Both Great and Grand

 Here's a short little Facebook post I did yesterday on Saturday, February 19, 2022:  "Yesterday morning my brother L--- and his wife J-- had zero grandchildren. By lunch time yesterday they had a grandson in Kansas. By breakfast this morning they had a granddaughter in Pennsylvania. That's a lot of goodness happening in a short time. It's a great blessing to know that these nieces of mine are good women married to good men who will do all they can to nurture these children in good ways. See what I mean? Lots of goodness . . ." Many friends rejoiced with me in this good news.  

This morning in church Lowell announced that the babies weighed 17 lbs. and 6 ounces and they were 42.5 inches long.  We all saw what he did there, of course, and the group tittered a bit as they enjoyed the humor.  Suffice it to say that the babies were both robust upon arrival.  

On Facebook, I didn't say the babies' names.  In the Martin family the name is Caspian Pascal.  I recognized Pascal immediately as a French name (and they're pronouncing it with the a's having the ah sound), and I soon learned that it's a religious term, translating roughly to "child of the resurrection."  That message was probably more appropriate for referencing in church than the one my brother (the new Grandpa) has been known to make at other times.  When Nelson and Hannah were dating, he joked that they already had a little house for Nelson--on the top of a pole in the yard (the Martin house).  

I thought immediately of Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia.  Little Caspian's parents are both voracious readers, and I'm sure that they know this story well, but I haven't heard whether there's any connection between that character and the name choice.  Then there's the sea by that name in a region of the world that is of great interest to both of them.  

The name of the Stoltzfus baby is Aurelie Wren.  The little-bird second name seems like a natural choice for the baby's nature-loving parents.  I haven't heard any reasons for the choice of the first name, so please indulge me while I speculate wildly.  

When I heard the name, I started singing a tune in my head to the words "Aura Lea*, Aura Lea, maid with golden hair, sunshine came along with thee, and swallows in the air."  I can't remember where I ever heard the song or learned the words.  Maybe in grade school.  I've learned some interesting details about it since then though.  It's the refrain of a Civil War era song that was often sung by soldiers on both sides of the conflict, probably because many of them had left precious maidens behind when they went off to war.  The song is full of images which call to mind the beauty of these women and the pain of missing them.  The pathos in the soldiers' situation is hinted at as well in the lyrics.  

Besides naming the "swallows in the air, " the words "Aura Lea" refer to the song of the Red-winged Blackbird.  I can "hear" a Red-winged Blackbird song in those words, and I'm sure that from now on I won't be able to unhear Aura Lea whenever I hear the familiar song of this bird.  

The song has seasonal references to a willow tree as well, beginning with spring and ending in winter.

"Aura Lea" has several iterations in the lyrics, especially with regard to the refrain.  I suppose this is to be expected with a song that is now in the public domain.  Elvis Presley apparently used the tune (perhaps slightly altered) for the song "Love Me Tender."  

Here's one version of the words:

As the blackbird in the spring
'neath the willow tree
sat and piped I heard him sing
praising Aura Lee.

Aura Lee! Aura Lee! Maid of golden hair
sunshine came along with thee
and swall-ows in the air.

Take my heart and take my ring
I give my all to thee
take me for eternity
dearest Aura Lee!

Aura Lee! Aura Lee! Maid of golden hair
sunshine came along with thee
and swall-ows in the air.

In her blush the rose was born
'twas music when she spoke
In her eyes the light of morn
sparkling seemed to break.

Aura Lee! Aura Lee! Maid of golden hair
sunshine came along with thee
and swall-ows in the air.

Aura Lee the bird may flee
the willow' golden hair
then the wintry winds may be
blowing ev'rywhere.

Aura Lee! Aura Lee! Maid of golden hair
sunshine came along with thee
and swall-ows in the air.

Yet if thy blue eyes I see
gloom will soon depart
for to me sweet Aura Lee
is sunshine to the heart.

Aura Lee! Aura Lee! Maid of golden hair
sunshine came along with thee
and swall-ows in the air.

In another place, stanza two was omitted entirely, and the other stanzas and the refrain were reconfigured.  

When the blackbird in the spring, neath the willow tree.
Sat and rocked, I heard him sing, singing Aura Lee.
Aura Lee, Aura Lee, maid of golden hair.
Sunshine came along with thee, and swallows in the air.

In thy blush the rose was born, music when you spake,
Through thine azure eye, the morn, sparkling seemed to break.
Aura Lee, Aura Lee, birds of crimson wing,
Never song have sung to me in that night, sweet spring.

Aura Lee! The bird may flee the willow's golden hair,
Swing through winter fitfully on the stormy air.
Yet if thy blue eyes I see gloom will soon depart;
For to me, sweet Aura Lee is sunshine through the heart .

If you click on the blue "Listen" button about halfway down this page, you can hear an unadorned version of the music.  When I played it just now, Hiromi chimed in with "Love me tender, love me so,"  which tells you how different his listening habits as a young person were from mine.  I had no idea that there was an Elvis connection to this tune.  

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Even after all this discussion of the names of my brother's grandchildren, I'm not positive what I should call them.  Do I have a new grand nephew and grand niece or a great nephew and great niece?  Either descriptor sounds good to me.  When I went in search of an answer to that question, I found this.  It tells me that either one is proper.

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*Sometimes written as Lee instead of Lea.