Dar'ling

L'article de L.-J. Perreault, paru samedi, et les photos de M. Chamberland qui l'accompagnent, donnent un aperçu de Darjeeling et de ses attraits. Ses propos font écho à mes lectures, plus ou moins récentes.

LJP:  c'est au paradis que pousse le thé de Darjeeling.
DR: He surveyed the land around him, the great looming bulk of Kanchenjunga, the pickers moving slowly between the rows of rich green leaves, filling the air with the scent of tea.
« I thought we had found paradise, » he murmured. After a moment, he collected himself.
KG: He smiles, shakes my hand, and we stand for a few moments, silent, palms and eyes raised to the heavens not so far above us. 

LJP: Fasciné par leurs mouvements agiles, on a presque oublié de regarder le décor d'arrière-plan: les sommets de l'Himalaya. Alors que le soleil décline lentement, le deuxième sommet de la chaîne de montagnes, Kanchenjunga, apparaît dans toute sa splendeur.
BK: Then she went back to making the smooth, rhythmic arching hand motion, branch to basket and back again. ... As far as eyes could see, steep ridges covered with tea bushes snaked away to merge with snow-decorated peaks to the north.
DM: Afin de contempler les champs de théiers qui grimpaient à l’assaut de la montagne, il ralentit son allure en approchant du domaine.
DR: They bent and snipped off the upper leaves and buds of the plant, flinging the green matter over their shoulders and into the baskets without looking, with a skill born of long practise. It was mesmerising to watch, the peaceful rhythm of the pickers’ arms moving as if in a dance as the mist burned from the valley under the spring sun.
KG: We pass along a ridge with a stunning backdrop of white peaks. Kangchenjunga, the world's third tallest mountain, is in full view. Well-ordered tea fields stretch out from the road to cover the slopes descending on every side.

LJP: Laura-Julie Perreault  Un thé à Darjeeling, darling? 18 décembre 2010
BK: Bharti Kirchner  Darjeeling 2002
DM: Dominique Marny   Darjeeling  1996
DR: Deanna Raybourn  Dark Road to Darjeeling 2010
KG: Kevin Gascoyne  A Snapshot of Darjeeling 2000

 Journaliste, romanciers, marchand... la combinaison plantations de thé et montagnes les éblouit tous.