flying here and there in the nearby fields, and we almost missed getting lost, that sventatella!

When Madame Primavera finally returned, her dress was covered in pollen.

“Oh, who shows up! My dear friend… what good zephyr brings you?” asked Spring.

“Sono qui perché c’è un’emergenza, “ rispose Ginevra,” dovresti andare a trovare la mamma della rosa Lucrezia. E’ in pena per la figlia. Ti prego, vai subito!”

“I'm tired and it's late, but since you care so much…that's fine, but first let me take the pollen off my dress.”

They arrived in the garden when it was almost sunset.

"Madam," Lucrezia's mother began, "I had her called because, as you can see, all my daughters roses are in bloom and beautiful, only Lucrezia doesn't have her petals yet. Fairy Fioralia told us that it's not a spell and that this happens because she is angry with my little girl. “

”That's right. Lucrezia has committed a grave crime" replied Primavera in an austere tone.

"Guilt? My baby? And which?"

“Guilt, guilt…” whispered the roses.

" Guilt. On March 21st of last year, during my party, she offended me: while all the flowers were singing and rejoicing for my arrival, I caught Lucrezia sleeping. Sleep, you understand? During my party!”

“Oh, that's why! Forgive her, ma'am, she's so young! Surely she didn't do it on purpose."

“He offended me, he just offended me. “

"And it can't be remedied?"

“Hum, there's a way…if Lucrezia agrees. She should get severed."

"Cut, cut..." cried the roses, frightened.

“Yes, cut but there's nothing to worry about, then it could be reborn more beautiful and luxuriant than ever and with many petals. Cutting to be donated to a little girl who is very ill right now."

“What does a little girl do with a rose that hasn't bloomed?”

“This is my business. Lucrezia has only to say if she accepts. ”

"And who's going to tell the human we care about cutting it right now?"

“My fairies will take care of blowing this idea into his ear. Lucrezia, do you accept?”

Lucrezia nodded yes, bending the trunk.

The following morning, the old gardener woke up with a great desire to prune that very rose that hadn't bloomed, he took a nice pair of shears and went straight to get Lucrezia.

Passava di lì la mamma della bambina ammalata.

“What a beautiful garden! But that poor rose? If you throw it away, I'll take it for my little girl: she loves flowers so much, you know? Now she's sick, she'll be happy to have it on her bedside table, even if she doesn't have the petals."

As soon as the Lucrezia rose was placed on the little girl's bedside table, to everyone's amazement, it bloomed and the little girl recovered completely after two days.

Lucrezia was then planted in that family's garden, where it grew luxuriant and happy thanks to the loving care of her new friend.

Meanwhile, even the severed stem was growing visibly, after a few days a new Lucrezia, beautiful and full of petals, appeared more radiant than ever in the garden.

"It's in bloom, it's in bloom!" the roses sang in chorus.” Lucrezia also now has her spring.”