The Third Leader: Love and romance

Charles Nevin

Published: 14 February 2007

Predictably, given the attributes of the age, this is the worst day of the year to be a romantic. He or she can have spent as many hours as he or she likes furrowing the brow, licking the pencil and attempting to find a rhyme for fluffywuffykins, but he or she will be fighting a hail of the usual jeers and cynicism and excess.

A brief survey of Valentinian-related activity underlines the challenge, including the man who has given his fiancée a house wrapped in heart-covered paper, Boots choosing today to start selling Viagra, Thailand placing a curfew on over-amorous teenagers, and the Office of Fair Trade warning against false lovers in cyberspace who wish only to extract cash from their liaisons.

And if all that were not enough, academics at Newcastle University have decided to remind us that Cleopatra was no great looker by putting a coin on display depicting her sharp nose and weak chin.

Enough! We romantics will argue that the potency of the Egyptian queen's legend is a tribute to romance's invincible magic, as her allure has survived not only a passing resemblance to the late Bernie Winters, but Carry on Cleo, involving Sid James as Antony and Sheila Hancock as Senna Pod, as well.

We are also reminded of the great Mr Lorenz Hart and his lines for today: "Your looks are laughable, unphotographable... Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak?... don't change a hair for me. Not if you care for me. Stay little Valentine, stay!" Splendid. I bet he could have rhymed fluffywuffykins, too.

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