This morning on Imbolc’s eve and the Feast day of St Brigid, I made my yearly ‘pilgrimage’ to a particular place in the woods near my home. This part of the forest is close to a stream and is populated with Alder, Maple, Oak and Ash.
It is here, in a clearing beside an ancient wild Pear tree, that I always spy my first blooms of wild Primroses, Primula vulgaris.
And sure, enough, right on time, there they were, with their pale yellow faces peeking through the frosty leaf litter – such delicate gifts of joy and reassurance that Spring is indeed on the way. When I was there with them today, the word Esperance came to mind.
Esperance is an old word in English from the middle English period (1150-1500) that has sadly fallen from common use. Yet Espérance is still alive and widely used in French, with a nuance that subtly distinguishes it from the word éspoir (hope); commonly thought of as its equivalent. And here are my thoughts about Esperance and why I believe that it carries additional meaning.
Hope is often passive, something we feel when nothing else is left, a feeling we hold quietly, a wish that is often suspended in uncertainty.
Esperance, on the other hand, is more affirmative. It carries movement and confidence within it. Esperance implies that what we long for is not merely imagined or nebulous, but actually attainable. Esperance demands our participation. It asks us to act, step forward and meet possibility with intention.
To me, Primrose embodies this kind of active hope. It is among the first flowers of Spring, hence its name being linked to Primum, in Latin, meaning “first”. Primrose dares to bloom while winter still lingers in the soil, the sunlight is still fragile and most other plants are still deep in slumber. Primrose does not wait until everything is warm and certain in order to bloom. She blooms under snow and ice in the confidence that she will survive.
In doing so, Primrose for me, is a living symbol of Esperance: Expectation with courage and Hope with direction.
Esperance allows us to begin to realise our dreams and hopes before all the conditions are perfect and to trust that the movement towards positive change is already underway.
Endemic to Britain and Ireland and widespread across Europe, Primrose is often associated with youth, innocence, simplicity, joy and new beginnings. She has a childlike simplicity and a lightness that never fails to uplift the heart. She brings an unmistakable brightness to this bridge between seasons and reassures us that Spring is indeed on the way.
As a herb, Primrose also offers gentle therapeutic support for young and old alike. Long used as a safe and simple remedy for a range of complaints including skin inflammations, wound healing, bronchial complaints, stress and insomnia, modern research confirms several of these properties. A simple herbal tea made with primrose flowers has a gentle calming effect.
Triterpene saponins and flavonoids are amongst Primrose’s active components.
To many, Primrose is a simple flower, common and easily overlooked. Soon our forest floor will be carpeted with yellow and then she will share the space with dog violets and wood anemones. She will keep blooming right into April.
Thanks to Primrose, to my mind, Esperance is not a form of abstract optimism. It is Hope that is made practical and attainable. It is a positive step to bloom, to begin and to offer something vibrant into a still-cold world.
Esperance doesn’t need giant steps or boldness, all it takes is being prepared to open one small bloom at a time.
Esperance is the willingness to bloom within Winter because there is an expectation that something good will certainly come.
In the words of “Wordnerd” Ella Patrice:
“To feel Esperance is to believe in not just tomorrow, but to believe in the best that tomorrow can be”.
