The stories would tell of an elm tree, that did not produce fruit, inviting a vine to grow among its branches.

There were many examples in Renaissance literature using the vine and the elm as a symbol of marriage, and fables were created from the association. In Italy, and other wine-producing countries, they would 'grow wine' on trees. It was a common practice, at least into the 20th century, to have orchards of elm trees that were pruned to be used as supports for vines. The vine has long been seen as symbol of marriage, in particular the vine and the elm tree. Turns out that my idea, that a marriage could be represented by vines, was not such an original idea after all. Little did I know that I would not lose myself, but find myself, a new self, changed by the years together. I wanted us to support each other, nourish each other, and celebrate each other. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.įor only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.Īnd stand together, yet not too near together:įor the pillars of the temple stand apart,Īnd the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.' Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.Įven as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Let it rather be a moving seas between the shores of your souls.įill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup. 'Love one another, but make not a bond of love: In fact we had a friend read this in our wedding ceremony. If you had asked me over 25 years ago what makes a marriage I would have given you this poem 'On Marriage' by Kahlil Gibran. Now, in doing some research and writing this post, I have discovered that I was on to something my instincts were correct. I had this vague notion that vines could represent a marriage, but since I hadn't written a blog post about the charm, I hadn't put my thoughts into words - until yesterday, Valentine's Day. One of my earliest charms, the red vines, was a gift from my husband for my 'Always and Forever' bracelet, about our love and marriage. I was even inspired to write a poem of my own, as a gift to my husband on Valentine's Day.

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely places, including novels, poems or fables. After being married for almost 25 years I was surprised to find that the best description of marriage I've ever seen was in a book on my teenaged daughter's shelves.

Tangled Hearts by Catherine Vale