LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

Allow me a personal note today. It is July, which for me is also a cruel month, mingling memory with the few remains of desire. It marks the departure of Laura, the bird who flies each year from San Francisco, perches in my soul, and sings sweet tunes that cheer my tired brain. Though I know the journey demands an effort, she unfailingly brings us joy and leaves us smiling. Now she returns to her school, to the pupils she loves, and to the hard work of being an example worth following. Godspeed, Laura. We shall be waiting for your yearly flight back, whose warmth lingers long after your wings have disappeared from sight.

  I have heard many repeat the Spanish saying "The ilusión también se vive" which I have in my Phraseological Dictionary as have pipe dreams, hope springs eternal (in the human breast), which satisfies me not. Somehow I am reminded of Emily Dickinson and her "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul..." and I think she means "ilusión" and not "esperanza", because "ilusión" carries with it not only hope but the eager expectation of a happy occurrence. "Ilusión", in Castillian, is truly that thing with feathers that perches in our soul and motivates us to carry on, dream, plan, and be cheerful and joyful. No less. Why these lines? Probably because lately, I feel I have lost not hope, but "ilusión" - that eager expectation of something joyful to come. I would change the saying above to "sin ilusión no se vive."