LIPO 2: THE VINTAGE ON THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES

And he forged a thriving vineyard loaded with clusters, 
bunches of lustrous grapes in gold, ripening deep purple 
and climbing vines shot up on silver vine-poles. 
And round it he cut a ditch in dark blue enamel
and round the ditch he staked a fence in tin.
And one lone footpath led toward the vineyard 
and down it the pickers ran
whenever they went to strip the grapes at, vintage—
girls and boys, their hearts leaping in innocence, 
bearing away the sweet ripe fruit in wicker baskets. 
And there among them a young boy plucked his lyre, 
so clear it could break the heart with longing, 
and what he sang was a dirge for the dying year, 
lovely . . . his fine voice rising and falling low 
as the rest followed, all together, frisking, singing, 
shouting, their dancing footsteps beating out the time.

Scene of vintage from Book XVIII of Homer's Iliad.

1. A thriving vineyard loaded with clusters, a ditch, a fence... What I think of is Lorraine, sun-kissed green terraced hills by the softly flowing Moselle, Riesling that once was gathered from these hills, served cold and frequently with ice, going down so smoothly.
2. Deep purple: Smooooooke on the waaaaaaater, and fire in the sky!
3. One lone footpath... Lorraine again, in September, vintage season. I can picture myself the whole scene pretty quickly.
4. Pickers, girls and boys, their hearts leaping in innocence, bearing away the sweet ripe fruit in wicker baskets. This is an idyllic autumn scene, with an echo of Swinborne's Gustavus Adolphus and my own Baratheon Saga. Is there any familiar face among these young people?
5. A young boy plucked his lyre... lovely, his fine voice rising and falling low: for what would a revel of young people like me be without a bard or songs? This is surely as good a bard as the one in that Magnus Uggla song.
6. A dirge for the dying year, lovely... In our days, this would have been something like Mónica Naranjo's "Europa", or "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie..." or "Shine on, you crazy diamond!" Particularly the last song.
7. As the rest followed, all together, frisking, singing, shouting, their dancing footsteps beating out the time... For which young person has been a fool never to revel ere reaching middle age? And, like Magnus Uggla said: "För har en speleman en enda gång börjat sjunga på en gammal sång är det omöjligt att få honom att sluta..."

Remember
September?
There on the hill,
by dark blue rill,
behind the fence
so staked and tense,
grapes of gold,
we weren't old,
scissors in hand,
throughout the land
we picked the fruit
like precious loot
into each basket,
tisket-a-tasket,
and we were young,
one of us sung
a mournful dirge,
our hearts to purge,
we joined the chant,
frisking, rampant,
with steady tread
on grapes so dead,
shouting and singing,
merrier chants ringing,
our footsteps beat the pace
in that enchanted place.

THRIVING VINEYARD LOADED WITH CLUSTERS STOP BUNCHES LUSTROUS GRAPES IN GOLD RIPENING DEEP PURPLE STOP CLIMBING VINES SHOOTING UP ON SILVER POLES STOP DARK BLUE DITCH STOP STAKED FENCE STOP ONE LONE FOOTPATH LEADS TO VINEYARD STOP PICKERS RUN TO COLLECT GRAPES STOP GIRLS AND BOYS HEARTS LEAPING IN INNOCENCE STOP THEY BEAR AWAY SWEET RIPE FRUIT IN WICKER BASKETS STOP YOUNG BOY PLUCKS LYRE CLEARLY TO BREAK HEARTS WITH LONGING STOP BOY SINGS LOVELY DIRGE TO DYING YEAR STOP HIS FINE VOICE RISING FALLING LOW STOP THE OTHERS FOLLOW STOP ALL TOGETHER FRISKING SINGING SHOUTING STOP DANCING FOOTSTEPS BEATING OUT THE TIME STOP

De una viña muy cargada (561), bella y áurea, penden negros racimos (562), sostenidos por horquillas de plata (563). A su alrededor se halla una esmaltada acequia, así como una valla de estaño (564-565). Por un camino sin rodeos van los porteadores de la vendimia (565-566), candorosos muchachos y muchachas (565), en medio de quienes un joven toca y canta bellas canciones de cosecha (569-570). Los otros siguen su ritmo y lo acompañan con bailes y gritos (572-573).
El tiempo de la vendimia se asocia también con celebraciones en las que toman parte los jóvenes vendimiadores con música, canto, bailes y gritos. Puede decirse, entonces, que cada una de estas tres escenas del calendario agrícola se acompaña de diferentes cuadros festivos, donde el alivio para los trabajadores se confunde con celebraciones de índole seguramente religiosa. [···] y el canto de los jóvenes vendimiadores representaría a un lamento fúnebre por la muerte del héroe.