mn

rrn

V\>i-:vJ1
^

"^

Ex LiBRIS
The Pennsylvania
hohticultueal society

en.

4*

Digitized by
in

LYRASIS

2011

tine

witii

Internet Arciiive

funding from

IVIembers and Sloan Foundation

http://www.archive.org/details/floralofferingtoOOdumo

KCSt.Bl.Uh VIOLETJASMINlijAlOSS ROSE,

'a
)'i'/i/'

^'ir/'/Zi-

/'-rw/f'.r/i' r///(i

* iirnt<i/>i/)/i\

BUD

]]

Xmigungc

uf /Inuifrs.

THE

FLORAL OFFEKIIG:

TOKEN OF AFFECTION AND ESTEEM;

COMPRISINO

^t Inngnngt ruI

J^nrtrii

of /Inmrrs,

WITH COLOUEED ILLDSTEATIONS, FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS.

By HENRIETTA OUMONT.

PHILADELPHIA:
II.

C.

PECK & THEO.

1853.

BLISS.

ra
O

1^

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by

H.

C.

PECK & THEO.

BLISS,

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of

Pennsylvania.

8TEKE0TTPED BT L. JOHNSON AND 00.

PHILADELPHIA.

16476
iPFHoR

\a

^rtfote.

Why has the

beneficent Creator scattered over the

face of the earth such a profusion of beautiful flowers

flowers by the thousand and million, in every

from the tiny snowdrop that gladdens the

land

chill spring of the north, to the

gorgeous magnolia

that flaunts in the sultry regions of the tropics

"Why

is it

that every landscape has its appropriate

flowers, every nation its national flowers, every rural

home

its

and shed

home
their

flowers?

Why

from the cradle to the grave?

made

do flowers enter

perfume over every scene of

to utter all

Why

life,

are flowers

voices of joy and sorrow in all

varying scenes, from the chaplet that adorns the

bride to the votive wreath that blooms over the

tomb ?

^vifact.

It

is

for

no other reason than that flowers have

and natural

in themselves a real

They

significance.

have a positive relation to man, his sentiments,

They correspond

passions, and feelings.

They have

emotions.

love and mercy.

their mission

They have

from the remotest ages

this

to actual

a mission of

their language,

and

language has found

its

interpreters.

In the East the language of flowers has been

universally understood and applied "time out of

mind."
and

Its

meaning

finds a place in their poetry

in all their literature,

among

and

it is

In Europe

the people.

familiarly

it

known

has existed and

been recognised for long ages among the people,

although scarcely noticed by the
comparatively recent period.

whom

literati

until

Shakspeare, however,

nothing escaped which was known to the

people, exhibits his intimate acquaintance with the

language of flowers in his masterly delineation of

the madness of Ophelia.

Recent writers

in

all

languages

recognise

the

beauty and propriety of this language to such an

extent, that an acquaintance with

come indispensable
cation.

as

it

has

now

be-

a part of a polished edu-

f rtfaa.
Our

little

volume

is

devoted to the explanation

of this beautiful language.

We

have made

it

as

complete as our materials and limits would permit.

We
that

present

we

it to

our readers in the humble hope

shall increase

the

means of elegant and

innocent enjoyment by our " Floral Offering."

ulnh.

PAGE

Acacia, (Friendship)

123

Acanthus, (The arts)

140

Almond Blossom,

22

(Indiscretion)

28

Aloe, (Grief)

Althea, (Consumed by love)

162

Amaranth, (Immortality)
Anemone, (Forsaken)

100

Ash

222

122

Tree, (Grandeur)

Box, (Stoicism)

63

Broom, (Humility)

179

Cactus, (Ardent love)

26

Camellia Japonica, (Modest merit)

156

Chamomile, (Energy in adversity)

225
".200

China Aster, (Variety)...

Citron, (Estrangement)

227

Columbine, (Desertion)

Common

87

Thistle, (Misanthropy)

243

Corn, (Riches)

188

Cowslip, (Pensiveness)

118

Coxcomb, (Singularity)

285
188

Cranberry, (Cure for the heartache)

9

10

Conttnts.
PAOE

Crocus, (Youth)

Cypress, (Mourning)
Dahlia, (Elegance and dignity)

Daisy, (Innocence)

Dandelion, (The rustic oracle)

23

49
154:

39

132

Dead Leaves, (Death)

217

Dew

246

Plant, (Serenade)

Dragon Plant, (You are near a snare)

Dyer's Weed, (Relief)

229

Fennel, (Strength)

283

Fir,

(Time)

im
238

Forget-me-not

116

Grass, (Submission)

236

Hawthorn, (Hope)

52

Hazel, (Peace, reconciliation)

204

Heliotrope, (Devoted aifection)

106

Holly, (Foresight)

195

Hollyhock, (Ambition)

96

Hyacinth, (Constancy)

59

Ice Plant, (Frigidity)

Ivy, (Constancy)

25
193

Jasmine, (Amiability)

109

Juniper, (Protection)

203

Lady's Slipper, (Capricious beauty)

IGO

Larkspur, (Flights of fancy)

164

Laul-el, (Glory)

98

Lavender, (Distrust)

36

Lichen, (Solitude)
Lilac, (First emotions of love)

254
46

Lily, (Majesty)

67

Lily of the Valley, (Modesty)

58

Love-lies-bleeding, (Deserted love)

55

Marigold, (Grief)

72

Coulcnts.

11

PAflE

Marvel of Teru, (Timidity)

143

Meadow

198

Saffron,

(My

best days are past)

Mezereon, (Coquetry, desire

to please)

13

Mignonette, (Your qualities surpass your charms)

Mistletoe,

(I

108

220

climb to greatness)

Moss, (Maternal love)

125

Moss Eose, (Confession

69

of love)

Myrtle, (Love)

56

Narcissus and Daffodil, (Self-love)

65

Nasturtion, (Patriotism)

168

Nettles, (Cruelty)

86

Nightshade, or Bitter-sweet, (Truth)

170

Oak, (Nobility)

200

Oak Geranium, (Friendship)

150

Orchis, (A belle)

61

Pansy, (Think of me)

o7

Passion Flower, (Faith)

8!)

Peony, (Anger)

85

Periwinkle, (Tender recollections)

43

Pimpernel, (The weather-glass)

133

Pine, (Pity)

248

Pink, (Pure love)

91

Poppy, (Consolation)

135

20

Primrose, (Early grief)

Pied Rose, (Beauty

and love)

77

Reed, (Single blessedness)

231

Rosemary, (Remembrance)

120

Sage, (Domestic virtues)

251

Scarlet Geranium, (Stupidity)

147

Sensitive Plant, (Chastity)

Snowdrop, (Hope)
Starwort, American, (Welcome)
St.

John's Wort, (Superstition)

92
,

15

202
181

12

Conttnts.
PACE

Stock, (Lasting beauty)

145

Strawberry, (Perfection)

102

Sweet-Brier, or Eglantine, (Poetry)

Sweet-Flag

Acorus Calamus,

(Grace)

45
172

Sunflower, (False riches)

104

Tliorn-Apple, (Deceitful charms)

158

Thyme,

(Activity)

Tuberose, (Dangerous love)

Tulip, (Declaration of love)

94
152
48

Valerian, (An accommodating disposition)

142

Vervain, (Enchantment)

184

Violet,

(Modest worth)

31

Wall-Flower, (Fidelity in adversity)

51

White Water-Lily, (Purity)

Wliite Rose, (I would be single)
Woodbine, or Honeysuckle, (Affection)

70

Wormwood, (Absence)
Yellow Rose, (Jealousy)

74
Ill

30
75

Yew, (Sorrow)

215

Death of the Flowers

257

Dictionary of Flowers

259

Calendar of Flowers

268

Dial of Flowers

293

|e

/lonil (Dlfering.

Mezereon.... Coquetry

This sbrub, clothed in

Desire

to please.

showy garb, appears

its

amidst the snow, like an imprudent and coquettish

female, who, though shivering with cold, wears her

spring attire in the depth of winter.

sin-ub is covered with a dry bark,

iippearance of dead wood.

The stalk of this

which gives it the

Nature, to hide this de-

formity, has encircled each of

sprays with a wreath

its

of red flowers, terminating in a tuft of leaves.

flowers give out a peculiar

and

These

offensive smell.

You

oftentimes can mark upon the street

The gilded toy whom fashion idolizes
Heartless and fickle, swelled with self-conceit.
Avoiding alway what good sense advises.
;

Who

flutters like the butterfly

Nor afterwards

is

while burns his sun.

missed when

life is

done.

w. n.
13

C.

14

jHc^titort.

Clouds turn w^lh every wind aljout

They keep us
Yet

Are seen

to

and doubt

iu suspense

oft perverse, like

woman-kind,

scud against the wind.

lady just the same?

Is not this

For who can

tell

what

is

her aim ?
Swift.

Thou

delightest the cold world's gaze,

When
But thy
Than

crowned with the flower and the gem,

lover's smile should be dearer praise

the incense thou prizest from them.

And gay
As

the playful tone,

is

to the flattering voice

thou respondest

But what is the praise of the cold and unknown

To the tender blame of the fondest ?
John

Know,

Everett.

Celia, (since thou art so proud,)

'Twas

I that

gave thee thy renown:

Thou hadst, in the forgotten crowd

Of common beauties, lived unknown,

my

Had
And

not

That

killing

with

gave

it

it

verse exhaled thy name,

impt the wings of

power

to

is

Faitie.

none of thine,

thy voice and eyes

Thy sweets, thy graces, all are mine

Thou art my star, shin'st in my skies
;

Tlien dart not from thy borrowed sphere

Lightning on him that fixed thee there.

Thomas Cweiv,

;;

15

^itofcjilrop.

SNOWURov....I{u2je.

The Snowdrop

is

looked upon as the herald of the

The north winds

approach of Hower-wreathed Spring.

howl
frost

the naked branches of the trees are white with

the earth

is

carpeted with the virgin snow

musicians are silent

fi'!itli(M'ed

the rivulet

li:ind chills

till

it

its

may

murmur. At
up amid the snow,

blossoms, and leads thought to the verdant

This beautiful sign of awakening Na-

hours to come.
ture

the

ceases to

this season, a tender flower springs

expands

and stern Winter's icy

aptly be considered as the

emblem

of Hope.

The Snowdrop, winter's timid child,

Awakes to life bedewed with tears,

And flings around its fragrance mild

And, where no rival flowerets bloom,
Amidst the bare and chilling gloom

A beauteous
All

gem appears.
weak and wan, with head

Its

It trembles,

Bends
Its

its

while the ruthless wind

slim form

the tempest lowers.

emerald eye drops crystal showers

On

its

cold bed below.

Where'er
I

I find thee, gentle flower,

art sweet and dear to me

have known the cheerless hour,

Thou
For

inclined,

parent breast the drifted snow,

still

Have seen the sunbeams cold and

Have felt the chilling wintry gale,

And wept and

shrunk, like thee

pale,

Mari/ Robinson.

10

^uoinbrop.

No one is so accursed by fate,

No one so uttei'ly desolate,
But some

Responds, as

An
"

if

his

its

whispers in

Where

own

with unseen winga

angel touched

And

though unknown,

heart,

Responds unto

quivering strings,

its

song,

hast thou stayed so long?"

Longfellow,

The

star of

And

Hope

will

beam

in Sorrow's night.

smile the phantoms of Despair to

flight.

Anon.

"Why

do you

Our

first

call the

Snowdrop

pale,

of flowerets bright ?

For the Christmas Rose came long before,

So did the Aconite."
I

know the yellow Aconite

I know the Christmas Rose
;

But neither one nor other

e'er

Within my garden grows.

They seem to me presumptuous things.
That rudely hurry on,

And

struggle for the precedence

fairer flower

When

A
And
It

hath won.

was but a wee, wee thing,

young Snowdrop I nursed.
I

loved

it

when they

always blossomed

marked

And

its tiny,

dainty

told

me how

first.

trembling stem,

little bell.

17

Snoialirop.

And, oh!

so tenderly enjoyed

Its faint, delicious smell.

was not only fair and sweet,

'Twas the first flower that came
So said they then, and there is none

It

I could love now the same.

The Aconite may deck with gold
Its merry little face
The Christmas Rose at Christmas bloom,
But none can fill lier place.
Within my garden's small domain
The Snowdrop still shall find

Herself the earliest flower.

She

leads,

The others come behind.

And, lo above the heaving mould
The clustering bells hang here
Like foam upon the storm-black wave,
Or pearls in Ethiop's ear.
And I know where they're crowding thick.
With none their wealth to note
All o'er that woody isle, that lies
Girt by the ancient moat.
!

There, under

tall,

dark crested

firs.

The Snowdrops spring each year;

And shed about that gloomy place
A lightness pale and clear.
A grand old Manor House once stood
On that dim moated isle
But long years since have floated by,

And

its

story died the while.

Tet roses, cultured ones, run wild.

And

fruits,

grown rough and

2

sour,

j5noix)irop.

18

That linger still around, tell tales

Of garden and of bower.
And so the Snowdrops may have dwelt
In borders neat and trim,

And

gentle beings tended them,

Though now all's drear and dim.

The brave and beautiful have died,
Not e'en a name is known
Time hath laid low the stately house,
:

Ye cannot

find a stone.

But still there runneth brightly there

The little sedgy stream
Into the moat, that lieth still
And shadowy as a dream.

And

still

The
Oh,

there groweth plenteously

fragile Snow^drop's bell

human

The

pride! that thou wouldst

list

tale these small things tell!

Louisa A. Twamletj,

As Hope, with bowed head, silent stood,

And on her golden anchor leant.
Watching below the angry flood,
While Winter, mid the dreariment
Half-buried in thp drifted snow,
Lay sleeping on the frozen ground,
the wind did blow,
and bleak on all around:
Sho gazed on Spring, who at her feet
Was looking on the snow and sleet.
Spring sighed, and through the driving gale

Not heeding how

Bitter

Her warm breath caught

the falling snow.

19

SuoinlJrop.

And

from the flakes a flower as pale

Did into spotless whiteness blow.

Hope, smiling, saw the blossom fall,
And watched its root strike in the arth:
"I will that flower the Snowdrop call,"
Said Hope, "in memory of its birth:

And

through

all

ages

it

shall be

In reverence held, for love of me."

"And

ever from

my

Said Spring, "it

And

of all shall go.

be the herald of the flowers,

To warn away
Its

hidden bowers,"

first

the sheeted snow.

mission done, then by thy side

All

summer long

it

shall remain.

While other flowers I scatter wide,

O'er every hill, and wood, and plain,
This shall return, and ever be
A sweet companion, Hope, for thee."
Hope stooped and kissed her sister Spring,
And said, "For hours, when thou art gone,
I'm left alone without a thing
That I can fix my heart upon
'Twill cheer

And

me many

a lonely hour,

in the future I shall see

Those who would sink raised by that flower;

They'll look on it, then think of thee

And many

a sadful heart shall sing,

The Snowdrop bringeth Hope and Spring."

Miller.

20

^rimrosi.

Vri^rose.... Earli/ Grief.

The Primrose
It

was anciently

tiful

who

youth,

is

one of the earliest flowers of spring.

called Paralisos, the

name

of a beau-

died of grief for the loss of his be-

was metamorphosed by his pawhich has since been a favourite

trothed Melicerta, and

rents into this flower,

of the poets.

With
Whilst summer
I'll

The

last,

and

fairest flowers,

I live here, Fidele,

sweeten thy sad grave

thou shalt not lack

flower that's like thy face, pale Primrose.

Cymbeline,

The Primrose pale

is

Nature's

meek and modest

child.

Balfour.

Nay, weep not while thy sun shines bright,

And

cloudless

is

thy day,

While past and present joys unite

To cheer thee on thy way
While fond companions round thee move,
To youth and nature true,
And friends whose looks of anxious love

Thy

every step pursue.

Common-Place Book of Poetry.

The Primrose, tenant

Emblem

of the glade,

of virtue in the shade.

John Mayne,

;; ! ; ;

^rimrost.

Ask me why

send you here

This firstling of the inAmt year

Ask me why

send to you
bepearled with dew:

This Primrose

all

I straight Avill

whisper in your ears,

The sweets of love

Ask me why

are

washed with
show

tears.

this flower doth

So yellow, green, and sickly too

Ask me why

And
I

the stalk

bending, yet

must

What

tell

it

is

weak

doth not break

you these discover

doubts and fears are in a lover.

Thomas Carew,

By

the soft green light in the

On
By

the banks of moss where thy childhood played.

glade,

the household tree through which thine eye

First looked in love to the

By

woody

the

dewy gleam, by

summer sky

the very breath

Of the Primrose-tufts in the grass beneath.

Upon thy heart there is laid a spell,
Holy and precious oh, guard it well
Yes when thy heart in its pride would stray
From the first pure loves of its youth away
When the sullying breath of the world would come
O'er the flowers it brought from its native home
Think thou again of the woody glade,
Of the sound by the rustling ivy made
Think of the tree at thy father's door.

And

the kindly spell shall have power once more.

Mrs. Hemans.

Sllmoub Blossom.

Almond

its

The Almond tree

blossoms, when

through nature.

It

'Blossoh.... Indiscretion.
is

the

first

of the trees to put forth

spring breathes the breath of

from flowering so early that

discretion,

life

has been made the emblem of infrosts too often

give a death-chill to the precocious germs of

its fruit.

In ancient times, the abundance of blossoms upon the

Almond

tree was considered to promise a fruitful seaThe following is the fabulous account of the origin
Demophoon, son of Theseus and Phasdra,
of this tree
in returning from the siege of Troy, was thrown by a
storm on the shores of Thrace, where then reigned the
beautiful Phyllis.
The young queen graciously received the prince, fell in love with him, and became his
wife.
AVhen recalled to Athens by his father's death,
Demophoon promised to return in a month, and fixed
the day.
The loving Phyllis counted the hours of his
absence, and, at last, the appointed day arrived. Nine

son.

times she repaired to the shore

of his return, she died of grief,

but, losing all

and was converted

hope
into

an Almond tree. Soon afterwards, Demophoon returned. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he offered a sacrifice at

the sea-side, to appease the

The Almond
seemed

to

Oh

manes of

sympathize with his repentance.

The

had

nursed when

lessons of

my

was young

father's tongue,

(The deep laborious thoughts he drew

From

his bride.

tree instantly put forth its blossoms,

all

he saw, and others knew,)

and

23

Crocus.

might have been,

Thrice sager than

Alas

ah,

mc

For what says Time ?

he only shows the truth

Of aU

I e'er sliall be.

was

that I

told in youth.

Barry CornwalL
Crocus.... Io//.

The Crocus

is

one of the earliest of the spring flow-

ers, and, therefore,

fit

emblem of

It is a small flower, of variegated

the spring of

life.

hues; the principal

being purple, yellow, and white. The Crocus Yernus,

or Spring Crocus, is a wild flower now in various parts
of England, though not considered to be really a native

We

of the country.

learn from the favourite writers,

Mr. and Mrs. Howitt, that they are plentiful about

Nottingham, '" gleaming at a distance like a perfect
flood of lilac, and templing very many little hearts, and
many graver ones too, to go out and gather."

Oh

many

a glorious flower there grows

In far and richer lands

But high in my affection e'er

The beautiful Crocus stands.
I love their faces, when by one

And two
I love

they're looking out

them when the spreading

field

Is purple all about.

them

I loved

Of

in the by-gono years

childhood's thoughtless laughter,

AVhen

And

marvelled

why

the flowers

the leaves tic season after.

came

first,

; !;;

24

;;

Crocu5.

them

I loved

The

then, I love

gentle

and

them now

the bright

them for the thoughta they bring

Of spring's returning light
When, first-born of the waking earth.
I love

Their kindred gay appear,

And, with the Snowdrop, usher
The hope-invested year.

in

Louisa A, Timmley
You're glad

Because your

little

tiny nose,

Turns up so pert and funny

Because I know you choose your beaux
;

More

for their mirth than

money

Because your eyes are deep and blue,

Your fingers long and rosy
little

maid

Would make

one's

Because a

like you
home so cozy

Because, I think, (I'm just so weak,)

That some of these

fine

morrows

You'll listen while you hear

My

story,

me

speak

and w.y sorrows

Anon

Gay hope

is

theirs,

Less pleasing

when

by fancy

fed,

possest

The tear forgot as soon as shed,

The sunshine of the breast;
Theirs buxom health, of rosy hue
Wild wit, invention ever new,

And

lively cheer of vigour boi'n

25

Irt-^Iaiit.

The thoughtless day, the easy night,

The spirits puro, the slumbers light,
That

fly

the approach of morn.

Alas, regardless of their doom.

The

No
No

little

victims play

sense have they of

ills

to

come.

care beyond to-day.

Yet see how

all

around them wait,

The ministers of human

fate,

And black misfortune's baleful train.

Ah show them where in ambush stand,
!

To

seize their prey, the

Ah,

tell

them they

ai'e

murderous band!

men
Gray's Eton College.

Life went a Maying

With Nature, Hope, and Poesy,
When I was young
Coleridge.

Ice-Plant. .. Frigidity.
.

Canst thou no kindly ray impart.

Thou strangely beauteous one?

work of art.

Fairer than fairest

Yet cold as sculptured stone

Thou

art in Friendship's bright

domain

flower that yields no fruit

And Love

declares thy beauty vain

Of fragrance

destitute

0. S.

M. Ordway.

attus.

With

pellucid studs the Ice-Flower

His rimy

foliage,

aud

gems

his candied stems.

Darwin.

As water

fluid

So in

warm

do grow

is, till it

Solid and fixed

by

cold,

seasons love doth loosely flow;

Frost only can

it

hold

Your coldness and disdain

Does the sweet course

restrain.

Cowley.

C^CiV?,.... Ardent Love.

The
love,

flower of the Cactus

is

chosen to signify ardent

because of the glowing hues of the flower

itself,

and the heat of the climate in which the plant grows

to the greatest size.
The gorgeousness of the flower
of

tlie

Cactus needs no eulogy.

have been selected

its fall

to

No fitter emblem

could

represent the passion of love in

flame.

when soft and wide

The evening spreads her robes of light,
And, like a young and timid bride,

I think of thee,

Sits

blushing in the arms of night

And when

the moon's sweet crescent springs

In light o'er heaven's deep waveless sea,

And
I

stars are forth like blessed things,

think of thee

think of thee.
G. W. Prentice.

27

Cactus.

Tliou'rt like a star

for

and forlorn,
all was blackness

And

when my way was

like the

cheerless

sky before a coming

storm,

Thy beaming

smile and words of love, thy heart of

kindness

Ilhimed

my

free,

path, then cheered

sorrows

Thnu'rt like a star

to

my

soul,

and bade

its

flee.

when sad and lone

wander

forth

view

The lamps of

night, beneath their rays

my

spirit's

nerved aneAV,

And

thus I love to gaze on thee, and then I think

thou'st power
To mix the cup of joy

for

me, even in

life's

darkest

hour.

whene'er my eye

Tluiu'rt like a star

to

Upon

is

upward turned

gaze

those orbs, I

mark with awe

their clear celestial

blaze

And

then thou seem'st so pure, so high, so beautifully

bright,

I almost feel as if it

were an angel met my sight.

American Ladies' Magazine.

Could genius sink in dull decay,

And wisdom
Should

Even
Thou

all

cease to lend her ray

that I have worshipped change,

this could not

still

my

heart estrange

wouldst be the

first,

the

first

That taught the love sad tears have nursed.

Mrs. Emhvry,

mat.

28

The

sick soul

That burns with love's delusions, ever dreams,

Dreading its losses. It for ever makes
A gloomy shadow gather in the skies,
And clouds the day and looking far be3''ond
;

Tlie glory in its gaze,

it

sadly sees

Countless privations, and far-coming storms,

Shrinking from what

it

conjures.

Simms's Poems,

The rolling wheel, that runneth often round,

The hardest steel in tract of time doth tear;

And

drizzling drops, that often do redound,

Firmest

And

doth in continuance wear

flint

Yet cannot

I,

with

many

a dropping tear,

long entreaty, soften her hard heart,

That she will once vouchsafe my plaint

Or look with pity on my painful smart:

to hear,

But when I plead, she bids me jDlay my part

And when I weep, she says tears are but water;
And when I sigh, she says I know the art
And when I wail, she turns herself to laughter;
So do I weep and wail, and plead in vain.
While she as steel and flint doth still remain,
Spenser.

Aloe.... Grief.

The Aloe
it

is

attached to the

soil

by very feeble roots

and its taste is

delights to gi-ow in the wilderness,

extremely
thiugs,

bitter.

and

fills

Thus

grief separates us from earthly

the heart with bitterness.

Tliee

mag-

29

aiot.

nificent

and monstrous plants are

fimiiJ in liarliarous

Africa: they grow upon rocks, in dry sand under a

burning atmosphere.
and armed with long
leaves shoots

Some have leaves six feet long,

From the centre of these

spires.

up a slender stem covered

vrith flowers.

Sorrow sit beside me,

must wander, guide me
Let me take thy hand in mine,
Sister

Or, if I

Cold alike are mine and thine.

Think not. Sorrow, that I hate thee,
Think not I am frightened at thee,
Thou art come for some good end
I will treat thee as a friend.

B. M. Milnes,

And

have left now,

and solitude and tears
The memory of a broken vow,
INIy blighted hopes, my wasted years
this is all I

Silence

Anon.

may be that I shall forget my grief;

may be time has good in store for me
It may be that my heart will find relief
From sources now unknown. Futurity
It

It

May

some hidden spring

and yet
Whate'er of joy the coming year may bring.
bear within

From which

its

folds

will issue blessed streams

the past

The past

never can forget.

jlfr*.

Hale.

30

MormJnooIr.

Of comfort no man speak:

worms, of epitaphs
Make dust ouv paper, and with rainy eyes
Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth.
Let's choose executors, and talk of wills
And yet not so for what can we bequeath.
Let's talk of graves, of

Save our deposed bodies in the ground?

Shakspeare.

Wormwood.. ..J.65ence.

Wormwood
according to

is

La

the bitterest of plants

and absence,

Those
whose anxious breasts the "flame divine" is burning, will agree with the French author in his assertion.
To be absent from one we love is to carry a vacant
chamber in the heart, which naught else can fill.
Fontaine,

is

the worst of evils.

in

When thou shalt yield to memory's

And let her fondly lead thee o'er

power,

The scenes that thou hast past before.

To absent fi-iends and days gone by,
Then should these meet thy pensive eye,
A true memento may they be
Of one whose bosom owes to thee
So

many

That

hours enjoyed in gladness,

else

perhaps had passed in sadness,

And many

a golden dream of joy.

Untarnished and without

Oh,

still

my

alloy.

fervent prayer will be,

"Heaven's choicest blessings

rest

on thee."
Miss Gould.

81

Tiolct.

How

can the glintin sun shine bright?

llow can the vriniplin burnie glide?
Or flowers adorn the ingle side ?

Or birdies deign
The woods, and streams, and

vales to chide

Eliza's ganel
/.

If she be gone, the world, in

Is all bare walls

But dust and

my

W. H.

esteem,

nothing remains in

it

feathers.

John Crown.

Thus absence

No

dies,

and dying proves

absence can subsist with loves

That do partake of fair perfection

Since, in the darkest night, they iftay.

By

love's quick motion, find a

To

way

see each other in reflection.

SucMing.

Violet. ...xT/bcZes^ Worth.

The

Yiolet has always been a favourite theme of ad-

miration

and

among

visitors of Parnassus.

love of retired spots have ever

Its quiet

made

of true worth that shrinks from parade.

the

first

it

the

beauty

emblem

It is

one of

children of spring, and awakens pleasing emo-

tions in the breast of the lover of the beautiful, as he

strolls

through the meadows in the season of joy.

the Greek

name

of this flower,

is

Ion,

traced by some ety-

mologists to la, the daughter of Midas,

who was

be-

TiaUt

32

trothed to Atys, and changed

to hide her

by Diana

into a Yiolet,

from Apollo.

A woman's love,

deep in the heart,

Is like the A''iolet flower,

That lifts its modest head apart

In some sequestered bower.
Anon.

The maid whose manners are

retired.

Who, patient, waits to be admired,

Though overlooked, perhaps, a while
Her modest worth, her modest smile,
Oh, she will

A noble,

Who, when

And

find, or soon, or late,

fond,

and

faithful mate,

the spring of

life is

gone.

blooming flowers are flown,

Will bless old Time, who left behind
The graces of a virtuous mind.
all its

Faulding,
Pansies, Lilies, Kingcups, Daisies,

Let them

Long

live

upon

their praises

as there's a sun that sets.

Primroses will have their glory

Long as there are Violets,

They will have a place in

story

There's a flower that shall be mine,

'Tis the little Celandine.

Eyes of some men travel far

For the finding of a star
Up and down the heavens they go,
Meu that keep a mighty rout

83

TJioUt.

I'm as great as they, I trow,

Since the day I found thee out,
Little flower

I'll

make a

stir,

Like a great astronomer.

Modest, yet withal an elf,
Bold, and lavish of thyself,

we needs must first have met

have seen thee, high and low,

Since
I

Thirty years or more, and yet

'Twas a face

I did not

Thou hast now, go where

know
I

may,

Fifty greetings in a day.

Ere a leaf is on the bush,

In the time before the thrush
Has a thought about its nest,

Thou

wilt

come with half a

call,

Spreading out thy glossy breast

Like a careless prodigal
Telling tales about the sun,

When

there's little

warmth

or none.

Wb7'dswortk.

Shakspeare regarded the Violet as the emblem of

constancy, as the following occurs in one of his sonnets:

Violet

is

for faithfulness,

AYhich in

me

shall abide

Hoping, likewise, that from your heart

You

will not let

it slide.

Shakspeare.

The Violet

greenwood bower,

in her

Where birchen boughs with

May

hazles mingle,

boast herself the fairest flower,

In glen, or copse, or forest dingle.

Scoli.

Under the hedge

all safe

and warm,

Sheltered from boisterous wind and storm.

We

Violets

lie

With each small eye

Closely shut while the cold goes by.

You look at the bank, mid the biting frost,

And you sigh, and say that we're dead and

lost;

Lady stay
For a sunny day,

But,

And you'll find us again, alive and gay.

On mossy banks, under forest trees.
You'll find us crowding, in days like these

Purple and blue,

And

white ones

too.

and wait for you.

By maids and matrons, by old and young.
By rich and poor, our praise is sung
Peep

at the sun,

And the blind man sighs

When his sightless eyes

He

turns to the spot where our perfumes

There

is

rise.

not a garden, the country through,

Where they plant not Violets, white and

By princely hall.

And

blue;

cottage small

For we're sought, and cherished, and culled

liy all.

35

Fiolct.

Yet grand parterres and stiff trimmed beds

ill become our modest heads

But

We'd

rather run,

In shadow and sun,

O'er the banks -whore our merry lives

first

begun.

There, where the Birken bough's silvery shine

Gleams over the hawthorn and frail woodbine,

Moss, deep and green,
Lies thick, between
The plots where we Violet-flowers are seen.
And the small gay Celandine's stars of gold
Rise sparkiing beside our purple's fold:

Such a regal show

Is rare, I trow,

Save on the banks where Violets grow.

Louisa A. Twamley.

know where bloom some

Violets in a bed
Half hidden in the grass and crowds go by
And see them not, unless some curious eye
Unto their hiding-place by chance is led.
I often pass that way, and look on them.
And love them more and more. I know not why
My heart doth love such humble things but I
Esteem them more than robe or diadem
Of haughty kings. A babe, or bird, or flower
Hath o'er the soul a most despotic power.
I

The

tearful eye of infancy oppressed

A flower down-trodden
Awaken

by the

foot of spite

'

sighs of sorrow in the breast.

Or nerve the arm

to vindicate their right.

MacKellar.

86

^.abicniitr.

Lavendek.. ..Distnist.

was anciently believed that the asp, a dangerous

made Lavender its habitual place of
abode, for which reason that plant was approached
with extreme caution. The Romans used it largely in
tlieir baths, from whence its name is derived.
It

species of viper,

Our doubts

And make us
By fearing to

lose the

are traitors.

good we

oft

might win.

attempt.
SJiakspeare.

Who

never doubted never half believed.

Where doubt

there truth

is

'tis

her shadow.
Bailey.

When
I

first,

with

all

a lover's pride,

wooed and won thee

I little

for

my

bride,

thought that thou couldst be

Estranged as now thou art from

me

Anon.

Thy

confidence

In fear

my

is

held from me,

love but shows.

Like one, art thou, who fears the bee

May

sting thee, through the rose.

Anon.

87

^ait5ji.

Fassy.... Think

TnE Pansy,
tlie

lours.
is

or Heart' s-ease,

Violet, differing

In fragrance

from
it is

it

of me.

is

a beautiful variety of

in the diversity of its co-

Pansy

inferior to the Violet.

an old English corruption of the French Pensee.

And

there are Pansies, that's for thoughts."

Shakspeare.

CniLDHOOD.
Sister, arise, the

sun shines bright,

The bee is humming in the air,

The stream is singing in the light,
The May-buds never looked more
Blue

fair;

the sky, no rain to-day

is

Get up,

And we

it

has been light for hours,

have not begun

to play.

Nor have we gathered any flowers.

Time, who looked on, each accent caught,
And said, "He is too young for thought."
YOUTH.
To-night, beside the garden-gate

Oh, what a while the night

I never

No
I

saw the sun

is

coming

so late.

heard the bee at this time

humming

thought the flowers an hour ago

Had

closed their bells

and sunk

How slowly flies that hooded crow

How light it is along the west
Said Time, "

That I

oft

He

move

to rest
I

yet hath to be taught

too quick for thought."

38

;!

^ansj.

What
Not

Nor

thoughts wouldst thou in

love

friendship

no, I

Pleasure I have not

The
I

me awaken

for that brings only tears

was forsaken

known

for years

future I would not foresee,

know

too

much from what

is

past,

No happiness is there for me,

And troubles ever come too fast.
Said Time, "No comfort have I brought,
The past

Somehow
The

to him's

one painful thought."

the flowers seem different now.

Daisies

dimmer than

of old

There's fewer blossoms on the bough,

The Hawthorn buds look gray and cold

The Pansies wore another dye
When I was young when I was young

There's not that blue about the sky

way in those days hung.

now looks as it "ought."
Time, "The change is in thy thought."

Which

every

There's nothing

Said

Miller.

I think of thee at morn,

The

when

glisten

on the grass
I think of thee at eve, and listen,
When the low, whispering breezes pasFi.
tearful dew-drops

E. R. H.

89

S^is^-

And

thou, so rich iu gentle names, appealing

To hearts that own our nature's common lot;

Thou, stj'led by sportive Fancy's better feeling
A Thought, the Heart' s-Ease, and Forget-me-not.
Barton.

Daisy. ..Innocence.
.

SuAKSPEARE speaks of the Daisy

as the flower

^A"hose white investments figure innocence;

and succeeding poets have generally used it as the

image of that pure qualit}'. Fable informs us that the
Dais^- owes its origin to Bolides, one of the Dryads,
who were supposed to preside over meadows and pastures.
While dancing on the turf with Ephigeus,
whose suit she encouraged, she attracted the admiration of Vertumnus, the deity who presided over orchards
and, to escape from him, she was transformed into the
humble flower, the Latin name of which is Bellis. The
ancient English name of the flower was Day's Eye, of
which Daisy is a corruption. In Ossian's poems, the
Daisy is called the flower of the new-born most ex-

pressive of innocence.

When

smitten by the morning ray,

I see thee rise alert

and gay.

Then, cheerful flower

my

spirits

play

With kindred gladness

And when, at dark, by dews opprest,
Thou sink'st, the image of thy rest
Hath often eased my pensive breast
Of careful sadness.
WordswoHh.

40

aisj.

She dwells amid the world's dark ways,

Pure as in childhood's hours
;

And all her thoughts are poetry,

And all her words are flowers.
Mrs. M. E. Hewitt.

'Twas when the world was in its prime,

When meadows green and woodlands wild

Were strewn with

flowers, in sweet spring-time,

And everywhere
When undisturbed

the Daisies smiled.

the ring-doves cooed.

While lovers sang each other's praises,

As in embowered lanes they wooed.
Or on some bank white o'er with Daisies
While Love went by with muffled feet.
Singing, " The Daisies they are sweet."
Unfettered then he roamed abroad,

And

as he willed

it

past the hours

Now lingering idly by the road,

Now loitering by the wayside flowers
For what cared he about the morrow ?
Too young to sigh, too old to fear
No time had he to think of sorrow,
Who found the Daisies everywhere
Still sang he, through each green retreat,
;

"The Daisies they are very sweet."

With many a maiden did he dally.
Like a glad brook that turns away
Here in, there out, across the valley,
With every pebble stops to play
Taking no note of space nor time.
Through flowers, the banks adorning.

41

jSaisij.

Still rolling on,

with silver chime,

In star-clad night and golden morning.

So went Love on, through cold and heat,

"The

Singing,

Daisy's ever sweet."

'Twas then the flowers were haunted

With fairj^ forms and lovely things,

Whose beauty elder bards have chanted,

And how they lived in crystal springs.

And swang upon

the honied bells

In meadows danced round dark green mazes,

Strewed flowers around the holy wells.

But never trampled on the Daisies.

They spared the star that lit their

The Daisy was so very sweet.

feet,

Miller.

When

soothed awhile by milder

airs.

Thee Winter in the garland wears

That thinly shades his few gray hairs
Spring cannot shun thee

Whole summer

fields are thine

by

right,

And

autumn, melancholy wight.

Doth in thy crimson head delight.
When rains are on thee.
In shoals and bands, a morrice train.

Thou greet'st the traveller in the lane

welcomed once thou count'st it gain.
Thou art not daunted
Xor car'st if thou be set at naught:

If

And

We

oft

alone in nooks remote

meet

thee, like a pleasant thought.

When

such are wanted.

Wordsivortli.

42

33aiS3.

cannot gaze on aught that wears

The beauty of the skies,

Or aught that in life's valley bears
The hues of paradise
I cannot look upon a star,
Or cloud that seems a seraph's car,
Or any form of purity
Unmiiigled Avith a dream of tliee.
;

P. Benjamin.

The Daisy

meade and downe,

scattered on each

golden tuft within a silver crown

Faire

No

fell

shepherd graced

There

is

With

a flower, a

tliat

little

and may there be

doth not honour thee.
Browne.

that dainty flower

flower

and golden eye,

That welcomes every changing hour.

And

silver crest

weathers every sky.

Munfyomery.

Heaven may awhile correct the virtuous.

Yet it will wipe their eyes again, and make
Tiieir faces whiter witli their tears.

Concealed

is

Which never ends

Doth oftentimes do

in shame, as that of
;

men

but like the sun breaks

When it hath gratified another world

And to our unexpecting eyes appears
More

Innocence

the stolen pleasure of the gods,

glorious through

its late

forth,

obscurity.
Jolin Fountain.

43

^n-iix)iuklc.

Periwinkle.... KncZer Recollections.

In France, the Periwinkle has been adopted as the

emblem
ship,

of the pleasures of

memory and

sincere friend-

probably in allusion to Rousseau's recoUectioif

of his friend,

Madame

lapse of thirty years,

de Warens, occasioned, after a

by the sight of this floAver, which

they together had admired.

which

This plant

is

deeply rooted

its shoots on
and covers it with flowers,
which reflect the hue of heaven. Thus our first aS"ections, warm, pure, and artless, seem to be of heavenly

in the soil

all sides to

it

adorns.

It

throws out

clasp the earth,

origin.

Though

And

the rock of
its

my

last

hope

is

shivered,

fragments are sunk in the wave,

Though I feel that my soul is delivered

To pain, it shall not be its slave.
There is many a pang to pursue me
They may crush, but they shall not contemn;
They may torture, but shall not subdue me,

'Tis of thee that I think, not of them.

Bi/ron.

'Tis sweet,

and yet

'tis

sad, that gentle power,

"Which throws in winter's lap the spring-tide flower:

I love to dream
When, with the

of days

my childhood knew,
my heart, time flew

sister of

On wings of innocence and hope dear hours,

"When joy sprang up about our path, like flowers
Mrs. A. M. Wells.
!

44

^iriboi'n'ilt.

The

lesser Periwinkle's bloom,

Like carpet of Damascus' loom,

Pranks with bright blue the tissue wove

Of verdant foliage and above

With milk-white flowers, whence soon
Red fruitage, to the taste and smell
:

shall swell

Pleasant alike, the Strawberry weaves

Its coronets of three-fold leaves

In mazes through the sloping wood.

Mant.

Where

captivates the sky-blue Periwinkle

Under the cottage

eaves.
Ilurdis.

Ptemember thee ?
Yea, from the table of
I'll

wipe away

my memory

all trivial

All saws of books,

all

fond records.

forms, all pressures past,

That youth and observation copied there

And

thy

commandment

all

alone shall live

Within the book and volume of

Unmixed with baser

my

brain,

matter.

Shakspeare.

Oh only those
Whose souls have felt this one idolatry
Can tell how precious is the slightest thing
!

Affection gives and hallows

dead flower
Will long be kept, remembrancer of looks
That made each leaf a treasure.
!

Miss Landon.

;;

45

Siuttt-Britr.

S'vrEET-BRiER, OR "Eglastine.. ..Poetri/.

The Eglantine
games,

it

was the

is

the poet's flower.

In the

floral

prize for the best composition on the

charms of study and eloquence. Though its flowers

are most beautiful in hue, their fragrance is their more
valuable quality. In like manner, the charms of poetry
and eloquence should be considered superior to those
of appearance.

And well the poet, at her shrine,

May bend and worship while he woos
To him she is a thing divine,
The inspiration of his line,
His loved one, and his muse.
If to his song the echo rings

Of fame

'tis

woman's voice he hears

If ever from his lyre's proud strings

Flow sounds,

like

rush of angel wings,

'Tis that she listens, while he sings,

With blended

smiles and tears.

SallecJc.

Give me the poet's lyre

And as the seraph in his orbit sings.
Oh, may I strike the heaven-attuned strings,

With a seraphic fire

With music fill the mighty dome
!

And

the rapt souls of

men

of mind.

in music brightly bind

/.

W. E.

46

HLilac.

Trace the young poet's fate

Fresh from his solitude, the child of dreams,

His heart upon his lips he seeks the world,

To

find

him fame and

fortune, as if life

Were like a fairy tale. His song has led

The way before him flatteries fill his ear,
;

His presence courted, and his words are caught;

And he seems happy in so many friends.

What marvel if he somewhat overrate

His talents and his state? These scenes soon change.
The vain, who sought to mix their name with his
The curious, who but live for some new sight;
The idle all these have been gratified.
And now neglect stings even more than scorn.
Miss Landon.

lii-LkC. ...First

The

Emotions of Love.

freshness of the verdure of the Lilac

bility of its

branches

the profusion of

its

the flexiflowers

and their soft hues, all remind

us of those emotions which embellish beauty, and thmw
such a light around our .youthful hours. It is said
that Van Spaendonc himself threw down his pencil on
viewing a group of Lilacs. Nature seems to have delighted in creating its delicate clusters, which astonish
by their beauty and variety. The fragrance of the
flowers is even more gratifying than their beauty.
their transitory beauty

She had grown,

In her unstained seclusion, bright and pure

As a

first

opening Lilac, when

Its clear leaves to the sweetest

it

spreads

dawn

of

May.
rcrcival.

47

3LiIac.

"When

thou earnest, gentle, shy, and fond,

first

My purest, first-born love, and dearest treasure,

My heart received thee with a joy beyond
All that

it

Nor thought

yet had
that

felt

of earthly pleasure

any love again might be

So deep and strong, as that

I felt for thee.

Mrs. NoHon.
I love thee,

Who

and

I live

The moon,

me from her calm above.

The wind, who weaves her dim, soft tune
About me, know how much I love
sees

Naught

save night, and the lonely hour,

else,

E'er heard

Even

thx)u

my

passion wild and strong

yet deem'st not of thy power,

Unless thou read'st aright

my

song

Barry Cornwall.
She loves

but knows not whom she

Nor what

his race, nor

loves.

whence he came

Like one who meets, in Indian groves,

Some beauteous bird without a name.

Brought by the

From

isles in

last

ambrosial breeze.

the undiscovered seas.

To show his plumage for a day

To wondering eyes, and wing away

Mowe.

48

gtulip.

TuLiF....DecIaraiio7i

The Tulip

is

parts of Europe

of Love.

an extraordinary favourite in many

in Holland and Tur-

and Asia; and,

key, the most extravagant prices are paid for fine spe-

On

cimens.

beauty of

account of the elegance of

colours,

its

and

its

its

form, the

want of fragrance and

other useful qualities, this flower has been considered

who possesses no
recommendation but a beautiful appearance. In the
East, the Tulip is employed as the emblem by which a
lover makes known his passion to his mistress as the
Tulip expresses the idea that he has a face all fire and
as aa appropriate symbol of a female

a heart

all coal.

Not one of Flora's brilliant race

A form more perfect can display
Art could not feign more simple grace,
Nor Nature take a line away.
Yet, rich as morn, of

When
The

many

a hue,

flushing clouds through darkness strike,

Tulip's petals shine in dew.

All beautiful, but none alike.

Montgomery.

My

heart

is

sad and lonely.

With weariness I pine

Would thou wert here, mine only,
Would I were wholly thine
S.

J.

H.

DAISY WALL "^LOWER AND TULIP

Uarr

(.flitted

me

to

'//Y'irf/^r' rfty

/oye /fv

Vfjr/

49

C^jprtss.

who kneel
Around the throne of li^ht above,
The power of beauty's spell could feel,
If spirits, pure as those

And lose a
What marvel

heaven for woman's love,

that a heart like mine

Enraptured by thy charms should be
Forget to bend at glory's shrine,
And lose itself ay, heaven for thee !

Memorial.

Fain would

speak the thoughts I bear

But they do choke and

And make me

flutter iu

my

to thee,

throat.

like a child.

Joanna

Baillie.

Cypress.. ..Moic7'ning.

The

ancients consecrated the Cypress to the Fates,

They placed it near tombs.

same custom in the
decoration of their cemeteries. The Turks plant the
Cypress at the head and at the foot of the graves.
the Furies

and Pluto.

The people

of the East retain the

According

to Ovid, the

Cypress derived

its

name from

Cyparissoa, an especial friend of Apollo's, who, in

grief at having inadvertently killed a favourite stag of

prayed the gods that his mourning might be made

was changed into a Cypress tree, the
branches of which were thenceforward used at funerals.
his,

perpetual, and

Lady dear

this history

Is thy fated lot.

Ever such thy watching

For what cometh not,
4

60

!!

Csprtss.

Till

with anxious waiting

Round
Still

dull,

thee fades the beautiful

thou seekest on, though weary,

Seeking

still

in vain.

Miss Landon.

Thou art lost to me for ever, I have lost thee, Isadore,

Thy head will never rest upon my loyal bosom more.
Thy tender eyes will never more gaze fondly into mine.
Nor thine arms around me lovingly and trustingly entwine.

Thou

art

dead and gone, loving wife,

still

And

and

thy

heart

is

cold,

one stride have become most comfortless and

I at

old;

Of our whole world

of love and song, thou wast the

only light,

A star,

whose

setting left behind, ah! me,

how dark

night!

Thou

art lost to me, for ever, Isadore.

Albert Pike.

The Cypress

is

the

emblem of mourning,
^hakspeare.

Alas, for earthly joy, and hope, and love.

Thus stricken down,

What

Who
Oil,

live to

wo, dfop

When

e'en in their holiest hour!

deep, heart-wringing anguish

all it

weep the blasted

wo

must they prove,

tree or flower

to earthly love's foud trust.

once has worshipped

lies in

dust

Mrs. Einhurij.

51

ESSaH-jFIoJnu.

WALh-T LOW ER....Fidelili/

of

in Adversity.

Tuis flower derives its name from the ciixumstanco

its growing upon old walls, the casements and bat-

among the ruins of

The troubadors were accustomed to wearing
a bouquet of Wall-flowers, as the emblem of an affection
which is proof against time and the frowns of fortune.
tlements of ancient castles, and

abbeys.

Adah.

Alas!

thou sinnest now,

my

Cain; thy

words

Sound impious in mine ears.

Then leave me
Cain.
Adah. Never,
Though thy God left thee!

Byron.

An emblem

true thou art

Of love's enduring lustre given

To cheer a lonely heart.
Barton.

Flower of the solitary place

Gray Ruin's golden crown,

That lendest melancholy grace
To haunts of old renown
;

Thou mantlest

By strife or
And fiUest up

o'er the battlements

storm decayed
each envious rent

Time's canker-tooth hath made.

Moir.

;;

52

?Ha5xitTjorn.

Though human, thou didst not deceive me;

Though woman, thou didst not forsake
Though loved, thou fovborest to grieve me;
Though slandered, thou never couldst shake;
Though trusted, thou didst not disclaim me;
Though parted, it was not to fly;
Though watchful, 'twas not to defame me
Nor, mute, that the world might

belie.

Byron.
Yes, love

my

breast, at sorrow's call,

Shall tremble like thine

own;

If from those eyes the tear-drops

fall,

They shall not fall alone.

Our souls, like heaven's aerial bow,
Blend every light within their glow,
Of joy or sorrow known
;

And

grief,

Were

divided with thy heart,

sweeter far than joy apart.

Anon.

Hawthorn.. ..Bb^e.
Vabioits significations have been given to the
thorn.

Among

wish of a lover

the Turks, a branch of

Haw-

expresses the

from the object of his

to receive a kiss

Among

it

Hawthorn
was a symbol of conjugal union its blossomed boughs
were carried about at their wedding festivities, and the
affection.

the ancient Greeks, the

;

newly-married couple were even lighted to their bridal

chamber with torches made of its wood. In England,
the

Hawthorn

and

is,

is

used in the sports of May-days,

therefore, frequently called

May.

There

is

53

JHaiotfjorit.

proverb

among

the rural inhabitants of that country,

that a " store of

haws portend cold winters." Though

Hawthorn is quoted as the emblem of Hope, it
must be considered more particularly as the lover's
the

hope.

now HAT WAS

FIRST MADE.

As Spring upon a silver cloud

Lay looking on the world below,
Watching the breezes as they bowed
The buds and blossoms to and fro,
She saw the fields with Hawthorns walled
Said Spring,

She

to

Who
And

"New

buds

I Avill create."

a Flower-Spirit called.

on the month of

May

did wait,

bade her fetch a Hawthorn-spray,

That she might make the buds of May.

Said Spring, "The grass looks green and bright,
The Hawthorn-hedges too are green,
I'll sprinkle them with flowers of light,
Such stars as earth has never seen
And all through England's girded vales,
Her steep hill-sides and haunted streams,

Where woodlands

dip into the dales.

Where'er the Hawthorn stands and dreams,

Where thick-leaved trees make dark the day,
I'll light each nook with flowers of May.
Like pearly dew-drops, white and round,

The shutrup buds shall first appear.

in them be such fragrance found,

And

As

breeze before did never bear

;;

64

i^aint^orn.

Such as in Eden only dwelt,

When angels hovered round its bowers,
And long-haired Eve at morning knelt
In innocence amid the flowers
While the whole air was, every way,
Filled with a perfume sweet as May.
:

And

oft shall groups of children come,

Threading their way through shady placea,

From many a

peaceful English home,

The sunshine falling on

Starting with merry voice

As through green
To gather

the sweet

their faces

the thrush,

lanes they wander

Hawthorn bush

singing,

Which, homeward in the evening bringing

With smiling faces, they shall say,
'

There's nothing half so sweet as

And many

Shall link

And

May/

a poet yet unborn

its

name with some sweet

morn

lay,

lovers oft at early

Shall gather blossoms of the

May

AVith eyes bright as the silver dews.

Which on

And

the rounded May-buds sleep.

whose parted smiles diffuse
sunshine o'er the watch they keep.
lips,

Shall open all their white array

Of pearls, ranged

like the

buds of May."

Spring shook the cloud on which she lay.

And

silvered o'er the

Then showered down

Hawthorn

spray.

the buds of

May.
Miller.

With hope

all pleases,

nothing comes amiss.

Rogers.

55

3LDJ)-lujEi-i)ItfIiin]j.

And Hawthorn's

early blooms appear,

Like youthful hope upon

life's

year.

Drayton.

Gay was

And

Upon

the love of paradise he

pictured in his fancy

it till it

tint of

had a

life

heaven athwart

drew

he did dwell

he threw
it

who can

tell

The yearnings of his heart, the charm, the

That bound him to that vision ?

spell,

Percival.

LovE-LiES-BLEEDixG....J)e5e?'/ecZ Love.

Tnis beautiful emblem of

love,

wounded and bereaved

The flower is of

a species of Amarauthus.

l>y fiite, is

a roJdish-purple hue, which circumstance suggests

its

name.

single rose

is

shedding

meek and

Its lovely lustre

It looks as planted

pale

by despair

the

So white, so faint

slightest gale

Might whirl the leaves on high.

Byron.

And on

with

many

Our weary race

And

still,

"We

a step of pain,

sadly run
on we plod our way,
as life's gay dreams depart,
is

as

find,

To close our being's troubled day.

Naught left us but a broken heart.
Percival.

66

^nrllt.
I change my buried love
For any heart of living mould,

Nor would

No for

am

a hero's child

my quarry in the wild

And still my home this mansion
I'll

hunt

make,

Of all unheeded and unheeding,

And
The

cherish, for

my

warrior's sake,

flower of Love-lies-bleeding.

Campbell.

Upon her face there was the tint of grief,

The settled shadow of an inward strife.
And an unquiet drooping of the eye,
As if its lid were charged with unshed tears.
Byron.

Myrtle.. ..ioM.

The Myrtle has ever been consecrated to Yenus.

At Rome, the temple of the goddess was surrounded
by a grove of Myrtles and in Greece, she was adorned
under the name of Myrtilla. It was observed by the
;

ancients, that, wherever the Myrtle grew,

all

other plants.

grow, excludes

Home
its

all

So

love,

wherever

other feelings.

it

The

is

it

excluded

permitted to

ladies of

modern

retain a strong affection for this plant, preferring

odour to that of the most fragrant essences.

Our love came as the early dew

Comes unto drooping flowers
Dropping

Our

its first

life's dull,

sweet freshness on
lonely hours.

Mrs. R. S. McJiols.

57

iHjjiUt.

harmony

Iiove is a celestial

Of

likely hearts,

composed of

stars' consent,

Which join together in sweet sympathy,

To work each other's joy and true content,
"Which they have harboured since their

Out of

their heavenly bowers,

And know

first

descent,

where they did see

each other here beloved

to be.

Spenser.

have done penance for contemning love

Whose high imperious thoughts have punished me

With bitter fasts, with penitential groans,
With nightly tears, and daily heart-sore sighs.
Shakspeare.

The Myrtle on thy breast

Would

lively

or

brow

hope and love avow.

/.

H. Wiffen.

Comfort cannot soothe

The heart whose life is centred in the thought

Of happy loves, once known, and still in hope,
Living with a consuming energy.
Percival.

As

in the sweetest

The eating canker

bud

dwells, so eating love

Inhabits in the finest wits of

all.

Shakspeare.

58

3Lil2 of

LiLV OF THE

The

T7aIIt|).

y AhhEY ....Modest!/.

beautiful Lily of the Yalley

is

the

emblem

fit

of

the union of beauty, simplicity, and love of retirement.

It

adds an indescribable charm to the spots where

blooms.

snowy hues and

Its

pearance excite emotions of a kindred nature

we

to those

company of one whose heart is

and whose manners are gentle and

experience in the

free

from

guile,

iinpi'etending.

and

Lilacs then,

And

dafifodillies,

the nice-leaved, lesser Lilies,

Shading, like detected

Their

little

green-tipt

light,

lamps of white.
Hunt.

had found out a sweet green spot.

Where a Lily was blooming fair
The din of the city disturbed it not,
But the spirit that shades the quiet cot
With its wings of love was there.
I

found that Lily's bloom,

When

the day

It smiled like

And

it

was dark and

chill

a star in a misty gloom,

sent abroad a soft perfume,

Which

is

floating

around

me

still.

Percival.

The

it

genei-al delicacy of ap-

Lily, in

whose snow-white

bells

Simplicity delights and dwells.

Balfour.

69

f^atinti).

Hyacinth.... Constancy,

Tue blue Hyacinth is mentioned by several English

emblem of constancy. There are many

writers as the
Viirieties

found in Europe and America, but the variety

known in Scotland as the "Blue

common and the most celebrated.

Bell"

is

the most

"When daisies blush, and wind-flowers wet with dew,

"When shady lanes with Hyacinth's are blue,
"When the elm blossoms o'er the brooding bird,
And, wild and wide, the plovei"'s wail is heard,
"Where melts the mist on mountains far away,
Till

morn

is

kindled into brightest day.

JSlliott

Then come

the wild weather,

come

sleet, or

"We will stand by each other however

it

come snow,

blow.

Oppression and sickness, and sorrow, and pain,

Shall be to our true love as links to the chain.

Longfellow.

She loves him yet

false one gave L
"When last he came,
Is still with her wild tears wet.

The flower the

She'll ne'er forget,

Howe'er his faith may waver,

Through grief and shame.
Believe

it,

she loves him yet

Mrs. Osgood.

60

J^gaitntt.

Over the moorland, over the

Dancing

lea,

there are vre

airily,

Sometimes, mounted on stems

We

wave

To meet the

o'er

aloft,

broom and heather,

kiss of the zephyr soft

Sometimes, close together.

Tired of dancing, tired of peeping.

Under the whin you'll find us sleeping.

Daintily bend we our honied bells,
While the gossipping bee her story tells,
And drowsily hums and murmurs on
Of the wealth to her waxen storehouse gone

And

We

though she gathers our sweets the while.

welcome her in with a nod and a smile.

No

rock

no vale too low,

and tremulous forms to grow.
Sometimes we crown
The castle's dizziest tower, and look
Laughingly down

For our

is

too high

fragile

pigmy men in the world below,

Wearily wandering to and fro.
Sometimes we dwell on the cragged crest
Of mountain high,

On

the

And

the ruddy sun, from the blue sea's breast,

Climbing the sky.

Looks from

And

We

his

lights the

couch of glory up.

dew

in the bluebell's cup.

are crowning the mountain

With azure

bells.

Or decking the fountains

In forest

dells.

Or wreathing the ruiu with

clusters gray.

Gl

itljiS.

And

nodding and laughing the livelong day

Then chiming our lullaby, tired with play.

Are Tve not beautiful ? Oh are not \ve
The darlings of mountain and moorland and
!

are we not
meet ye
the high-road

Plunge

Go
Oh

to
!

in the forest

fair

we'll

where

is

lea?

there.

the flower that content

may

tell,

Like the laughing and nodding and dancing bluebell.

Louisa A. Twamley.

The Hyacinth's
TVi' its

for constancy,

unchanging blue.
Burns.

Orchis.... J. Belle.

The
there
its

Butterfly Orcliis

is

a chalky

name from

soil.

is rather rare except where

The Spider Orchis has gained

the great resemblance

it

bears to one of

those large, fat-bodied garden spiders, which are often

noticed for the singular beauty of the markings on
their backs.

named

Another

is

the Fly Orchis;

some strange

reptile,

so very like a

another

is

fly,

that

it is

like a lizard, or

and the flowers being yellow,

green, and purple, and twisted in and about one an-

other in a very odd way,

it

really looks like

ble group of queer living creatures.

fancied like a man,

is

called

Man

some

horri-

One, from being

Orchis

another,

very gayly spotted, and ornamented with a helmet-like

62

u\)is.

appendage,

is

Bee Orchis.

the Military Orchis another is called

Bishop Maut thus alludes to some of
;

these

Well boots

it

the thick-mantled leas

To traverse if boon nature grant,

To crop the insect-seeming plant,
The vegetable Bee; or nigh
Of kin, the long-horned Butterfly,
:

White, or his brother purple pale,

Scenting alike the evening gale

The Satyr flovrer, the pride of Kent,

Of Lizard form, and goat-like scent.

No

-wonder that cheek in

its

beauty transcendent,

Excelleth the beauty of others by far

No wonder

that eye

For your heart

is

so richly resplendent.

a rose and your soul

is

is

a star.

Mrs. Osgood.

What

right have you,

madam, gazing

in your shining

mirror daily.
Getting so by heart your beauty, which

all

others

must

adore

While you draw the golden

to

You

will

vow gayly.
wed no man

ringlets

that's only

down your fingers,

good

to

God,

and

nothing more.
Miss Barrett.

63

3301.

Box.. ..Sloicism.

The common Box,

of which our hedge

is

formed,

indigenous in England, preferring the chalky

hills

is

of

Surrey and Kent for its residence, but flourishing well

on other soils. It is one of the most useful evergreen
shrubs we possess, and especially as it will grow under
the drip and

shadow of other

case with our hedge.

It is

trees, as

you know

is

the

found in most European

countries, from Britain southwards, also about

Mount

Caucasus, Persia, China, Cochin China, and Amei'ica.

It was formerly much more common in England than
now, having disappeared under the spread of agriculBox-hill, in Surrey, is named from this tree, and
ture.
is

a conical elevation covered with a wood of Box-trees,

some of large

size.

Boxley in Kent, and Boxwell in

named from it. The leaf and

Gloucestershire, are also

general appearance of the tree are too familiar to re-

The scent of the spring blossome persons unpleasant.

The timber is very valuable, it is sold by weight,
and, being very hard and smooth, and not apt to warp,
is well adapted for many nice and delicate purposes.
quire any description.

soms

is

rather powerful, and to

In the days of good old Evelyn,

as

much used

it

appears to have been

as at present, for he says, "It

for the turner, engraver, carver,

is good
mathematical instru-

ment maker, comb and pipe, or flute-maker, and the

roots for the inlayer and cabinet-maker.
Of box are
made wheels, sheaves, pins, pegs for musical instruments, nut-crackers, button-moulds, weavers' shuttles,
hollar-sticks, bump-sticks,

and dressers

for the shoe-

64

33ox.

maker, rulers, rolling-pins, pestles, mall-balls, beetles,

chessmen, tables, screws, bobbins for bone-kiL-e,

tops,

Most of

spoons, knife-handles, but especially combs."

those engravings in books, called wood-cuts, are done

upon Box wood, and for that purpose English Bos is

superior to any other, though a great portion of what
is used in this country comes from the Levant.
The
ancients used combs made of Box-wood, and also
instruments to be played on with the mouth. The

Romans used
into form, as

to

adorn their gardens with

we

find

it,

clipped

from mention being made of

It was formerly
and was ranked next to
of taking artificial and gro-

clipped Box-trees by their writers.

much
the

cut in this

Yew

here,

for its capabilities

tesque forms
like

manner

but except a few ancient hedges of Box,

our own, and those at Castle Bromwich Hall,

where the

many

Yew hedges

vestiges of

A dwarf kind is used

are also preserved, there are not

former garden-glory remaining.

its

making a neat and firm edging

which nothing answers so well,
proper an effect.
for

to flower borders, for

or produces so

Though youth be past, and beauty fled,

The constant heart its pledge redeems,
Like Box, that guards the flowerless bed,

And

brighter from the contrast seems.

Mrs. Hale.

65

Nartisfiius anlJ Saffo&tl.

Narcissus and 'DAFFomL....ScIf-Love.

There

are several species of the Narcissus.

The

Yellow Narcissus is better known as the Daffodil, and

The
bears much resemblance to the Yellow Lily.
Poetic Narcissus is the largest of the species, and may
be distinguished by the crimson border of the very
shallow and almost flat cup of the nectary. Shakspeare, in his Winter's Tale, speaks of
Daffodils,

That come before the swallow dares, and

The winds of March with beauty.

The ancients

taste

attributed the origin of the Narcissus to

the metamorphosis of a beautiful youth of that name,

who, having slighted the love of the

nymph

Echo, be-

came enamoured of his own image, which he beheld

a fountain, and pined to death in consequence.
wandered lonely, as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and
When all at once I saw a crowd,
I

host of golden Daffodils

Beside the lake, beneath the

hilla

trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

Aud

twinkle on the milky way.

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of the bay
Ten thousand saw I at a glance.
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

in

06

Narcissus anh

jSalTolJil.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Outdid the sparkling waves in glee

poet could not but be gay

In such a joyful company

I

gazed

What
For

and gazedbut

wealth to

oft

me

the

little

thought

show had brought.

when on my couch

I lie,

In vacant or in pensive mood.

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude.

And
And

my

then

heart with pleasure

fills.

dances with the Daffodils.

WbrdsworiJi

Nature's laws must be obeyed,

And this is one she strictly laid

On every soul which she has made,
Down from our earliest mother:
Be selfjoMT first and greatest
From all reproach the darling

And any blame

Put

off

care,

spare,

that she should bear,

upon another.
Miss Gould,

Still feeds

upon

The nymphs

And

say,

The pale Narcissus

newly blown.

itself; but,

will pluck

"Go,

fool,

and

it

from its tender stalk,

thy image talk."

to

Lord Tlmrloic.

G7

liln.

liihY. ...Mcy'esii/.

TuE

Lily's height

Jews imitated

its

The

and beauty speak command.

form in the decorations of their

first

it as more
most gorgeous ap-

magnificent temple; and Christ described

King Solomon

splendid than
parel.

According

to

in his

ancient mythology, there "was

and that was orangowas produced by the following

originally but one species of Lily,

coloured; and the white

circumstance:

Jupiter,

wishing

to

render Hercules

immortal, prevailed on Juno to take a deep draught of

nectar,

which threw the queen into a profound

sleep,

Jupiter then placed the infant Hercules at her breast,

so

divine milk might ensure immortality.

that the

Hercules drew the milk faster than he could swallow

it,

and some drops

diately sprang the

fell to

White

Flowers of the

And gems

the earth, from which immeLily.

fairest,

of the rarest,

and I gather in country or town

But one is still wanting.
Oh where is it haunting?
The bud and the jewel must make up my crown.
Thou pearl of the deep sea
That flows in my heart free.
Thou rock-planted Lily, come hither, or send;
I find

Mid

flowers of the fairest.

And gems

of the rarest,

I miss thee, I seek thee,

my own

parted friend

M.

J.

Jeiosbury.

; ;

BLUs.

Ye

well arrayed

Queen

Who

Lilies

and ye painted populace,

dwell in

fields,

and lead ambrosial

lives.

Young.

The wand-like

As

a Moenad,

Lily,
its

Till the fiery star,

Gazed through

which

lifted up,

radiant-coloured cup,

which

is

in its eye,

dew on

clear

the tender sky.

Shelley.

Her

glossy hair

is

clustered o'er a

Bright with intelligence, and

brow
and smooth;

fair

Her eyebrow's shape is like the aerial bow,

Her cheek all purple with the beam of youth,
Mounting

at times to a transparent glow,

As if her veins run lightning she, in sooth,

Has a proud air, and grace by no means common,
Her stature tall, I hate a dumpy woman.
;

Byron.
Oh, he is all made up of love and charms,
Whatever maid could wish or man admire
Delight of every eye

when he

appears,

secret pleasure gladdens all that see

And when
To hear

he talks, the proudest

his virtues

and

men

him

will

blush

his glory

Addiso7i.

G3

iUoss Hast.

Moss

The
Rose

'Rose. ...Confession

of Love.

origin of this exquisitely beautiful variety of the

is

thus fancifully accounted for:

The Angel of the Flowers one day,

Beneath a Rose-tree sleeping lay,
That spirit to whose charge is given
To bathe young buds in dews from heaven.
Awaking from his light repose,
The angel whispered to the Rose,

"0

fondest object of

Still fairest

my

found where

care.
all

are

fair.

For the sweet shade thou hast given

Ask what
Then

another grace bestow."

spirit

What

me.

said the Rose, with deepening glow,

"On me
The

to

thou wilt, His granted thee."

paused in

silent

thought

grace was there that flower had not?

'Twas but a moment o'er the Rose

A veil of moss the angel throws
And, robed in nature's simplest weed,
Could there a flower that Rose exceed ?
Anon.

They gather gems with sunbeams bright.

From floating clouds and falling showers
They rob Aurora's locks of light.
To grace their own fair queen of flowers.
Thus, thus adorned, the speaking rose

Becomes a

token

fit

to tell

EalljiU Eitlatcr-HLils.

Of things

that words can ne'er disclose,

And naught but this reveal so well.

Then take my flower, and let its leaves
Beside thy heart be cherished near,

While that confiding heart receives

The thought it whispers to thine ear.
Token, 1830.

White Water-Lilt.. ..PMnYy,

The White Water-Lily is the Queen of the Waves,
and reigns sole sovereign over the streams and it was
a species of Water-Lily which the old Egyptians and
ancient Indians worshipped the most beautiful object
that was held sacred in their superstitious creed, and
one which we cannot look upon even now without feeling a delight mingled with reverence. No flower looks
more lovely than this "Lady of the Lake," resting her
crowned head on a green throne of velvet, and looking
;

down

into the depths of her

own

sky-reflecting realms,

watching the dance, as her attendant water-nymphs

keep time to the rocking of the ripples, and the dreamy
swaying of the trailing water streams.
Miller.

Thine is a face to look upon and pray

That a pure spirit keep thee I would meet
With one so gentle by the streams away.
Living with nature keeping thy pure feet
For the unfingered moss, and for the grass

Which

leaneth Avhere the gentle waters pass.

EHbiit SHiiln-iiiD.

The autumn

71

leaves should sigh thee to thy sleep

And the capricious April, coming on,

Awake thee like a flower and stars should keep
;

vigil o'er thee like

Endymion

And thou for very gentleness shouldst weep

As dcAvs of the night's quietness come down.
Willis.

Oh, come

to the river's rim,

come with us

there,

For the AN^ite Water-Lily is wondrous fair,

^Vith her large broad leaves on the stream afloat,

Each one a capacious fairy-boat.

How stately ride
The swan among flowers
Her snow-white leaves on the glittering tide
!

And

the Dragon-fly gallantly stays to sip

A kiss

of

dew from her gol let's

lip.

Anon.

The Lily on the water sleeping,

Enwreathed with pearl, and bossed with
An emblem is, my love, of thee
But when she like a nymph is peeping.
To watch her sister-buds unfold.
White shouldered on the flowery lea,

gold,

Gazing about in sweet amazement.

Thy image, from the vine-clad casement.
Seems looking out, my love, on me.
Miller.

Little streams

have flowers a many.

Beautiful and fair as any

Typha strong, and green bur reed,

Willow herb with cotton seed,

72

JHan'soIll.

Arrow head with eye

And

of jet,

the Water-Violet

There the flowering Rush you meet,

And
And

the

plumy meadow sweet.

and stilly

in places deep

Marble-like, the Water-Lily,

Mrs.

Ilowitt.

Marigold.... Grief.

The Marigold
of mind.
perties.

is

the conventional emlolem of distress

It is distinguished
It

count, the

by many singular pro-

blossoms the whole year, and on that ac-

Romans termed

or of all the months.

nine in the morning

it

the flower of the calends,

Its flowers are

till

open only from

They

three in the afternoon.

always follow the course of the sun, by turning from

east to west as he proceeds upon his daily journey.
In July and August these flowers emit, during the

luminous sparks.

night, small

expresses grief;

varied events of

Alone, the Marigold

interwoven with other flowers, the

life

the cloud and sunshine of

ill

and

good.

And

see the flaunting Marigold,

Gay from its marshy bed unfold

Mid minor lights its disks that shine
Like suns for brightness.

Anon.

Open

Ye

afresh your round of starry folds,

ardent Marigolds

Dry up

the moisture of your golden lids.

Keats.

73

^ansolJr.

When, with a serious musing, I behold

The grateful and obsequious Marigold,

How

duly, every morning, she displays

Her open

How

breast

when Phoebus spreads his

him in his daily walk

rays

she observes

Still bending towards him her small slender stalk

How, when he down declines, she droops and mourns,
Bedewed as 'twere with tears till he returns.

Withers.
I

need not say how, one by one.

Love's flowers have dropped from off love's chain,

Enough

And

to

say that they are gone,

that they cannot bloom again.

Miss Landon.

We

sometimes see a shadow swiftly skim

In summer o'er the

hills

and vales of earth

So transient shades steal o'er the face of mirth,

And

frequent tears the brightest eyes bedim.

MacKellar.

Thine

is a grief that wastes the heart,

Like mildew on a tulip's dyes

"When hope, deferred but

Loses

its

to depart.

smiles but keeps

its

sighs.

Miss Landon.

mmt

74

White

How
Who

aaosf.

Hose. ...I would be single.

uneasy
is

is

his life

troubled with a wife

Be she ne'er so fair or comely,

Be she foul or be she homely,
Be she blithe or melancholy,
Have she wit, or have she folly.
Be she prudent, be she squandering,
Be she staid, or be she wandering.
Yet uneasy is his life
is married to a wife.

Who

Cotton.

The White Rose became

celebrated in English his-

tory as the badge of the house of York, in the

the Roses.

Among

the ancients,

who

War

of

considered the

Rose as the queen of flowers, it was the custom to

crown new-married persons with a chaplet of Red
and White Roses and in the urocession of the Cory;

bantes, the goddess Cybele, the protectress of cities,

was

pelted with

White Roses.

single

Rose

is

Its lovely lustre

It looks as

shedding

meek and

pale

planted bv despair

So white, so faint

the

slightest gale

Might whirl the leaves on high.

Bijron.

75

gdloto aaost.

Yelloiv' B-ose.... Jealous}/.

German

Pfepfel, a

fur tlie origin of the

and jealousy,

poet, has pleasingly accounted

Yellow Rose, the emblem of envy

in the following

manner:

Once a White Rose-bud reared her head,

And

peevishly to Flora said,

"Look

at

my

sister's

me

Pray, mother,

let

" Nay, child,"

was

blushing hue

have

it

too."

Flora's mild reply,

" Be thankful for such gifts as I

Have deemed befitting to dispense
Thy dower the hue of innocence."

When

did Persuasion's voice impart

Content and peace

Where

to

female heart

baleful Jealousy bears sway.

And scares each gentler guest away?

The Rose still grumbled and complained.
Her mother's bounties still disdained.

"Well, then," said angered Flora "take"

She breathed upon her as she spake
" Henceforth no more in simple vest

Of innocence shalt thou be drest

Take that which better suits thy mind,
The hue for Jealousy designed !"
The Yellow Rose has from that hour
Borne evidence of Envy's power.

76

gll0b3 ^DSt.

whispering nothing ?

Is

Is leaning cheek to

cheek ?

is

meeting noses

stopping the career

Of laughter with a sigh (a note
Of breaking honesty.) horsing
foot?
Skulking in corners wishing clocks more swift
Hours, minutes noon, midnight and
eyes
Blind with the pin and web, but

only,
nothing
That would unseen be wicked
Kissing with inside lip?

infallible

foot to

all

theirs,

Why, then

the world,

and

is

theirs

this

all that's in

it, is

nothing.

Shakspeare.

Thou wondrous yellow fiend

Temper an antidote with antimony.
And 'tis infectious: Mix jealousy with marriage,
It poisons virtue.

Davenport.
jealousy

thou bane of pleasing friendship.

Thou worst invader

of our tender bosoms

How

does thy rancour poison

And

turn our gentle natures into bitterness

all

our softness,

Bowe.

Ah poor unconscious rival maid,

How drearily must thou sicken and fade,
!

'Neath jealousy's dark Upas shade

Tupper.

ixt'ii

Red

77

most.

B.OSE. ...Beauti/

and

Love.

According to ancient fable, the red colour of the

Rose may be traced to Venus, whose delicate foot, when
she was hastening to the relief of her beloved Adonis,
was pierced by a thorn that drew blood.

Which on the White Rose being

Made it for ever after red.

shed,

Herrick.

Miller, the

"basket-maker" and poet, gives the

fol-

lowing beautiful account of the origin of the Red

Rose

was drawing toward the decline of a beautiful

day, when the red, round sun was bending
deep, blue, unclouded sky, to where a vast
range of mountains stretched, summit upon summit,
and in the far distance again rose, pile upon pile, until
It

summer
down a

high over

all

towered the god-haunted height of cloud-

capt Olympus, rising with

its

rounded shoulder,

like

another world, on the uttermost rim of the horizon.

At

the foot of this

tains,

immense world of untrodden moun-

opened out a wide, immeasurable

ing far away, league upon league, with

ocean of
another

trees,

forest, stretchits

unexplored

which were bounded somewhere by

range of unknown mountains, that again

overlooked a vast, silent, and unpeopled world.

On

the edge of this pathless desert of trees, and nearest

i3,th

31ost.

the foot of Olympus, sat the

Love

with her

Queen of Beauty and of

unbound, and lun*

golden tresses

matchless countenance buried within the palms of her

milk-white hands, and sobbing as
heart would break.

if

her fond, immortal

Beside her was laid the dead body

of Adonis, his face half-hidden beneath the floating

of her hair, as she bent over

him and wept.

fill

Beyond

them lay the

his hideous

stiffened bulk of the grim and grisly boar,

jaws flecked with blood and foam, and his

terrible tusks glittering like the heads of pointed spears,

and white, in the unclouded

Not an immortal comforter was by for the
far-seeing eye of Jove was fixed listlessly upon the
golden nectar-cup, as it passed from hand to hand,
as they stood out, sharp
sunset.

along the rounded circle of the gods, while they were

recounting the deeds of other days,

war against

the Titans.

Even

when thoy waged

the chariot of

stood unyoked at the foot of the mount;

Venus

the silken

thrown together upon the ground,

and the white doves were idly hovering round in the
air
for the weeping goddess was so overwhelmed
with sorrow, that she had forgotten to waft her lightwinged whisper to the Mount of Olympus nor had
they received any summons from the charioteer Love,
who lay sleeping upon a bed of Roses, with his bow
and arrows by his side.
traces lay loosely

In the glade of this vast forest of the old primeval

world, whose echoes had never been startled by

tlie

blows of a descending axe, nor a branch rent from

their majestic boles, saving by the dreaded bolts of the
Thunderer, or some earth-shaking storm, which, in his
anger, he had blown abroad, the Goddess of Beauty

aTvcU

still

continued to

sit,

79

ilost.

as if uncouseious of the savage

which surruundod her; nor did she notice the

back-kneed Satyrs, that peered upon her unrobed loveliness with burning eyes, from many a shadowy recess
in the thick-leaved underwood. Upon the trunks of the
mighty and storm-tortured trees, the sunset here and
there flashed down in rays of molten gold, making
their gnarled and twisted stems look as if they had
just issued red-hot from the jaws of some cavern-like
furnace, whose glare the fancy might still trace in a
blackened avenue of trees, up which the red ranks of
the cousuminsr lig-htuino; had ages ao;oue marched.
Every yvaj, where the lengthened shadows of evening
began to fall in deeper masses, the forest assumed a
more savage look, which was heightened by the noise
of some deadly-tusked boar, as he went snorting and
thundering through the thicket; the growl of the
tiger was also heard at intervals, as he retreated farsolitude

ther into the deepening darkness of the dingles, misfire. But

Venus saw only the pale face of her lover,
she felt only his chilly and stiflfened hand sink colder
and deeper into the warm heart on which she pressed
it, and over which her tears fell, slower or faster, just

taking the blazing sunset for some devouring

the eyes of

as the mournful gusts of her sorrow arose or subsided,

and sent the blinding rain from the blue-veined lids

for never had her
immortal heart before been swollen by such an overflowing torrent of grief. But the warmth of her kisses,
which would almost have awakened life in a statue of
marble, fell upon lips now cold as a wintry grave;
and her sighs, which came sweeter than the morning
that overhung her clouded eyes

80

^TvDSt.

3axlir

air

when

it first

arises

from

its

sleep amon.^ the Roses,

stirred not one of the clotted rinn:;lets

which softened
bosom,

into the yielding whiteness of her heavenly

"She looked upon his lips, and they are pale;

She took him by the hand, and that was cold;
She whispered

As

if

in his ear a

heavy

tale,

they heard the woful words she told."

She would have given her immortality but to have

lips murmur and complain, as they had
done a few hours before to have seen those eyes again
burning with disdain, as they flashed back indignantly
the warm advances of her love.
She pictured him as
he had that very morning stood, in all the pride of
youthful manliness and beauty, when he looked down,
heard those

.blushing and abashed, as he held his boar-spear in his

when she threw the studded bridle over her owu

rounded and naked arm, and the proud courser pricked
up his ears with delight, and shook his braided mane,
while his long tail streamed out like a banner, and
his proud eye dilated, and his broad nostrils expanded,
as he went trampling haughtily on, proud to be led
hand,

by the Queen of Beauty and of Love.

She pictured

the Primrose bank on Avhich he lay twined reluctantly

in her arms,

how he

tried to conceal his face, this way,

and that way, among the

tempted

to press his lips,

flowers,

whenever she

"While on each cheek appeared a pretty dimple:

Love made those hollows, if himself were slain,
He might be buried in a tomb so simple."

at-

81

ilti JTvost.

She recalled his attitude as he untwined himself from

her embrace, and hurried

off in

pursuit of his steed,

had snapped the rein that secured

liranch of a neighbouring oak, and started at
v'hich

duwn one

it

to the

full

of the wild avenues of the forest.

speed

In fancy

she again saw him, as he sat panting upon the ground,

weary with the

fruitless pursuit;

and how, kneeling

she then

do'svn,

" Took him gently by the hand,

lily

prisoned in a jail of snow.

Or ivory in an alabaster band

So white a friend engirt so white a foe

beauteous combat, wilful and unwilling.

Showed

And
lips

like

two

as she looked

moved

hand,

why

silver doves that sat a-biiling."

upon him, she imagined that

when they said, "Give me

again, as

his

my

dost thou feel it?" she fancied she again

upon her cheek his kisses upon her lips,

fell down and feigned herself dead
the
while he bent her fingers, and felt her pulse, and endeavoured by a hundred endearments and tender ex-

felt his

as

face

when

she

pressions, to restore her.

to recover, she paid

kisses, whilst he,

offered

And how, when she pretended

him back again with unnumbered

wearied with opposing her, no longer

any resistance

and how,

at last, he broke

from

her fair arms, and, darting down the "dark lawn,"

left

her seated alone upon the ground.

As

picture after picture rose before her of

what had

been, and every close pressure of the cold, inanimate,

but

still

dearly-loved form, told her

6

what the hand of

^th most.

82

death had done, and that those very "hopes and fears
which are akin to love" were now for ever darkened
and extinguished; she burst forth into such a loud,
wailing lamentation, that the sound found

its

way unto

upon the ever-open ear of Jove, who,

in a moment, dashed the golden nectar-cup upon the
ground, which he was about uplifting to his lips, and
sprang upon his feet. There was a sound of hui-rying
to and fro over the mountain-summits, which sloped
down to the edge of the forest of gods and goddesses
passing through the air of golden chariots, that went
Olympus, and

fell

whistling along like the wind, as they cleft their rapid

way

and the flapping of dark, immortal wings, between which many a beautiful divinity was seated.
The golden clouds of sunset gathered red and ominously about the rounded summit of Olympus, and a
blood-red light glared upon such parts of the forest as
were not darkened by the deepening shadows of the
approaching twilight, for the Thunderer had stamped
his immortal foot, and jarred the mighty mountain to
And now, in that forest glade, which
its very base.
but a few moments before was so wild and desolate,
where only the forms of the grisly boar, the dead Adonis, and the weeping Goddess of Beauty broke the

level lines of the

angry sunset, were assembled the

stern Gods, and the weeping Graces, and the fluttering

Loves that ever hover around the chariot of Venus.

With bleeding feet and drooping head, wan, and cold,

and speechless, was the Goddess of Beauty lifted into

her golden chariot, and, with the dead body of Adonis,

wafted by her silver and silent-winged doves

Olympus.

And

to

then a deep darkness settled

Mount
down

ivcl)

83

ilosc.

upon the forest. When the next morning's sun arose

and gilded those silent glades, the Roses, on which the
blood of the Goddess of Beauty had fallen, and which
were ever before white, were changed into a delicate
crimson and wherever a tear had fixllen, there had
sprung up a flower which the earth had never before
box-ne, and that was the Lily of the Valley
and
wherever a ruddy drop had fallen from the deathwound of Adonis sprang up the red flower which still
beareth his name. Even the white apple-blossoms,
which he clutched in his agony, ever after wore the
ruddy stain which they caught from his folded fingers;
and the drowsy Poppy grew up everywhere around
the spot, as if to denote that the only consolation which
can be found for sorrow is the long, unbroken sleep of
death.
Thus the Rose, which was before white, Ijecame red, and was ever after dedicated to Beauty and
;

Love.
Its beautiful tint is traced to

another source by a

modern poet

As erst in Eden's blissful bowers.

Young Eve surveyed her countless

An

flowers.

opening Rose of purest white

She marked with eye that beamed

and straight

Its leaves she kissed,

From

delight,
it

drew

beauty's lip the vermeil hue.

Carey.

The poets have not exaggerated the beauty of the

She would be crowned Queen of the

red-hued Rose.

84

aatij aaofit.

Flowers by the most unpoetical.

The emblem

ages, the interpreter of all our feelings, the

of all

Rose min-

and our griefs. Its

and no truer emblem of love and beauty could have been chosen.
gles with our festivities, our joys,

fragrance

is

as delightful as its hues

I have cherished

A love for one whose beauty would have charmed

In Athens.

And

know what 'tis

and behind the

spiritual beauty,

to love
foil

Of an unblemished loveliness, still find

Charms of a higher order, and a power
Deeper and more resistless. Had I found
Such thoughts and

Of mind

As a

in one

feelings,

whom

such a clear deep stream

vulgar

men had thrown

dull pebble from them, I

Not with a love less

Of less devotion.

had loved

fond, nor with a flame

Percival.

There's no miniature

In her

face,

but

is

a copious theme,

Which would, discoursed at large of, make a volume.

What clear arched brows what sparkling eyes the lilies
1

Contending with the roses in her cheeks,

Who shall most set them off. What ruby
Or unto what can I compare her neck.
But to a rock of crystal ? Every limb

lips

Proportioned to love's wish, and in their neatness

Add

lustre to the richness of her habit,

Not borrowed from

it.

Massinger.

83

3ton|).

Peony... .Anger.

The Peony
its

is

chosen as the emblem of Anger from

red and fiery hues.

It is a large double flower,

presents a superb appearance

but

of scent.
I

'

am burned up

A rage,

and

almost destitute

is

with inflaming wrath

whose heat hath

this condition,

That nothing can allay, nothing but blood.

The blood, and dearest valued blood, of France.
Shakspeare.

The wildest ills that darken life

Are rapture to the bosom's strife
The tempest, in its blackest form,
Is beauty to the bosom's storm

The ocean, lashed to fury loud,

high wave mingling with the

Its

Is peaceful,

To anger's datk and stormy

sea.
/.

Oh, that

cloud,

sweet serenity,

my tongue

W. Eastburne.

were in the thunder's mouth

Then with a passion would

shake the world.

Shakspeare.

86

NxttltB.

Nettles.... C/'Me%.

Nettles may be considered the appropriate emblem

How

of cruelty.

have we

We

call that

while in search of flowers,

often,

the sting of these unrelenting plants!

felt

punishment cruel which

us without

visits

our doing an injui-y which deserves

it;

and, as

we

never wished to be in the vicinity of the Nettles, nor,

therefore, to injure them, our boyish fancy looked

them

upon

as cruel.

Spare not the babe,

Whose dimpled smiles from fools exhaust their mei'cy

Think

it

a bastard,

whom

the oracle

Hath doubtfully pronounced thy

And mince

it

throat shall cut.

sans remorse.
Shaksjpeare.

Do not
It is a

insult calamity;

barbarous grossness to lay on

The weight of scorn, where heavy misery

Too much already weighs men's fortunes down.
Daniel.

Oh, he's accurst from

Who

never

Such sinner on

And

all that's

his sins

must brood,

wait alone his hour.

If stranger to earth's beauty

There

good,

knew Love's healing power

is

human

love,

no rest below, nor hope above.

Dana.

87

olumftint.

Columbine.. ..Dcser^iott.

Bring

Lilies for

Roses

to

Tulips for

deck
all

a maiden's grave,
tlie

who

bride,

love tlirough life

In brave attire to ride

Bring each

But

for each, in

cull the

Columbine

bower and

hall.

for all.

"The Columbine? full many a flower

Hath hues more clear and bright,
Although she doth

in purple go,

In crimson, pink, and white.

Why, when

Why

so

many

fairer shine.

choose the homely Columbine?"

Examine well each floweret's form,

Read ye not something more
Than curl of petal depth of tint ?

Saw ye

ne'er aught before

That claims a fancied semblance there.

Amid those modelled leaves so fair ?

Know

ye the cap which Folly wears

In ancient masques and plays?

Does not the Columbine recall

That toy of olden days ?

And

is

O'er

many

not folly reigning

now

a wisdom-written brow

;!

^alumUui.

88

homely onej
That universal guest
Makes every garden but a type
'Tis Folly's flower, that

Of every human breast

For though ye tend both mind and bower,
There's

still

a nook for Folly's flower.

Then gather roses for the bride,

Twine them in her bright hair,
But, ere the wreath be done

The Columbine be
For rest ye sure that
In

many

oh

let

there.

dwell

follies

a heart that loveth well.

Gather ye laurels

for the

Of every prince

brow

of song

all, to whom philosophy

And wisdom do belong.

For

But

ne'er forget to intertwine

flower or two of Columbine.

Forget

it

not

for

even they,

The oracles of earth,

Mid all their wealth of golden thoughts,
Their wisdom and their worth.
Sometimes play pranks beneath the sky,
scarce become e'en such as 1

Would

Weave ye an armful

of that plant.

Choosing the darkest flowers,

With that red, blood-dipped wreath ye bring

The devastating powers

Russian

Of warrior, conqueror,
Oh! twine that full of

And

do ye ask

or chief;
Folly's leaf!

me why

this flower

brow ?
Tell me but one where Folly ne'er
Hath dwelt, nor dwelleth now,
Is

And

fit

for every

I will

89

jFIoJBfr.

then the laurel twine,

Unmingled with the Columbine.

Louisa A. Twamley.

Passiox

Y-lovtek.... Faith.

Ix the Passion Flower,

we

find a representation of

the crown of thorns, the scourge, the cross, the sponge,

the nails, and the five

name and

wounds

of Christ.

Hence

its

signification.

One more plant

Which, consecrate to Salem's peaceful King,
Though fair as any gracing beauty's bower,
Is linked to

And

sorrow like a holy thing,

name from suS'ering's fiercest hour.

Be this my noblest theme Imperial Passion Flower!
Whatever impulse first conferred that name,
Or Fancy's dream, or Superstition's art,
I freely own its spirit-touching claim.
With thoughts and feelings it may well impart.
takes

its

Barton.

90

f assioii

jnobotr.

Faith builds a bridge across the gulf of death,

To break the shock blind nature cannot shun,

And

lands thought smoothly on the further shore.

Younr/.

True faith nor biddeth nor abideth form.

The bended knee, the eye uplift is all
Which man need render; all which God can bear.

What

to the faith are

A passing speck,

forms?

crow upon the sky.

Bailey.

Faith

That binds us

Of a deep
Until

life

is

the subtle chain

to the Infinite

the voice

within, that will remain

we crowd

it

thence.

Mrs. E. Oakes Smith.

Naught shall prevail against us, or disturb

Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings.

Wordsworth.

Ah, no

my

dying

lips shall close,

Unaltered love, as faith professing;

Nor

My
My

Him who life bestows)

who makes that life a blessing.

(praising

Forget
last

address to Heaven

last

but one

I give to

is

due ;

you.

Lovihond,

91

|13iuk.

Pink. ...Pare Love.

The

primitive Pink

Pcented

simple red or white, and

is

but cultivation has varied the colour from

the darkest purple to the purest -white.

diversities,

however,

it

retains

its

Under

all its

delicious, spicy fra-

and hence has been made the emblem of

love, which no circumstance can change.
Florists designate two principal divisions of these
flowers, Pinks and Carnation. The former are marked
l;y a spot resembling an eye, and by a more humljle
growth. The flower of the Carnation is much larger
than that of the Pink, and of a deeper hue. The Carnation was called by some of the old English writers
the clove-gilly flower, from its perfume resembling
grance,

woman's

that of cloves.

She never told her

But

let

worm

concealment, like a

love,

i'

the bud.

Feed on her damask cheek she pined in thought;

And with a gi-een and yellow melancholy,
She sat (like Patience on a monument)
;

Smiling at

grief.

SJiaJcspeare.

It is a fearful thing,

To love as I love thee to feel the world

The bright, the beautiful, joy giving world
;

A blank without thee.

Never more

to

me

92

StESitibt |3laut.

Can
I

hope, joy, fear, wear different seeming.

have no hope that does not dream for thee

have no joy that

have no fear that does not dread for thee.

is

Now

not shared by thee

L. E. L.

Alas

the love of

woman

it is

known

and a fearful thing

For all of theirs upon that die is thrown,
And, if 'tis lost, life has no more to bring
To them but mockeries of the past alone.

To be a

lovely

Byron.

Sensitive

This singular plant

VhxviT:.... Chastity.

is

so

named from

imitating the sensibility of animal

life.

its

motions

It contracts

evening and expands with the morning

and shrinks from external violence, folding up
The
its leaves at the mere approach of one's hand.
Violet is the emblem of that retiring modesty which
itself in the

light,

proceeds from reflection, but the Sensitive Plant

perfect

is

image of innocence and virgin modesty, the

result of instinct.

So dear to heaven is saintly chastity,

That when a soul is found sincerely so,
A thousand liveried angols lackey her.
Driving far

off

each thing of sin and

guilt.

MiUon.

93

JStnsitiSt ^laiit.

Oh

she

is

To such a

colder than the mountain's snow.

subtile purity she's wrought,

She's prayed and fasted to a walking thought:

She's an enchanted feast, most fair to sight,

And

starves the appetite she does invite

Flies from the touch of sense,

To name but

and

if

you dare

love she vanishes to air.

Crown.
In thy fair brow there's such a legend writ
Of chastity, as blinds the adulterous eye:
Not the mountain ice.
Congealed to crystals,

is

so frosty chaste

As thy victorious soul, which conquers man.

And man's proud tyrant-passion.
Lryden,
Like the Mimosa shrinking from

The

blight of

some familiar

finger

Like flowers which but in secret bloom.

Where aye the sheltered shadows linger.
And which beneath the hot noon-ray
"Would fold their leaves and fade away

The

flowers of Love in secret cherished.

In loneliness and silence nourished,

Shrink backward from the searching eye,

Until the stem whereon they flourished.

Their shrine, the

human

heart, has perished.

Although themselves may never

die.

/. G. Whittier.

^h$mt.

94

Thyme

Among

. . .

.Activity.

Thyme

the ancient Greeks,

ful elegance of the Attic style

denoted the grace-

because

it

covered

Mount

Hymettus, and gave an aromatic flavour to the honey

made there. Those writers who had mastered the Attic
Flies of all
style were said "to smell of Thyme."
shapes, beetles of all hues, bright butterflies, and vigi-

Thyme,
and they thus seem to teem with life. Activity is a
warlike virtue, and is eve^ associated with true courage.

lant bees for ever surround the flower tufts of

On

this notion, the ladies of the

days of chivalry em-

broidered on the scarfs which they presented to their

knights the figure of a bee hovering about a sprig

Thyme.
I

am

not old,

though years have cast

my way

Their shadows on
I

am not old, though youth

On rapid wings away.

has passed,

For in my heart a fountain flows,

And round it pleasant thoughts repose;

And

sympathies, and feelings high,

Spring like stars on evening's sky.

Park Benjamin.

The

thrifty

Where

Thyme

home can

find.

smiles the sun, and breathes the wind.

Mrs. Hale.

cif

Take the instant way

For honour travels in a

Where one but

strait so

goes abreast

narrow,

keep then the path

For emulation hath a thousand sons,

That one by one pursue if you give way,
:

Or edge

aside from the direct forthright,

an entered tide, they

you hindmost,

Like

to

And

leave

all

rush by,
Slialcspeare.

The keen spirit

prompt occasion, makes the thought
Start into instant action, and at once
Plans and performs, resolves and executes.

Seizes the

Hannah
Come,

More.

have learned, that fearful commenting

Is laden servitor to dull delay

Delay leads impotent and snail-paced beggary.

Then

fiery expedition

be

my

wing,

Jove's Mercury, and herald for a king

Go, muster

We

men

must be

brief,

my

counsel

when

is

traitors

my

shield

brave the

field.

Shakspeare.

Rouse thee

wake thy

soul from sadness

Fail not in the eager strife

See around the bright earth's gladness,

All activity and

life

Feerbold.

G6

JHoII^totfe.

lIohhYBOCK.... Ambition.

We have few flowers that contribute more to the

oruamenting of large gardens than the Hollyhock,
which, from

towering height and seeming love of

its

display, is the

emblem

of ambition.

The

flowers are

of all hues, from a blackish-purple to a faint white,

and,

though very beautiful, are without fragrance.

They

give gayety to the shrubbery until a late season

of the year, throwing out a succession of flowers

till

the arrival of frost.

Yet, press on

For

it

make you mighty among men

shall

And, from the

eyrie of your eagle thought.

Oh! press on!

shall look down on monarchs.
For the high ones and powerful shall come
To do you reverence; and the beautiful
Will know the purer language of your soul,

Ye

And

read

Press on

The

spirit,

it

like a talisman of love.

for

it is

godlike to unloose

and forget yourself in thought.

Willis.

To the expanded and aspiring soul.

To be but still the thing it long has

been.

though enthroned it were

Under the cope of high imperial state.
Joanna Baillic.
Is misery, e'en

'97

SloIItiljock.

Ay,

father
!

And

have had those earthly visions

nolde aspirations in

my

j'outh,

To make my own the mind of other men,

The ealightener of nations and to rise
I knew not -wliither
it might be to fall
But fall, even as the mountain cataract,
AVhich having leapt from its more dazzling height,
Even in the foaming strength of its abyss.
Lies low but mighty still. But this is past,
:

]\Iy

thoughts mistook themselves.

Byroin,

I loved to hear the war-horn cry,

And panted at the drum's

And held my breath, when

deep

roll;

flaming high

saw our starry banners

fly,

As, challenging the haughty sky,

They went like battle o'er my soul

For I was so ambitious then,
I burned to be the slave
of men.

John Need.

Know
Which

thou ambition

is

a restless flame.

ever strives to reach the high-placed stars

Peerbold.

Ambition takes a thousand shapes among

Our race of Time's most valued toys, and yet
In court, in camp, in school, and mid the buzz

Of eager

trade her spirit

is

the same.
C. Watson.

98

2.auMl.

Laurel....

Among

(?Zor?/.

and Romans, the Laurel

The beimtiful shrub grows abundantly at Delphi, on the banks
of the river Peneus. There its aromatic and evergreen
branches shoot up to the height of the loftiest trees
and it is alleged that, by means of some secret virtue,
they avert lightning from the spots which they adorn.
According to ancient fable, Daphne was the daughter
the ancient Greeks

was consecrated

to every species of glory.

of the river Peneus.

Apollo

fell

in love with her, but

she, preferring virtue to the love of the

of the gods,

jfled,

of his words.

most eloquent

in order to avoid the seducing magic

Apollo pursued, and was on the point

of overtaking her,

when

the

nymph invoked

her father,

and was changed into a Laurel. The god, finding that

he clasped an insensible tree in his arms, kissed its
bright leaves.
"Since thou canst not be my spouse,"
Thencesaid he, "thou shalt, at least, be my tree."
forward the Laurel was sacred to Apollo.
Ambition! ambition! I've laughed

Thy

to scorn

robe and thy gleaming sword;

would follow sooner a woman's eye,

Or the spell of a gentle word.
But come with the glory of human mind,
I

And the light of the scholar's brow,

And my heart shall be taught foi getfulness,
And alone at thy altar bow.
Wilhs.

99

3LaurcI.

Give

me

the trumpet tone of fame,

The victor's wreath, the hero's name;

Though bites the steel and clanks the
I would a warrior's glory gain,

chain,

A nation's pet and idol be,

With

slaves to crouch

What

is

glory

and bend the knee.

w. R.

What

is

fame ?

The echo of a long-lost name

A breath, an idle hour's brief talk
The shadow of an arrant naught
;

A flower that blossoms for a day,

Dying next morrow

A stream that hurries on

its

way.

Singing of sorrow.
Mothei-well.

lore, and sentimental story.

seems as 'twere this life's supremest aim

In poet's
It

to achieve what men call glory,

And die intoxicate with earth's acclaim.
Ah me how little care the dead for breath

For heroes

Of vain applause that saved them not from death.

MacKellai:

To

die,

and leave some worthy work

Is but a fine transition

to earth.

'Tis to leave

talisman to call the spirit back,

Keft of

its

ground-born tenement.
C. Watson.

ICO

Entarantfj.

Amaranth. ...//wmortaZiVy.

The Amaranth is unfading; and it has, thoreforo,

made the emblem of immortality. In Homer's
time, it was customary to wear crowns of Amaranth at
lieen

the funerals of distinguished personages.

his Lycidas, classes

embroidery wear."

it

among

In the

Milton, in

the flowers that "sad

floral

games

at Toulouse,

Amaranth for the

best lyric composition. The Amaranthus hypochondriacus, one of the American species, is better known
by the name of Prince's Feather.
the principal prize was a golden

There's a yearning that's

felt in

your heart's deepest

cell.

And

silently, vainly,

within doth

it

swell

And, scorning the hopes of the children of earth,

Seeks the bright home of

And
Till

its

heavenly birth

unquenched in the heart will lie,

refreshed by a draught from eternity.
Miss Larcom.
that yearning,

Oh, listen

A voice within
"Man, thou

Hymn
By

it

man

us speaks that startling word,

shalt never die !"

unto our souls

angel fingers touched,

Celestial voices

according harps,

when

the mild stars

Of morning sang together, sound forth

The song of our great immortality.

still

Dana.

101

2[nuranll).

Iniiuortal

Amaranth

a tluwer wliicli once

In paradise, fast by the tree of life

Degau tu bloom; but soon, for man's offence,

To heaven removed,

And

Avhere

lirst it

grew, there grows

flowers aloft, shading the tree of

life.

Milton.

There are distinctions that will

When

time

live in heaven,

a forgotten circumstance

is

The elevated brow of kings will lose

The impress ef regalia, and the slave
Will wear his immortality as free
Beside the crystal waters

but the depth

Of glory in the attributes of God

Will measure the capacities of mind
And, as the angels differ, will the ken
Of gifted spirits glorify Him more.
;

Willis.

Were death

A lamp

annihilation

were

this life

extinguished, ne'er to be

relit,

Then words of deep despondency were fit

Then man perchance might lift his arm in strife
Against his Lord. Were blessedness of mind
Dependent on the vastness of the heap
Of gold and gems the schemers 'mong mankind
Could gather then 'twere virtuous to weep.

But

'tis

not

Is yet to be.

so.

Infinity of time

Beyond our

vision lie

Eternal realms, ineffably sublime

And

beautiful.

MacKellar.

102

Strabtfrrj.

Strawberry.. ..Perfection.

An

eminent French author conceived the plan of

model of

"writing a general history of nature, after the

the ancients.

grew under

his

Strawberry plant, "which, perchan(!e,

window, deterred him from

this bold

He examined the Strawberry, and, in so doing,

discovered so many wonders, that he felt convinced
design.

the study of a single plant

whole
title

lifetime.

He

was

which he had meditated

tented himself with calling

The

occupy a

sufficient to

up the pompous
his work, and con-

therefore gave

it

for

"Studies of Nature."

flowers of the Strawberry form pretty bouquets

but, as the delicious fruit is preferred to the flower,

Among

they are seldom plucked for that purpose.

and flowers of the

seasons of the year. The

the glaciers of the Alps, the plants

Strawberry are found in

plant seems to possess
greatest perfection.

all

all

the merits of plants, in their

The

berries are the favourite ac-

companiment of the lordly

luxury of the rural repast.

feast

and the most exquisite

vie in freshness and

They

perfume with the buds of the sweetest flowers delighting the eye, the taste, and smell, at the same time.
;

Let other bards of angels sing,

Bright suns without a spot

But thou

art no such perfect thing

Rejoice that thou art not!

Wbrdsworffi.

Stratobtrri).

She's noble

noble, one

Embalmed

for

lOS

to keep
dreams of fevered

sleep.

Perception swiftand balanced mind,

An

eye for nature

And, more than

To such a

That on

As

if

all,

taste refined,

a gift of thought

spirit fineness wi'ought,

my

ear her language

each Avord dissolved a

fell

spell.

mills.

Oh

do not

All

That thee

When

we shall hate
when you are gone,

die, for

women

so

I shall

not celebrate.

remember thou wast

one.

But yet thou canst not die, I know

To leave this world behind is death
But when thou from this world wilt go,
The whole world vapours in thy breath.
Don7ie.

Were

I to give

my

I'd sing of her as

frolic

fancy play,

some angelic

sprite,

Who, wandering from her native home of light,

Fatigued, had fallen asleep upon the way
I'd fear to wake her, lest she'd plume her wings
And soar away from me and all sublunar things.
;

MacKcUar.

104

^unCoiotr.

SvNFLOWER.... False Riches.

The Sunflower has been thus named from the resemblance which its broad golden disk and rays bear

who

to the sun.

The

were amazed

at the profuse display of gold

first

people, but they were

Spaniards

still

arrived in Peru

among

the

more astonished when,

iu

May, they beheld whole fields covered with these

flowers, which they concluded, at first sight, must be
of the same precious metal.
From this circumstance,
and the observation that gold, however abundant, cannot render a person truly rich, the Sunflower has been

made

emblem of false wealth. Many of the English

the

poets have adopted the notion that this flower ever turns
face to the sun.
Thomson, Moore, Darwin, and
Barton make a very fine use of the idea. But it is not
a fact. Those flowers which face the east at the opening of day, never turn to the west at the close of it.
its

Searcher of gold, whose days and nights

All waste away in anxious care,
Estranged from all of life's delights,

Unlearned

Who
But

sailest

most

fair

delvest in the depths of tide,

And
!

in all that is

not with easy glide,

strugglest in the

come and view

foam

this land of graves,

Death's northern sea of frozen waves,

And mark

thee out thy home.

/.

0. Rockwell.

105

Suiiflobjtr.

Think'st thou the

The

man whose mansions

hold

worldling's pride, the miser's gold,

Obtains a richer prize

Than he

"vvho in his cot, at rest,

Finds heavenly peace a willing guest,

And

bears the earnest in his breast

Of treasure

in the skies

Mrs. Sigourney.
Is all that heart requires, accomplished

A heap
How

of wealth

thirsts the

Some good

is

when

gathered at our door

yearning soul for something more,

that lies beyond

its

keenest ken

MacKellar.

Can gold calm passion, or make reason shine ?

Can we dig peace, or wisdom, from the mine ?
Wisdom to gold prefer for 'tis much less
To make our fortune, than our happiness.
:

Young.
nor in rank

It's

no in

titles

It's

no

wealth like Lon'on bank.

in

To purchase peace and rest

no in making muckle mair:

It's
It's

no in books

To make us

it's

no in

lear.

truly blest

If happiness hae not her seat

And

centre in the breast.

We may

be wise, or rich, or great,

Uut never can be

blest.

Bums.

106

l^tliotropt.

Heliotrope.. ..Devoted Affection.

TuE Heliotrope

is

a native of Peru.

founded with the Sunflower, though

It is often con-

it is

of a diiferent

The blossoms of the Heliotrope form

genus.

clusters

of very small, delicate, fragrant flowers, generally of a

faint purple colour or white,

sometimes red, or bluish-

It is a general favourite of the fair sex,

white.

considered as the

emblem

<;ount of its face being ever

seems

to

worship.

and

turned to the sun, which

As laurel leaves, that cease not to be green.

From parching sonne, nor yet from winter's threat,
As hardened oak, that fears no sworde so keen,
As flint for tool, in twaine that will not fret,
As fast as rock, or pillar surely set,
So fast am I to you, and aye have been.
Assuredly whom I cannot forget

Fur joy,
Fur

for paine, for torment,

loss, for gaine, for

nor for tene

frowning, nor for threat

calm and

Fur ever one, yea, both

in

Your

will be to the last

faithful love,

and

blast,

Old Poet.

Yet do not think

I
I

know thy

it

The Heliotrope was introduced

Europe in 1740, by the celebrated Jussieu.

into

is

of devoted affection, on ac-

doubt thee

truth remains

would not live without thee.

For all the world cunLaiiis.

1555.

107

^tlt'otropt.

Thou art tlio star that <!;uides me

Along life's troubled sea;
Whatever fate betides me,
This heart

still

turns to thee.
G. P. Morris.

He on his side
Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love
Iluug over her enamoured, and beheld
Beauty, -which, whether waking or asleep,
Shot forth peculiar graces.
Milton.

Like Ixion,
I

look on Juno, feel

Vv'ith

Deign

an invisible
to

my

fire

heart turn to cinders

and

The majesty of the substance

I durst

With

My

should she

yet,

appear clothed in a various cloud,

not clasp the shadow.

adoration, feast

my

other senses starve

is

so sacred
I

behold her

eye, while all

and, oft frequenting

The place which she makes happy with her presence,

I never yet had power, with tongue or pen,
To move her to compassion, or make known
What 'tis I languish for yet I must gaze still.
Though it increase my flame.
;

Massinger.

108

^ti^rtOitftti.

Mignonette....

PbitJ*

Qualities surpass your

The Mignonette was introduced

into

Charms.

Europe from

Egypt, in 1750. It flowers from the beginning of spring

end of autumn. Linn^us, who gave it the

odorata, compares its perfume with that

until the

name of Reseda
of ambrosia.

No

gorgeous flowers the meek Reseda grace,

Yet

sip,

with eager trunk, yon busy race

Her simple
Ttiat

beams

cup, nor heed the dazzling

gem

in Fritillaria's diadem.

Uvans.

I see

her

spirit,

now
yet a

within

my

woman

Her household motions

And

view,

too

light

steps of virgin liberty

and

free,

A countenance in

which do meet
Sweet records, promises as sweet;
A creature not too bright or good
For human nature's daily food.
Wbrdsworih.

Time has small power

mind moulds. Roses where

O'er features the

They once have bloomed a fragrance leave behind;

And harmony will linger on the wind

And

suns continue

to light

up the

air,

MiCNiONETTE

'-'iNK

PlNKoUH

109

3asmtuj.

Vrhen

sot

Breathes,

and music from the broken shrine

said, around Avhose altar-stone

it is

His iio-n-er the votary has ceased to twine:

Types of the beauty that, Arlien youth is gone.
Breathes from the soul -whose brightness mocks decline.
George Hill.

Rudely thou wrongest piy deare

heart's desire,

In finding fault with her too portly pride

The thing which

Is of the

do most in her admire,

world unworthy most envied.

For in those lofty looks is close implied

Scorn of base things, disdain of foul dishonour,
Threatening rash eyes which gaze on her so wide

That loosely they ne dare

to

look upon her

Spenser.

Jasm ine

The Jasmine
In

position.

train

its

is

. .

..Amidbility.

a happy

emblem

of an amiable dis-

all situations, it suffers

the gardener to

slender branches into any form he chooses

most commonly forming a living tapestry for arbours

and garden walls, and everywhere throwing out a profusion of delicate and charming flowers, which perfume
the air. The poets have showered their praise upon

and all unite in considering it the emblem of the winsome quality of amiability. After paying a glowing tribute to the beauty and sweetness of
this plant,

the Tiolet,

Thomas

the "basket-maker" poet,

^liller,

thus speaks of the Jasmine

110

3atmin.

Stepping further into summer, comes the star-whito

Jasmine,

that

sweet perfumer of the night, which

only tlivows out

its full

fragrance

are keeping watch in the sky

as

when its sister stars

if, when the song of

the nightingale no longer cheered the darkness,

forth its silent

aroma upon the

happy home does

listening air.

it

sent

Many a
at many

garland, and peeps in

where Love and Beauty repose.
Little did the proud courtiers and stately dames of
Queen Elizabeth's day dream that this sweet-scented
creeper (a sprig of which seemed to make the haughty
haughtier still) would one day become so common as
to cluster around and embower thousands of humble

a forbidden

it

lattice,

English cottages,

a degradation which, could they but

have witnessed, would almost have made

evei'y plait

of their starched ruifs bristle up, like " quills

fretful porcupine."

Beautiful are

its

upon the

long, drooping,

dark-green shoots, trailing around the trellis-work of a

door-way, like a green curtain embroidered with silver
flowers

while here and there the queenly Moss-Rose,

creeping in and out like the threads of a fanciful tapestry,

shows

its

crimson face amid the embowered green,

a beautiful lady peeping through a

A lover on

the Indian Sea,

Sighing for her

left far

behind,

Inhaled the scented Jasmine

As

leaf-clad casement.

tree,

perfumed the evening wind

Shoreward he steered at dawn of day,
And saw the coast all round embowered,

And

it

brought a starry sprig away.

For her by whose green cot

it

flowered.

IIJ

SSHooirbiw, or ^tlontjsuikU,

And

oft

when from

that scorching shore,

In after years those odours came,

lie pictured his green cottage door,

The shady porch, and window-frame.

Far, far away, across the foam

Tlie very Jasmine-flower tliat crept

Round the thatched roof about his home.

Where she he loved then safely slept.
Miller.

"Woodbine, or Honeysuckle. ...4/?cfto?i.

This elegant, climbing shrub at once delights the

eye and gratifies the smell, by the exquisite fragrance
of

its

blossoms

while

it

confers on those

humble

dwellings in the rural districts of England and America,

a character of cheerfulness unknown in other counIt

tries.

begins to flower in May, and puts forth

blossoms until the end of summer.

emblem
tices

its

chosen as the

its clinging to trees and latand constancy of a weak, con-

of aifection, from

with

fiding

It is

all

the ardour

woman,

clinging to one of the stronger, sterner

sex, in prosperity

and in adversity.

Copious of flowers, the woodbine pale and wan,

But well compensating her

With never-cloying odours,

sickly looks

early

and

late.

Cowper.

112

EETooIitinc, or it^oiursuclfele.

what

Sister, sister,
I

am weaving

have streaked

And
And

dost thou twine

a wreath of the wild

it

Woodbine

without like the sunset hue,

white with the morning dew:

silvered

it

there

not a perfume which on the breeze blows

From

is

mouth

the lips of the Pink or the

That's sweeter than mine

I

have mingled them

my

all in

of the Rose,

than mine

that's sweeter

wild Woodbine.
Miller.

Honeysuckle, on the sunny

Hung round

the lattices

its

'

side,

fragrant trumpets.

Mias Landon.

Ah could you look into my heart,

And watch your image there
!

You would own

Affection

the sunny loveliness

makes

it

wear.

Mrs. Osgood.

The pensive soul with ardent thirsting turns

To heaven and earth to seek its fill of love.
MacKellar.

Oh

there

is

one affection which no stain

Of earth can ever dai'ken

when two find,
The softer and the manlier, that a chain
Of kindred taste has fastened mind to mind.
;

'Tis

an attraction from

As
Is

love

is

sense refined

all

The good can only know

unto baseness

it
;

its

'tis

not blind.

desire

but with hands entwined to

lift

our being higher.

Fercival.

113

Cofaoslip.

Cowslip. ...Peitsiveness.

The

was known to the old English

nun of the fields," and has been
" Shakspeare's Midsummer Night's

solitary Cowslip

poets as the "sweet

immortalized in

Dream." In America, the Cowslip may be found from

Maine to Missouri. Its hues are not gaudy, but winning; and the whole appearance of the flower, as it
blooms in some solitary vale, or on some gentle slope,
expresses the idea of pensive beauty.

The

rose

its

blushes need not lend,

Nor yet the lily with them

To captivate my eyes
Give

me

blend,

a cheek the heart obeys.

And, sweetly mutable, displays

Its feelings as

they rise

Features, where pensive, more than gay,

Save when a rising smile doth play.

The sober thoughts you see

Eyes that all soft and tender seem.
And kind affections round them beam,
But most of all on me.
Frisbie.

There is a mood,
vacant and the young,)

(I sing not to the

There is a kindly mood of melancholy

That wings the soul, and points her to the

skies.

Dyer

114

e:oi5itj.

Oh

fragrant dwellers of the lea,

When

first

the wildwood rings

With each sound

When
What

of vernal minstrelsy,

fresh the green grass springs

can the blessed spring restore

More gladdening than your charms ?

Bringing the memory once more
Of lovely fields and farms
!

Of thickets, breezes, birds, and flowers

Of life's unfolding prime
Of thoughts as cloudless as the hours
Of souls without a crime.

Oh

blessed, blessed do ye seem.

For, even now, I turned.

With soul athirst for wood and stream.

From streets that glared and burned.
From the hot town, where mortal care
His crowded fold doth pen

Where

stagnates the polluted air

In manj'^ a sultry den.

And

ye are here and ye are here

Drinking the dew-like wine,
!

Midst living gales and waters

And

clear,

heaven's unstinted shine.

I care not that

your

little life

Will quickly have run through.

And

the sward, vrith

Keep not a

summer

children

For again, again, on dewy plain,

I trust to see you rise,
When spring renews the wildwood

And

rife.

trace of you.

bluer "-leam the skies.

strain.

116

Coluslip.

Again, again, when

many

springs

Upon my grave shall shine.

Here shall you speak of vanished
To living hearts of mine.

things.

Mrs. Howiil.
Blest are the pure and simple hearts,

Unconsciously refined.

By

the free gifts that Heaven imparts

Through nature to the mind
Not all the pleasures wealth can buy
Equal their happy destiny.

Mrs. Wells.

Nature

a'

thy shows an' forms

To feeling, pensive hearts hae charms!

Whether the simmer kindly warms,
TVi' life an' light.

Or winter howls, in gusty storms,

The lang, dark night
Burns.

Melancholy
Sits

on me, as a cloud along the sky,

Which

will not let the sunbeams through, nor yet

Descend in rain, and end but spreads itself
'Twixt heaven and earth, like envy between man
And man an everlasting mist.
;

Byron.

116

jj^or^cl-tnt-not.

Forget-me-not.

The name
the
it is

of this flower expresses clearly enough

meaning which

is

given to

it.

As

a remembrancer

universally received and eulogized.

derived from a

romance.

German

The name

tradition, full of

It is related that a

young

is

melancholy

couple, on the eve

of being united, while walking along the banks of the

Danube, saw a cluster of these flowers, floating on the

stream, which was bearing it away. The affianced
bride admired the beauty of the flower, and lamented
its fatal destiny.
The lover plunged into the water to
secure it. No sooner had he caught it than he found
himself sinking but, making a last effort, he threw it
;

on the bank at the

moment

feet of his betrothed, and, at the

of disappearing for ever, exclaimed, " Vergi.-is

mein nichi!"

Since that event, this flower has beon

made emblematical

of the sentiment. Forget-me-not.

and it
grows along
The Forget-me-not is found
the banks of the rivers.
in great perfection on the banks of a small stream near
Luxembourg, in France. The stream is called the
Fairies' Bath, and its banks are the favourite resort of
Its corollas are of

soft cerulean-blue colour,

presents an interesting appearance as

it

festive parties.

That blue and bright-eyed floweret of the brook,

Hope's gentle gem the fair Forget-me-not.

Coleridge.

117

jForj3tt-mf-uot.

Not on the mountain's shelving side,

Nor in the cultivated ground,
Nor in the garden's painted pride,
The flower I seek is found.
Where Time on sorrow's page of gloom

Has

fixed

its

envious

lot,

Or swept the record from the tomb,

It says

And

Forget

me

not.

this is still the loveliest floAver,

The fairest of the fair,

Of all that deck my lady's bower,
Or bind her floating hair.
Gdthe.

Together they sate by a river's

knight and a lady gay,

side,

And

they watched the deep and eddying tide

Round a
And, "Oh

flowery
!

islet stray.

for that flower of brilliant hue,"

Said then the lady

*'

fair,

my neck with the blossoms

And braid my nut-brown hair 1"

To grace

The knight has plunged

blue

in the whirling

wave

All for his lady's smile

And he swims the stream with courage brave,

And he gains yon flowery isle.
And his fingers have cropped the blossoms blue,
And the prize they backward bear
To deck

And
But

the

And

his love with the brilliant

hue

braid her nut-brown hair.

way

is

long,

and the current strong,

alas for that gallant knight

118

jForstt-mt-not.

For the waves

prevail,

and

his stout

arms

fail,

Though cheered by his lady's sight.

Then the blossoms blue to the bank he threw,
Ere he sank in the edd3'ing tide
I'm gone, thine own knight

And "Lady,
Forget

me

true,

not," he cried.

This farewell pledge the lady caught;

And

hence, as legends say.

The flower

is

a sign to awaken thought

In friends who are far away.

For. the lady fair of her knight so true,
Still

remembered the hapless

lot

And she cherished the flower of brilliant hue.

And she braided her hair with the blossoms blue
And then called it "Forget-me-not!"
Mant.

To flourish in my favourite bower,

To blossom round my cot,
I cultivate the little flower

They

call Forget-me-not.

This pretty

little

floweret's

dye

Of soft cerulean blue,

Appears as if from Ellen's eye
It had received its hue.
Though oceans now betwixt us roar,
Though distant be our lot,
Ellen though we should meet no more,
!

Sweet maid. Forget

me

not

Anon.

Forget thee, love?

Spans

its

may

Oh,

;!

no, not while heaven

starred vault across the sky

I never be forgiven,

If e'er I cause that heart a sigh

Sooner shall the Forget-me-not

Shun

And

the fringed brook by

which

it

grows,

pine for some sequestered spot,

AVhere not a silver ripple flows.

By

the blue heaven that bends above me,

Dearly and fondly do I love thee

They fabled not in days of old

That Love neglected soon will perish,

Throughout all time the truth doth hold
That what we love we ever cherish.
For when the Sun neglects the Flower,
And the sweet pearly dews forsake it,
It hangs its head, and from that hour,
Prays only unto Death to take it.
So may I droop, by all above me.
If once this heai't doth cease to love thee

The turtle-dove that's lost its mate.

Hides in some gloomy greenwood shade,
And there alone mourns o'er its fate,
With plumes for ever disarrayed
Alone! alone! it there sits cooing:
Decm'st thou, my love, what it doth seek
'Tis Death the mournful bird is wooing,
In

murmurs through

So will

If in this

its

plaintive beak.

mourn, by all above me,

world I cease to love thee

Miller.

^ostmax^.

1'20

RosEiiARY.... Eemembrmice.

The Rosemary
U'riters,

is

by our early

so often mentioned

both in prose, poetry, and our oldest dramas,

Ihat a long article, possessing great interest to such as

might be written upon it.

at their feasts and their
the christening-cup was stirred with it, and

love old-fashioned things,

The Rosemary was used both

funerals,
it

was worn

hns chosen

at their marriage ceremonies.

it

for the

emblem

of

Shakspeare

Remembrance, and
meaning of a flower

Avho would attempt to change the

which his genius has hallowed, or disturb a

leaf over

wliieh he has breathed his holy "superstition?"

memory of him we

few years ago

England,

use the latter word in

it

all

in

reverence.

was customary, in many parts of

Rosemary over the dead

to plant slips of

nor has the practice yet fallen altogether into disuse

rural cemeteries

will

revive

these

ancient customs.

Shakspeare chose the Rosemary as the emblem of affectionate remembrance, for its flowering in winter,
a very poetic and touching allusion.

The sweet ma-

niac, Ophelia, says,

There's Rosemary, "That for remembrance,

I

pray you

love,

I loved thee,

remember."

and must love thee

memory of the past

Amid whatever of earthly
In

My

future lot

is

cast

ill

still,

E'er in my boyhood's sunny prime,

"When brightly from the urn of Time
Life's goUlen

Thou wert a

moments

peri to

Sent from Love's

my young

In

my

fell,

eyes,

own sweet

paradise,

heart to dwell.

New
Remember me,

pray

York Mirror.

but not

In Flora's gay and blooming hour,

AVhen every brake hath found

And

its

note.

sunshine smiles in every flower

But when the

falling leaf is sere.

And withers sadly from the

And o'er the ruins of the year
Cold autumn weeps,

tree.

remember me.
Edward

TIio north

Howl
The

A brand
My

but, sheltered safe,

and warm,

from danger
burns blue, "betokening a storm"

as

fire

wind howls
it may, we

Everett.

foils

thoughtful

feel secure

down, "precursor of a stranger."

mind runs

o'er the track of years,

AVhen, tongs in hand, at our old hearth I

And poked

the embers,

till

Broke in upon the usual

my

sat.

mother's fears

social chat,

The sparks would fly,

lumps of lightning up the flue.
And snap and crackle as they soared on high,
As if they felt some pleasure in it too
That fire is out that hearth is cold and they
Who felt its pleasant warmth have mostly passed away.
''

You'll

Like

fire

the chimney, son !"

little

MacKellar,

122

StitJntont.

Anemone .... ii^wsaAren.

Anemone was

a nymph, beloved by Zephyr.

Flora,

jealous of her, banished her from her court, and trans-

formed her into a flower, that blows before the return

of spring. Zephyr has abandoned this unhappy beauty
to the rude caresses of Boreas, who, unable to gain her
love, harshly shakes her, half opens her blossoms, and

An Anemone,

causes her immediately to fade.

these words, Brevis est itsus

"Her reign

is

witli

short"

is

tuuchingly expressive of the transitory nature of beauty.

In spring the green woods of merry England are

covered with the

fiowei's

way you

eye whichever

" a pleasant thought ;"

of the

Anemone.

will, there

it

it

greets

Turn the
you like

forms a bed of flowers around

the foot of the mighty oak, and below the tangling

brambles, which you

pass,

there,

also,

The Greeks named

plentiful

is it

are
it

may peep
its

the flower of the Wind, and so

in our country that

breeze had blown

it

between, but cannot

pearly blossoms bending.

we might fancy

everywhere.

the

The gaudy Ane-

mone of the garden, the emblem of forsaken love, is

known to all but our favourites are the uncultivated
;

ofl'spring of the

windy woods, which come long before

hang overhead to shelter them.

the broad green leaves

All flowers will droop in absence of the sun

That waked their sweets.

D)'t/dcn.

123

^tzcis.

Farewell

I've loved thee

my
know my
That

much

feel

was deep

idolatry

heart can never heal,

Till in the

grave

my

passions sleep.

Yet I upbraid thee not, my love

'Twas all I had to offer thee.

Love in its own simplicity.

IIow could I deem thou wouldst approve?
IIow hope to draw an angel from above ?
WiUis.

Ac ACi\.... Friendship.
The Acacia
Canada

is

a native of North America, from

and was consecrated by the

Their bows
were made of the incorruptible wood of this tree, and
their arrows were pointed with its thorns.
About a
century ago, this tree was introduced into France by
llul)in, the botanist.
It is a large, handsome tree, of
quick growth, elegant foliage, and beautiful, rose-coto the Carolinas,

Indians to the goddess of chaste love.

loured blossoms.
Celestial happiness

To

visit earth,

And

Whene'er she stoops

one shrine the goddess

the bosom of a

For absent heaven

Where
Each

finds,

one alone, to make her sweet amends

friend.

heart meets heart, reciprocally

soft.

other's pillow to repose divine.

Young.

]-4

^:acia.

The friend
when smoothing down the

Who

smiles

And

does kind deeds, which any one can do

Who

has a feeling

spirit,

lonely couch,

such a friend

Heals with a searching balsam.

Percival,

Lay

this into

Old friends, like old swords,

your breast

still

are trusted best.

Webster.

summer

Whose
Our

friendship,

flattering leaves, that

shadowed us

in

prosperity, with the least gust drop off

In the autumn of adversity

Massinger.

When

thou art near.

The sweetest joys still sweeter seem,

The brightest hopes more bright appear,
And life is all one happy dream,

When

thou art near.

Robert Sweney.

That friendship's raised on sand.

every sudden gust of discontent,
Or flowing of our passions, can change

Which

As

if it

ne'er

had been.
Massinger.

125

^OSJS.

'Moss.. ..Maternal Love.

Moss

is

selected to be the

because, like that love,

it

emblem

winter of adversity overtakes us,

friends have deserted us.

of his

own

passions,

men, soothed the

attention.

of youth

when

when

the

and when summer

Rousseau, so long the prey

and tormented by those of other

latter years of his life

The Mosses,

of nature.

of maternal Ioto,

glads the heart

It is these,

and freshness

by

the study

in particular, attracted his

ho would say, that give a look

to the fields,

at the

the flowers have gone to their graves.

moment

In winter

the Mosses offer to the eye of the lover of nature their

carpet of emerald green, their secret nuptials, and the

charming mysteries of the urns and amphorte which

enclose their posterity.

It is asserted that

without the

Mosses, part of our globe would be uninhabitable.

At

the northern extremity of the earth, the Laplanders

cover their subterranean abodes with Moss, and thus

defy the longest and most terrible winters. Their numerous herds of reindeer have no other food, yet they
supply their owners with delicious milk, nutritious
thus combining fur the poor
flesh, and warm clothing
Laplander all the advantages that we derive from the
horse, cow, and sheep.
;

There
In

all this

Of deep,

is

none

cold and hollow world, no fount

strong, deathless love, save that within

A mother's

heart.

Mrs. Hemans.

12G

iHoBS.

The

docile, swift

I loved all

Reindeer

Oh, when I was a child,

strange fantastic tales, the wondrous and the

wild;
I read

about the "Hundred Nights," in the Arabian

Tales,

That

tell

of Genii, sprites, and dwarfs, of gold and dia-

mond
I

And
I

vales.

read of Eastern gardens and palaces so rare,

of Sultans and Sultanas, the cruel and the

read of Robin Crusoe

Nor even

yet hath

its

Ah how
!

fair.

I loved that

strong charm wholly

book

my mind

forsook.
I read of

And

voyages without end

fairy-tales

and story-books

many

of travels

of these, good

too.

sooth,

not few.

But

remember, more than

all,

I loved to think

and

hear

Of

thee

thou

strong and beautiful

thou

swift

and

good Reindeer
I

remember in my earliest home, a dim antique beaufet,

high upon its many shelves, things manifold Avcre

And

set.

Some

piles of

dark old books there were, amid the

motley crowd,

And when

tall enough to reach them, oh

glad was I,
and proud.
And there I found old ^sop, whose fables we all know.
And Cookery-books of ancient dates, most grim and
well worn too.
Those I just peeped at, and put back and still went
groping ou
Deep into that small mine of wealth that I so late had won.
!

127

ilX05.

Soon with some daring tugs, I brought a lumbering

volume slap
Down on the floor
I sat down too, and dragged it on
!

my

lap.

The binding was antique and worn

the

title-page

was

out.

And

yet the treasure

won from me

a child's exultant

shout

For there were pictures many, of beast, and

fish,

and

bird

And

thou wert there, thou good Reindeer, of

much

And

that great heavy ancient book

to

It told

whom

so

I'd heard.

was such a

prize

me!

me

of the monstrous whale, and the small good

honey-bee
It told

me

of the elephant, the tiger, the gazelle,

Of the vast luxuriant jungles, and the

lone, bright

desert well

Of humming-birds that sip the dew of flowers as they fly,

Of prairies wild, and wide, and green of snowy moun;

tains high
I read there of the

Northern

sea,

where iceberg islands

float,

And

crush the great three-masted ship, as 'twere a

cockle-boat

I read about the harmless seals, and the

And

the mighty troops of

shaggy Polarbcar,
hungry wolves that roam and

riot there.

I read of Nature's glorious works,

And

found before
be done.

me

pleasures,

and wondering went on.

whose round will ne'er

^DSS.

123

And

in

my

good old-fashioned book

I read of herl)

and

tree,

That were food

for

man, and beast and

bird,

and

f(jr

the honey-bee.
I

read of grove-like banyans, of cedars broad and

tall.

Of

the lofty towering palm,

and the Moss and lichen

small.

And

then

was
"When over

found how wondrously the poor Reindeer

fed,
all his

frozen land deep winter's

snow lay

spread

How God

had bid the barren ground produce

this

strange small thing,

On which whole
turing

How,

in the

countless herds of deer are ever pas-

woods of scattered pine abundantly

it

grows,

And

clothes the earth for

many

a mile beneath the

snows
How the sagacious Reindeer delves, and scents his onward way.
Till he reaches his scant mossy food, that doth his toil
trackless

repay.

Oh

see

him with

his master's sledge

How

swift

they glide along.

Like a bird, or a fairy car I've read

of,

in

some quaint

old song.

Away
Away

o'er the boundless snowy waste, so glittering

and bright
through the dark pine forest, as gloomy as

the nisht:

Away
.iway

o'er the frozen lake, the river,

Away

Ye

and the

fen,

have winsome steeds, ye

little

Lapland men
Ay, winsome steeds in sooth, with their antlers
branched and high
So sure of foot, and swift of pace, they truly seem to
fly-

Ye need no palace-stables, no saucy pampered grooms,

To stretch your cracking purse-strings, and strut in
liveried

No heavy

plumes

half-year's bills, for oats, beans, straw,

and

hay.

The

forest yields

them lodgment, and

food, where'er

they stray.

And

thus

we

find, in

every clime, things beautiful and

ftiir.

Each

fitted to fulfil its

And

task of use and beauty there

remember thinking

so,

when, a

little

child, I

read

The

history of the good Reindeer,

and the Moss whereon

they fed.

Louisa A. Twamley.

Mother

As

dear mother

hung

'Twas the

at thy

the feelings nurst

bosom, clung round thee

earliest link in love's

warm

first.

chain

remain
by year, and day by day.
Some friend still trusted drops away.
Mother dear mother oh dost thou see
'Tis the only one that will long

And

as year

How

the shortened chain brings

me

nearer thee?
Willis.

1"0

ill&ss.

Bishop Mant thus describes the place where Mosses

grow

On upland

And

liill,

in lowland vale,

Avhere the frigid vapours

sail,

Mantling the Alpine mountain hoar,

On
On
On

granite-rock, or

boggy moor,

peat-clad marsh, or sandy heath.

hillock's grassy slope

The hedge-road

beneath

and on the bank,

Fringed with the plumed osier dank,
Of streamlet, pool, or waterfall
On wave-washed stone, on plastered wall

On

fence,

tree of forest, or of fruit,

The bark-clad trunk, the heaving root

Or where the spring with oozing slime
Slides trickling down the rifted lime
Or where the grav'ly pathway leads
Through shady woods, o'er plashy meads :-
Exulting in the wintry cold.
Their cups the mossy tribes unfold
Fringed, and beneath a coping hid

Of filmy

veil,

On many
With

and convex

lid.

a thread-like stalk, bespread

yellow, brown, or crimson red,

In contrast to the leaves of green,

velvet carpet,

Of fairies might

And

where the queen

triumph lie

in

view the elvish revelry

Soft as the cygnet's

downy plume,

Or produce of the silkworm's loom.

Survey them by the unaided eye,
And, if the seeds within you lie

1"!

iHoss.

Of love

for natural

beauty true,

They'll shoot enlivened at the view

Of hair or feather-mantled stem,

The waving stalk, the fringed gem,
Enveloping
So

its clialiced fruit

fair, so perfect, so

That bursting

minute,

forth, the seeds

A floating cloud

Or by the microscopic
Surveyed, you'll see

The works

And
And
Eaph

may seem

of vapoury steam.
glass

how

far surpass

of nature, in design,

texture delicately fine,

perfectness of every part,
effort of

A mother's
What

is

mimetic

art.

how sweet the name

love

a mother's love

A noble, pure, and tender flame,

Enkindled from above,

To bless a heart of earthly mould

The warmest love that can grow cold
;

This

is

a mother's

love.

Montgomery.

Dear mother, of the thousand strings which waken

The sleeping harp within the human heart,
The longest kept in tune, though oft forsaken,
Is that in which the mother's voice bears part;

Her still small voice bids e'en the careless ear

To turn with deep and pure delight to hear.
Miss^

E.

J.

Eames.

*#v
132

Sanbtlion.

Dandelion.... I7ie Rustic Oracle.

The Dandelion

is

the most

common

of flowers.

It is

found in the four quarters of the globe, near the pole

as beneath the equator, on the margin of rivers

streams as well as on

sterile rocks.

herd instead of a clock, while

its

and

It serves the shep-

feathery tufts are his

The globes formed

by the seeds of the Dandelion are used for other purIf you are separated from the object of your
poses.
barometer, predicting calm or storm.

love,

pluck one of those feathery spheres, charge each

of the

little

feathers with a tender thought ; turn toward

the spot where the loved one dwells

blow, and the aerial

convey your secret message to

If you wish to know if that dear one

travellers will faithfully

his or her feet.

is

thinking of you, blow again; and

is left

upon the

stalk,

it is

if

a single aigrette

a proof that you are not

for-

gotten.

As

thinks

The mariner of home.

When doomed through many a dreary waste
Of waters yet to roam,
Thus doth my spirit turn to thee,

My

guidijig star o'er life's wild sea.

Mrs. Einhury.
Dandelion, with globe of down,

The schoolboy's clock

Which

in every town,

the truant puffs amain.

To conjure

lost

hours back again.

Ilowitl.-

;;

333

^jiiufcriul.

Pimpernel.... The Weather-glass.

THE COUNTRY MAID AND THE PIMPERNEL FLOWER.

"I'll

go and peep at the Pimpernel,

see if she think the clouds look well

And

For

And

if

the sun shine,

'tis

like to

be

fine,

go to the fair,
For my sweetheart is there
So, Pimpernel, what bode the clouds and the sky?
If fair weather, no maiden so merry as I."
I shall

Now
Her

the Pimpernel flower had folded

little

up

gold star in her coral cup,

And unto the maid

Thus her warning said
"Though

the sun smile down,

There's a gathering frown

O'er the checkered blue of the clouded sky;

So tarry at home, for a storm

is

nigh."

The maid first looked sad and then looked

Gave her foot a fling, and her head a toss
"Say you so, indeed.
You mean little weed ?
You're shut up for spite,
For the blue sky

is

cross,

bright,

To more credulous people your warnings tell,

good day, Pimpernel.
I'll away to the fair
;

"Stay at home! quoth the flower? In sooth, not

don my straw hat with a silken tie;
O'er my neck so fair

I;

I'll

I'll

a kerchief wear,

White, chequered with pink.

And
consider

I'll

then

my

let

me

gown,

think,

for I'd fain look well:"

So saying, she stepped o'er the Pimpernel.

Now

the wise

little flower,

wrapped

safe

from harm,

Sat fearlessly waiting the coming storm

Just peeping between

Her snug cloak of green,

Lay folded up tight,
Her robe so bright;
Though 'broidered with purple, and starred with

No

eye might

The

And

fair

its

gold.

bravery then behold.

maiden straight donned her best array,

away
But scarce had she gone
Ere the storm came on
And, 'mid thunder and rain.
She cried oft and again,
would I had minded yon boding

forth to the festival hied

"Oh
And

flower.

were safe at home from the pelting shower."

Now, maidens,

the tale that I tell would say,

Don't don fine clothes on a doubtful day.

Nor ask advice, when, like many more.

You had "made up your minds" some time

before.

Louisa A. Twamleij.

135

^oppj.

Po p p Y

. . . .

Consolatiati.

The Red Poppy

is the floral symbol of consolation.

White Poppy is supposed to express, "My bane,
my antidote." The juice extracted from these plants
is employed to soothe the restless invalid to sleep, and
Tli(!

to case the

Ceres,

who

According

pangs of disease.

logy of the Grecians, the

created

it

to

assuage her

search after her daughter Proserpine,

oif

by Pluto.

The Poppy

to the

Poppy owed

is

its

grief,

mytho-

origin to

during her

who was

carried

extensively cultivated iu

Europe, fur the purpose of making opium from

Many species

are cultivated in the garden.

flowers possess surpassing beauty, whether

it.

The double

we

consider

their delicate texture, elegance of shape, or variety of

colouring.

In the time of Gesner, the celebrated boDamons and Chloes

tanist of Switzerland, the village

proved the sincerity of their lovers by placing in the

hollow of the palm of the left-hand, a petal, or flowerloaf of the Poppy, which,

on being struck by the other

hand, was broken with a sharp sound, which denoted

true attachment;

but faithlessness, when

it

failed tc

snap.

The world has closed its eyes and fallen asleep

And God looks down from His eternal throne
And shuts the eye that long was wont to weep,
And makes the wretched feel they're not alone.
MacKellar

136

|3opp2.

PRIDE AND THE POPPIES.

"We

little

THEIR GRANDEUR AND FALL.

Red-caps are among the corn,

Merrily dancing at early morn,

We

know

that the farmer hates to see

Our saucy red

"We

faces

pay no price

but here are we

for our

summer

coats.

Like those slavish creatures, barley and oats;

We

don't choose to be ground and eat,

Like our heavy-head neighbour, GaiFer Wheat.

"

Who

dare thrash us,

we should

like to

know

Grind us, and bag us, and use us so

Let meaner and shabbier things than we
So stupidly bend to utility !"
So said

little

Red-cap, and

all

the rout

Of the Poppy-clan set up a mighty shout

Mighty for them, but if ymi had heard
You had thought it the cry of a tiny bird.
So the Poppy-folk flaunted it over the field,
In pride of grandeur they nodded and reeled
And shook out their jackets, till naught was seen,

But a wide, wide shimmer of

The Elue-bottle

sat

scarlet

on her downy

and green.

stalk,

Quietl}' smiling at all their talk.

The ]Marigold

And

still

spread her rays to the sun,

the purple Vetch climbed up to peep at the fua

137

|3oi)p5.

The whimsical Bugloss,

vain, beautiful thing,

"Whose Howers, like the

oi-ient butterfly's

wing,

Are deep, glowing azure, was eager to shed

O'er her yet unoped buds a delicate red
I'irst

crimson, then purple, then loveliest blue

E'en thrice doth she change her chameleon hue

And

she pities the flowers that grow merrily by,

Because in one dress they must bud, bloom, and

die.

The homely Corn-cockle cared nothing, not she,

For the arrogance, bluster, and poor vanity
Of the proud Poppy-tribe, but she flourished and grew,
Content with herself, and her plain purple hue.
The sun went down, and rose bright on the morrow,
To some bringing joy, and to others e'en sorrow,
But blithe was the rich rosy farmer that morn
"When he went with his reapers among the corn.
Forth went they betimes, a right merry band,

The

sickles

were glancing in each strong hand,

And the wealthy farmer came trutting along.

On his stiff little pony, mid whistle and song.
lie trotted along,

And

and he cracked

his joke.

chatted and laughed with the harves<>folk

For the weather was settled, barometers high,

heavy crops gladdened his practised eye.

And

""We'll cut this barley to-day," quoth he,

As he

tied his white

pony under a

tree,

1G8

^o?PS-

"Next to the upland wheat, and then the oats."

llvw the Poppies shook in their scarlet coats
!

Aj% shook with laughter, not fear, for they

Never dreamed they too should be swept away,
And their laughter was spite, to think that all
Their " useful" neighbours were doomed to fall.

They swelled and bustled with such an air,

The corn-fields quite in commotion were,

And

the farmer cried, glancing across the grain,

" llow those rascally weeds have come up again !"

"Ila! ha!" laughed the R.ed-caps, "ha! ha! what a fuss

JMust the poor weeds be in

how

they're envying us!"

But their mirth was cut short by the sturdy strokes

They speedily met from the harvest-folks.

And when low on the earth each stem was laid.

And the round moon looked on the havoc made,
A Blue-bottle propped herself half erect,
And made a short-speech to this effect.
"]My dying kins-flowers, and fainting

The same

friends.

dire fate alike attends

Those who in scarlet or blue are dressed

Then how

"Our

Who

silly the

pride that so late possessed

friends the Red-caps

were

lately so pert,

how low they

and

vain,

lie,

and high!

They sneered at us and our plain array

Are we now a whit more humbled than they?

139

Poppt).

"They scorned our neighbours

Was

the goodly corn

and morn,
They lived on its land, from its bounty fed,
But a word of thanks they never have said.
the butt of their niorrinient eve

"And which

is

the worthiest now, I pray?

Have ye not learned enough

Is not the corn sheafed

And

to-day

up with

care,

are not the Poppies left dying there

"The corn will be carried and garnered up

To gladden man's heart both Avith loaf and cup

And some

of the seed the land now^ yields

Will be brought again

"And grow and

As

to its native fields,

ripen and

wave next year

richly as this hath ripened here

And we

poor weeds, though needed not.

Perchance

may

spring on this very spot.

"But let us be thankful and humble too

Not proud and vain of a gaudy hue.
Ever remembering, though meanly drest;,
That usefulness is of all gifts the best."
Louisa A. Twamley.

Will you drink of

Has
Can

this fountain,

the past been so blest that

love,

Or hearts

when
still

'tis

and sorrow forget?

you hesitate yet ?

slighted, still cherish a token,

forgive, that

unkindness has broken ?

Percival.

110

axaiit5jU5.

From

a Poppy I have taken

Mortal's balm and mortal's bane

Juice that, creeping through the heart,

Deadens every sense of smart

Doomed

to heal or

Fraught

vrith

doomed

to kill,

good or fraught with

ill,

Mrs. Rohinson.

Acanthus.... !r/ie Arts.

The Acanthus blooms

in greatest perfection

great rivers of hot climates.

was a

favourite,

Among

and they adorned

by the

the ancients,

it

their furniture,

and costly dresses, with its elegant leaves.

any obstacle obstructs the growth of the Acanthus, it puts forth fresh force and grows with additional vigour.
Thus genius is strengthened by the
difficulties which it cannot overcome. Callimachus, an
vases,

When

ancient architect, derived the idea of the Corinthian

from seeing the leaves of an Acanthus surset upon the ground

and impeded the regular growth of the plant.
capital,

rounding a basket which had been

Tired at

first

sight with

In fearless youth

what the muse imparts,

we tempt

the heights of arts,

AVhile from the bounded level of our

Short views

we

mind

take, nor see the length behind

But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise

New

distant scenes of endless science rise.

Pope.

141

Sc.intbuj?.

For though

must confess an

artist

can

Contrive things better than another man,

Yet when the task is done, he finds his pains

Sought but to fill his belly -with his brains.
Is this the guerdon due to liberal arts,
To admire the head and then to starve the parts ?
Timely prevention though discreetly used
Before the fruits of knowledge were abused.
Wheu learning has incurred a fearful damp.
To save our oil, 'tis good to quench the lamp.
Lady Alimony.
She had read
Iler father's well-filled library with profit,

And
And

could talk charminglj'.

play

too,

She sketched from nature

Which was enough

well,,

and studied

alone to love her

Yet she was knowing in

And shone in dairy and

As

Then she would

sing,

passably, and dance with spirit.

all

flowers,

for.

needlework.

in kitchen too,

in the parlour.

James N. Barker,

Art became the shadow

Of the dear star-light of thy haunting eyes
They called me vain, some mad I heeded not,
But still toiled on, hoped on, for it was surest,
If not to win, to feel more worthy thee.
!

Bulwer.

142

Takrinn.

Valerian. ...^?i accommodating Disposition.

The Valerian was

by some of the old English

generally found growing
by ruined walls or buildings, and from the facility with
which it propagates in these situations, it is made the
emblem of an accommodating disposition. The root of
the Valerian is considered a valuable remedy for many
of those ailments which spring from luxurious living.
It exerts a peculiar influence on the nervous system,
The
revives the spirits, and strengthens the sight.
Valerian is too large and scrambling a plant to hold a
called

writers the Setewale.

It is

place in the parterre of choice flowers.

How much

more happy is that sweet estate.

That neither creeps too low nor soars too high;
Which yields no matter for contempt or hate,

Which others not disdain, nor

Which neither does nor takes an
But

yet envy,
injury,

living to itself in sweet content.

Is neither abject,

nor yet insolent.

1629.

My

country,

sir, is

Of such a mould,

Herbert.

not a single spot

or fixed to such a clime.

Miller.

^Tarbtl of

Marvel

^uu.

143

of Verv. ...l^imidUi/.

The Marvel is a native of Peru, and receives its name

from the wonderful diversity of colours in flowers of
the

same

root

Changing from the splendid rose

To the pale violet's dejected hue.
Akeimde.
This plant retains

its

beauty for a great length of time,

being frequently covered with blossoms from the be-

ginning of July to the end of October.

as the

emblem

It is

chosen

of timidity, because the flowers are too

timid to expand during the day, and open and give out
their fragrance at night.

He might have thriven

had his am])ition
They ofttimes take more pains

Sure, 'twas his modesty.

Much

better possibly,

Been greater much.

Who

look for pins, than those

who

find out stars.

John Fountain.

I pity bashful

men, who

feel the

pain

Of fancied scorn and undeserved disdain,

And bear the marks upon a blushing face
Of needless shame and self-imposed disgrace.
Cow2)er,

Ill

iHrtr&tl of Peru.

"Call back your odours, lonely flowers,

From

And

the night-wind call

fold

Come
The

your leaves

till

them back

the laughing hours

forth in the sunbeam's track.

lark lies couched in her grassy nest,

And the honey-bee is gone

And all bright things are away

to rest

Why

watch ye here alone ?"

Nay, let our shadowy beauty bloom,

When the stars give quiet light

And let us offer our faint perfume
On
Call

To

Oh

the silent shrine of night.

it

when no

lend

is

grateful breath on high

nigh

love us as emblems, night's

Of hopes unto sorrows

That

we

step

thus for ever the earth should send

Her

And

not wasted the scent

the breeze

spi'ing

dewy

flowers,

given,

through the gloom of the darkest hours,

Looking alone

to

Heaven.
Mrs. Remans.

That modest grace subdued my soul,

That chastity of look which seems to hang

veil of purest light o'er all

And by

her beauties,

forbidding most inflames desire.

Young.

He saw

her charming, but he saw not half

The charms her downcast modesty concealed.

Thomson.

ROSt BUL1 VtLLOW

LILY

LU AC

MO

stock.

STOCK....Lastlng Beauty.

The Stock has been made

beauty

because, though

and

rose,

less majestic

more durable, and

Few

it

is

the

emLlem

of lasting

less graceful

than the

lily, its

than the

splendour

i.s

fragrance of longer continuance.

its

flowering plants have been so

much and

pidly improved by cultivation as the Stock.

two centuries,
changed by the

tlie last

so ra-

Within

nature has been almost en-

its

and it is now a shrub

whose branches are covered with blossoms little inffrior in dimensions to the rose.
Stocks are produced
of various colours, but the bright red or carmine must
ever remain the favourite variety.
The principal
branches of this fragrant family are the Ten-week
Stock, so named from flowering about ten weeks after
it is sown
and the Brompton, which does not bloom
till about twelve months after sowing, and was first
cultivated in the neighbourhood of Brompton, England.
tirely

florist

Without the smile from partial beauty won.

Oh, what were man
a world without a sun
!

Campbell.

Beauty has gone

As

but yet her mind

beautiful as ever

still

is still

the play

Of light around her lips has every charm

Of childhood in its freshness.
Percival.
10

14G

Stock.

The lily may die on thy cheek,

With freshness no longer adorning;
The rose that envelopes its whiteness may seek
To take back her mantle of morning
Yet still will Love's tenderness beam from thine
And ask for that homage no heart can deny.

eye,

Dawes.

The glory of the human form

Is

but a perishing thing, and Love will droop

When

its

Hath had

And

is

But the mind

charm

brief grace hath faded.

Perisheth not, and

its

when

the outward

brief existence,

the lovelier that

it

it

awakes,

slept so long.
Willis.

Beauty

lies

As naturally upon his cheek as bloom

Upon a peach. Like morning vapour, flies
Before his smile

We

my

mind's infrequent gloom.

when we think that many a storm

May beat upon him in the time to come,
That his now beautiful and fragile form
tremble

May

bear a burden sore and wearisome.

shame
and name,
So he preserve his virtue though he die,

Yet, so the stain of guiltiness and

Be never placed upon

And

to his

Gon, his race, his country prove

A faithful
Nor

We

his soul

man,

whom

praise nor gold can buy,

threats of vile, designing

men can move,

ask no more.
MacKellar.

141

Sxarltt (Kcr.inium.

Scarlet GERA^iv^i. ...Stiqndity.

There

are

many

varieties of the

guished by the shape and hue of the

Geranium,

distin-

and leaves,
The Scarlet

floAvers

and the difference in their fragrance.

Geranium is a very beautiful flower, but its scent is
disagreeable. The following anecdote will give the
reason of its being chosen as the emblem of stupidity.
Madame de Stael was always angry when any of her
acquaintance attempted to introduce a stupid person
into her

One

company.

day, one of her friends ven-

tured to bring to her a young Swiss

officer

of most pre-

The lady, pleased with his appearwas very lively, and said a thousand flattering

possessing exterior.
ance,

who seemed

at first to be

struck mute by surprise and admiration.

When, how-

things to the new-comer,

he had listened

ever,

opening his
silence,

her for above an hour without

she began to suspect the cause of his

lips,

and put

to

to

him such

direct questions that he

could not help answering. His answers were extremely

silly

Madame

de Stael, vexed at having thrown

away

her time and her wit, turned to her friend and said

"Indeed,
to

do

me

sir,

you are

like

my

gardener,

a pleasure by bringing

pot of Geranium

but I can

tell

me

who thought
morning a

this

you that

made him

take back the flower, desiring him not to let me see it

any more." " And why so ?" asked the young man in

astonishment.

"It was, since you wish to know, be-

cause the Geranium

is

a beautiful scarlet flower; while

148

Scarlet (Gfrauium.

you look
it

;;

at

it, it

pleases the eye

ever so slightly,

So saying,

Madame

it

but when you presg

gives out a disagreeable smell.

de Stael rose and went out of the

room, leaving the young fool abashed and in confusion.

This fellow

And

to

is

wise enough to play the fool

do that well, craves a kind of wit.

Shakspeare.

Your blunderer is as sturdy as a rock,

The creature is so sure to kick and bite,
A muleteer's the man to set him right.
First appetite enlists him truth's sworn foe,
Then obstinate self-will confirms him so.
Tell him he wanders
that his error leads
To fatal ill that though the path he treads
Be flowery, and he see no cause of fear.
Death and the pains of hell attend him there.
;

In vain the slave of arrogance and pride.

has no hearing on the pi'udent side.

He

His

still

New

refuted quirks he

still

raised objections with

repeats

new

quibbles meets;

Till sinking in the

quicksand he defends,

He

and the contest ends.

dies disputing,

Cowper.

set o' dull conceited hashes,

Confuse their brains in college classes

They gang

in stirks,

and come out

asses,

Plain truth to speak

An' syne they think

to

climb Parnassus

By

V=z

dint

o'

Greek.

; ;

149

Scaritt (Ettraiiium.

Gie

me

That's

Then

a spark
a'

o'

Nature's

fire,

the learning I desire

drudge

tho' I

My muse,

tho'

dub an' mire

At pleugh or cart,

thro'

hamely

in attire,

May

touch the heart.

Bums.
The man who looks around him as he walks
Sees objects often wonderful and new
And he who thinks while his companion talks
In time may grow the wiser of the two.

An open eye a quick, attentive ear

Win lead the mind into the ways of knowledge;
For

And

all

the world's a universal college,

every one

Experience

may

is

be a learner here.

the teacher

dear, indeed,

Her charges are to thoughtless folks and fools

But those who follow carefully her rules
The various tongues of nature learn to read.
"Who seldom ploughs his mind shall reap but little;
Weeds quickly overspread the fallow soil
The toiler may be wearied by his toil,
But it shall yield sufficiency of victual.
Enough for his own use, and much to spare.
To him who hath, abundance shall be given
From him who squanders wastofully his share,
All that he has shall righteously be riven

The world

And

shall

he shall

fill

make a proverb

of his name.

a sepulchre of shame.

MacKellar.

ak

150

Oak

(fifranium.

Gekatsiivu. ...Friendship.

The Oak Geranium does not

present so beautiful an

appearance as the scarlet variety

but the pale blue

colour of the flower, and the length of time which

it

emblem

of

continues in bloom, endear

it

to us as the

true friendship.

What though on
Is brighter?

Love's altar the flame that

yet Friendship's

is

One wavers and turns with each breeze

And

is

but a meteor,

is

glowing

steadier far!

that

the other's a star

is

Wowing,

In youth Love's light

Burns warm and

But

bright.

dies ere the winter of age be past,

While Friendship's flame

Burns ever the same,

And

glows but the brighter, the nearer

its last!

Anon.

Thanks to my stars, I have not ranged about

The wilds of life, ere I could find a friend
Nature first pointed out my brother to me,
And early taught me, by her sacred force,
To love thy person, ere I knew thy merit,
Till what was instinct grew up into friendship.
Ours has severest virtue for its basis,
And such a friendship ends not but with

life.

Addiso7i.

151

aft dxtrantum.

Friendship

My

heart

is

in thy constant ray,

cheered and cannot sink,

Though gloom and storm around me play

And

am

pressed to death's cold brink

Peerhold.

The friend
when smoothing down the lonely

Who

smiles

And

does kind deeds, which any one can do

Who

has a feeling

spirit,

couch,

such a friend

Heals with a searching balsam.

Percival.

Delightful

is

an evening's cheerful chat

friends, especially to one

With pleasant

Who

has been long away.

With speed

The minutes run

that all the talkers marvel

at.

much to talk about so much to tell

So many sleeping memories to awaken
So

The various

fates that absent friends befell

Whom time has spared, and whom the

grave has taken

The tear to shed for those who've passed away

The sigh to breathe for those who've gone astray
Our times of darkness, and our days of light
Our purposes and plans for coming years
Our heavenly hopes, our earthly human fears

And

lo

'tis

time to say, " Good-night, dear friends,

good-night I"

MacKeUar.

'152

S^ubcrosj.

TvBERosE.. ..Dangei'ous Love.

The superb Tuberose

is

a native of the East Indies

and South America, and was introduced

in 1632.

It

has since spread

all

into

Europe

over the world.

The

flower is of a white colour, sometimes tinged with a

Its perfume is delicious and powerful
you would enjoy it without danger, keep at some
distance from the plant.
If you come with the object
of your affection to inhale its perfume by moonlight,

blush of pink.

but

if

when

the nightingale

is

pouring forth

its

ravishing

melody, these odours will add an inexpressible charm to

your enjoyment but, if, regardless of the precepts of

moderation, you approach too near, this divine flower
will then be but an enchantress who will pour a dangei'ous poison into your bosom.
Thus the love which
comes from above purifies and exalts but that which
;

springs from earth debases and proves the bane of im-

prudent youth.
Yes, Love

is but a dangerous guest

For hearts as young as thine,
"Where youth's unshadowed joys should

rest,

Life's spring-time fancies shine.

Then, sweetest, leave the wildering dream,

Till Time has nerved thy heart
To brook the fitful cloud and gleam.
Which must in love have part.

Mrs. Osgood.

153

9^ul)crc5c.

The Tuhcroso, with her

That

in the

silvory light,

gardens of -Mahiy

Is called the mistress of the night,

So

like a bride, scented and bright,

She comes out when the sun's away.

Moore.

If all the world

And

and love were young,

truth in every shepherd's tongue.

These pleasures might

To

live

So fading flowers

To winter

my

passions move,

with thee and be thy love.

in

every

field,

floods their treasures yield

honeyed tongue, a heart of

gall,

Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

Sir Walter Raleigh.

Instability

On

and change are written

The loveliest things.

us and all our works.

When full of promise, oftentimes are smitten

And sweetest roses foster hidden stings.
The world,

And
Is

if

loved too well, doth ever pall,

the poor fool

doomed

Its frail

who

to see his

set his heart thereon

hope in ruins

foil,

foundation undermined and gone.

MacKcllar.

1-j4

iaf)Iia.

Daulia.... Elegance

The Dahlia

is

and Dignity.

a native of South America, but

is

now

and North America.

The shrub grows to a considerable height, and the
flowers are large and beautiful.
The most common
colours are crimson and purple. No more appropriate
emljlem of elegance and dignity of carriage could have
extensively cultivated in Europe

These qualities strike us at the

view of the Dahlia.
lieeu selected.

I loved- thee for

Thy deep and

first

thy high-born grace,

lustrous eye

For the sweet meaning of thy brow,

And

for

thy bearing high.

I loved thee for

Thy
For

A
And

all

thy stainless truth,

thirst for higher things.

that to our

better

common

lot

temper brings.

are they not all thine

still

thine

Is not thy iieart as true?

Holds not thy stejj its noble grace ?

Thy cheek its dainty hue ?
And have I not an ear to hear?

And a cloudless eye to see

And a thirst for beautiful human
That

first

was

stirred

thoiiglit,

by thee ?
Willis.

155

iDablia.

Why, a

when he sees her,

stranger

In the street even smileth

Just as you would at a

stilly.

lily.

Miss Barrett.
Iler grace of motion

And swimming

and of

look, the

smooth

majesty of step and tread.

The symmetry of form and feature, set

The soul afloat, even like delicious airs
Of flute and harp.
Milman.

Her

glossy hair

was

brow
and smooth
the aerial bow.

clustered o'er a

Bright with intelligence, and

fair

Her eyebrow's shape was like

Her cheek all purple with the beam
Mounting,

As

if

at times, to

of youth,

a transparent glow.

her veins ran lightning.

Byron.

Do but

look on her eyes

they do light

All that love's world compriseth

Do but look on her hair it is bright

As love's star, when it riseth
Do but mark,her forehead's smoother
Than words that soothe her!
!

And

from her arched brows such a grace

itself through the face,

Sheds

As

alone there triumphs to the

All the gain,

all

life,

the good, of the element's

strife.

Jonson.

156

Caiiullia Japciiira.

Camellia J afot^ic a.... Modest

The Camellia Japonica

is

Merit.

a native of China and

j

Japan.

It is a large,

large, of the

evergreen tree.

The

flowers are

form of a rose of variegated hues the red

without fragrance. It is made the

and

prevailing

emblem

of modest worth, because, as Roscoe observes,

"it boasts no fragrance,

and conceals no thorn."

Let other bards of angels sing,

Bright suns without a spot

But thou

art

no such perfect thing,

Rejoice that thou art not.

True beauty dwells in deep

AV^hose veil is unromoved
Till heart

And

retreats,

with heart in concord beats.

the lover

is

beloved.
Wordisworih.

Oh, that estates, degrees, and

offices,

Were not derived corruptly! and that dear honour

Were purchased by the merit of the wearer
How many then should cover, that stand bare ?
How many be commanded, that command ?
How much low peasantry would then be gleaned
From the true seed of honour? and how much honour
Picked from the chaff and ruin of the times,

To be now varnished ?
SJiakspeare.

'

There's a proud modesty in merit

Averse from asking, and resolved

Ten times

the gift

it

!
;

to

pay

asks.

Dryden.
Oh, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong

To

lock

When

it

it

in the wai-ds of covert

it.

bosom

deserves with characters of brass

A forted residence 'gainst the tooth of time,

And

razure of oblivion.
Shakspeare.

Thine

is

a mind of maiden artlessness

Unstained, undarkened, by the dross of earth

soul, that

through thine eyes, bright beams express

Thy nature, e'en as noble as thy birth

Whose every glance reflects the gem enshrined,
Worthy a form so fair the diamond of the mind.
;

Ano}i.

His resting-place is noted by a stone

Of whitest marble: truthful words are those
Inscribed thereon. The scene of his repose
Befits his life
'twas beautiful and calm.
In meekness and in love he went his way,
Uprightly walking filling up the day
With useful deeds. He often poured the balm
Of healing into wounded breasts nor sought
The praise of men in doing good.
'

MacKellar.

;;

gitcrn-appU.

1-58

THORN-AppLE....X)ecei^Z Charms.

The

flowers of the Thorn- Apple droop while the sun

shines beneath their dull-looking foliage, but on

tiie

approach of night, they revive, display their charms,

and unfold

which nature has

and to which
she has given an odour that attracts and intoxicates,
but is so dangerous as to stupify those who inhale it
even in the open air. It is a dangerous plant to be
allowed to grow where children go, as the beauty of its
flowers and fruit is liable to tempt them to their detheir prodigious bells,

coloured with purple, lined with ivory

struction

since

it

possesses so poisonous a qualit}' as

produce paralysis, and even madness, in those who

have eaten it. Its leaves have been recommended for

to

coughs and asthma.

The charms of the Thorn-Apple

flower are beautiful, but deadly

like those of the cor-

rupt and treacherous, to be found in every society.

But pleasures

You
Or

are like poppies spread,

seize the flower, its

bloom

is

shed

like the snow-falls in the river,

moment white

then melts

for ever

Or like the borealis race.

That flit ere you can point their place
Or like the rainbow's lovely form
Envanishing amid the storm.
Binms.

: !

159

erboru-glpplt.

serpent heart, hid

witli

Did ever dragon keep

a flowering face!

so fair a cave

Shakspeare.

Get thee glass eyes

And
To

like a scurvy politician,

seem

see the things thou dost not.

Shakspeare.

Women

of kind have conditions three

The first is, they be full of deceit.

To spinne also is their property,

And -women

have a wonderful conceit,

For they can weep

And

ever

when they

Beware, therefore,

oft,
list,

and

all is

a tear

is

a sleight.

in the eye,

the blind eateth many a

fly.

Chaucer.

Ah, that deceit should

And

steal

such gentle shapes,

with a virtuous visor hide deep vice

Shakspeare.

Smooth runs the water, where the brook is deep

in his simple show he harbours treason.
The fox barks not, when he would steal the lamb.

And

No, no,

my

Unsounded

sovereign
yet,

and

Gloster

full

is

man

of deep deceit.

Shakspeare.

%aW3

IGO

Slipper.

Lady's Siaffer.... Capricious Bemdy.

Slipper is well known in Europe and
The plant is small, but produces a considerable number of flowers, of variegated hues.
This
flower is made the emblem of capricious beauty, because

The Lady's

America.

she seems,

With her changeful

As

hues,

she were doubtful which array to choose.

saw thee in the gay saloon

Of Fashion's glittering mart,
Wliere Mammon buys what Love
I

Where Nature

And

yields to

deplores,

Art

thou wert so unlike the herd

My

kindling heart despised,

I could not choose

but yield that heart.

Though Love were sacrificed.

The smile which hung upon thy

lips.

In transport with their tone,

The music

of thy thoughts, which breathed

A magic theirs alone

The

looks

which spake a soul

so pure,

So innocent and gay.

Have passed, like other golden hopes

Of happiness, away.
Dawes.

161

Slipper.

3LaIir.'s

Ilcr eyes

Are blue and beautiful, and flash out gloaras

Of diamond light, like tiiat which brightly beams

On

stilly

summer

nights from starlit skies.

Iler cheeks are tinted with the blushing dyes

Which Heaven

so wisely bountiful bestows

In virgin freshness on the modest ruse.

MacKellar.

Most

fair is e'er

most

fickle.

fair girl

thousand beauteous things of earth,

But most like them in love of change.
Is like a

Peerbold.

We

gaze and turn away, and

know

Dazzled and drunk with beauty,

Reels with

its

not where,
the heart

till

fulness.

JByron.

The

Beauty gives
and to the form

features perfectness,

Its delicate proportions

she

may

stain

The eye with a celestial blue the cheek

With carmine of the sunset she may breathe
;

Grace into every motion,

Of the

like the play

least visible tissue of a cloud

She may give

Bright cestus

all

that

is

within her

and one glance of

own

intellect,

Like stronger magic, will outshine

it all.

Willis.

11

162

aitbxa.

AijUM^k....

Consumed by Love.

The name and signification of the Althea is derivfil

from the Grecian fable of Althea and her son, who List
his life in consequence of his love for the beautiful
Atalanta. His consuming away as the fatal brand was
emblem of consumed by l.)vo.
The Althea is a shrub from five to seven feet in heig'.it,
and is a native of the East Indies. The flowers are

burning, suggested the

about the size of the

or

common

and either of a vriiite

rose,

pink hue.

There

But

is

'tis

an all-consuming passion here

a vestal flame, which woi'ships thee

Anon,
Like Ixion,
1

look on Juno, feel

my

heart turn to cinders

With an

invisible fire;

Deign

appear clothed in a various cloud,

to

and yet should she

The majesty of the substance

I

durst not clasp the shadow.

With

adoration, feast

my

so sacred

is

behold her

eye, while all

My

other senses starve; and oft, frequenting

The place which she makes happy with her presence,
I never yet had power, with tongue or pen,
To move her to compassion, or make known
What 'tis I languish for; yet I must gaze still.
Though it increiise my flame.

Massinger.

1C3

aitljM.

With thee conversing,

I forget all time

All seasons and their change,

all

please alike.

MUton.

Love

is

And

An

a region

full of fires,

burning with extreme desires

object seeks, of which possest.

The Avheels are still, the motions rest,

The flames in ashes lie opprest
The meteor, striving high to rise,
The fuel spent, falls down and dies.
Beaumont.

What

scenes appear where'er I turn

The dear

my

view

ideas, where'er I fly, pursue.

Rise in the grave, before the altar

my

rise.

and wanton in my eyes.

I waste the matin lamp in sighs for thee.
Thy image steals between my God and me
Thy voice I seem in every hymn to hear.
With every bead I drop too soft a tear.
Stain all

soul,

When from the censer clouds of fragrance

And swelling organs lift the rising soul,
One thought

of thee puts all the

Priests, tapers, temples,

In seas of flame

While

my

altars blaze,

swim

pomp

before

plunging soul

is

roll.

to flight.

my

sight:

drowned.

and angels tremble round.

Pojie.

164

3Larkj5put.

Jjxb.kspvk.... Flights

of Fancy.

Larkspur, Lark's-claw, Lark-heels, and Lark's-toe

have been given in allusion

to the

long spur-like nec-

which has been whimsically supposed to represent

these things, and many more.
The Latin name, Delphinium, is from the Greek, Dolphin, because the nectary was thought like that fish. The French call it
tary,

Dauphinelle,piedd' aloiLette,V eperondechevalier, (knight's

spur;) and the Italian, speronella,

(little

spur,) speroiie

di cavaliere, (knight's spur,) andjiorregio, (king-flower.)

These names give quite a chivalric importance

to the

gentle flower, and furnish abundant subject for thouglit

and fancy.
the sky-lark

Our own
;

rural names give us a picture of

that " musical cherub," soaring far and

high into the blue summer heaven, above the lonely

mountain-top, or over the busy town, and

we can

recall

the delight of listening to his sweet melody.

Louisa A. Twamley.

For never yet was bosom found

So dull of sense

to music's sound,

As not to linger on the way,

And list to his ascending lay,
And upward gaze with straining
And see him melting into light;
Till the eye fail its part to

In concert

witli the

bear

hearing ear;

sight,

; ;

1G5

2.arl{5pur.

And naught

remain but what

may seem

Imagination's fairy dream,

Or the sweet strain,

Of Prospero's spirit

if

sueh there were,

in the air.

Oh, for that strength of voice and wing

To sing and soar, to soar and sing

With all his joyousness of heart
From earth's encumbrances apart

And
To

with heaven's denizens on high

revel

mid the calm

clear sky

Mant.

Fancy

is

a fairy, that can hear,

Ever, the melody of nature's voice,

And

see all lovely visions that she will.

Mrs. Osgood.
All impediments in fancy's course

Are motives

of

more fancy.
Shakspeare.

Ever

let

the fancy roam,

is at home
Then let winged Fancy wander
Through the thoughts still spread beyond

Pleasure never

Oh, sweet Fancy

Every thing

let

is spoilt

her:

her loose,

by

use.

Kent.

J32"'s Wu'h.

IGG

Dyer's We'eb.... Belief

Dyer's

Weed

like a very large upright plant of

is

Mignonette, to which sweet exotic

it is

nearly related,

both being members of the reseda family.

odorafa, or Mignonette,

is

introduced into England in 1752.

fr-.im

resedo, to

The Reseda

a native of Egypt, and was

calm, to appease.

The word reseda is

The plants were

thought useful applications to external bruises,

to ease

There are two species growing wild in England.

Eeseda lutea, or Base-rocket, likes a chalky soil, but
R. luteola, the Dyer's Weed, is often found on waste

pain.

ground everywhere.

It is

much used by

dyers, par-

most beautiful yellow

Blue
dye, for cotton, woollen, mohair, silk, and linen.
The
cloths dipped in a decoction of it become green.

ticularly in France.

It affords a

entire plant, when about to flower, is pulled up, and

employed both fresh and dried. Like the Coltsfoot, this
plant is among the first which spring from the rubbish
thrown out of coal-pits. Linneeus observed, that the
nodding spike of flowers always follows the sun, even
on a cloudy day, pointing eastward in a morning,
southward at noon, westward in the afternoon, and
northward at night. If this be true, it may supplant

the sunflower in the favour of sentimental

florists, for

the inconstancy of that has long been proved.

old Gerarde,

who

Good

evidently did his best to believe all

things, says, that he has seen four sunflowers

stem, pointing to the four cardinal points.

on one

am wan-

Gut's

my

107

tStttlr.

must remiud you of some

Clare, where he
groups the sunflower so nicely and you may look at
tliat cottage, where the children are playing, and see
dtM-ing

from

subject, but

swoet lines by that poet of nature

;

tiic pictui-e

nearly realized:

"Where rustic taste at leisure trimly weaves

The

rose

and straggling woodbine

to the eaves,

And

on the crowded spot that pales enclose

The white and scarlet daisy rears in rows,
Training the trailing peas in clusters neat,

Perfuming evening with a luscious sweet.

sun-flowers phmting for their gilded show,
That scale the window's lattice ere they blow,
And, sweet to habitants within the sheds.
Peep through the cr3'stal panes their golden heads.

And

gentle peace, like evening winds

In summer from the ocean's breast.

o'er my sighing, sinking soul.
And soothed my murmuring griefs to
And through the weary night of pain,
When it were manliness to weep.

Moved

My

soul

"He

was comforted by

rest;

this

giveth his beloved sleep."

MacKeliar.

168

Kasturtion.

in ASTVRTioi:^ ....Patriotism.

The Nasturtion
The

is

a native of Europe and the East.

flowers are of a very brilliant golden yellow,

present a beautiful appearance.

The plant

is

and

said to

emit flashes of light in the morning before sunrise, and

'also at tvrilight.

down
and

their lives

glowing hue recalls that

Its pure,

ardent feeling, so clear of

self,

and fortunes

which leads men

to lay

for their country's safety

glory.

Land of the forest and the rock,

Of dark blue lake and mighty river
Of mountain reared aloft to mock
The storm's career and lightning's shock,
My own green land forever
Wliiiiier.

Clime of the daring, thy sheltering banner

Unfurls its stars o'er the land and the sea;
While tyrants are warring, and freemen love honour,
That banner shall be the light of the free.
C. Watson.

Our country first, their glory and their pride.

Land of their hopes, land where their fathers died,
AVhen in the right, they'll keep thy honour bright,

When

in the wrong, they'll die to set

it

James

right.
T. Fields.

169

Najsturtiou.

Pride in the

gift of

country and of

SpeaTis in the eye

name

and step

lie treads his native land

Halleck.

The patriot go, to Fame's proud mount repair,

The tardy pile, slow rising there,
With tongueloss eloquence shall tell
Of them who for their country fell.
!

Spragxie.

'Tis home-felt pleasure

prompts the

This makes him wish to

live,

patriot's sigh.

and dare

to die.

Campbell.

Land where he learned to lisp a mother's name,

The first beloved in life, the last forgot.
Land of his frolic youth,
Land of his bridal eve,
Land of his children vain your column's strength,

Invaders

vain your battles' steel and

fire

Choose ye the morrow's doom

A prison or a grave
Halleck.

]My country

The

is

my Holy

Land.

I love her

purest, brightest skies are spread above her,

And

heavenliest verdure covers vale and

The
Are

clearest waters fish did ever

hers.

And oh, what words

swim

hill.

in

can praise her virtuous

women ?
MacKellar.

170

Ni^ijtsljatic, or

Bittrr-siowt.

Nightshade, or Bitter-sweet. ...Truth.

AccoRDi>fG to the belief of the ancients, Truth was
the mother of Virtue, the daughter of Time, and queen

Truth lies
and that she always mingles
some bitterness with her sweet blessings; and we have
of the world.

It is a frequent saying, that

at the bottom of a well,

chosen for her emblem a plant which, like her, delights

in the shade,

and

evergreen.

The Nightshade

is

the

only plant in England which loses and reproduces

its

is

leaves twice a year.

Truth, crushed to earth will rise again,

The eternal years of God are hers

But Error, wounded, writhes with pain,
;

And

dies

among her worshippers.

Brya7it.

The pure deep sky above may figure Truth

Though mists and clouds may long obscure its
Gaze with patience, and ere long they'll pass.

face.

Peerbold.

enough your counsel shall be true

Blunt truths more mischief than nice falsehoods do.
'Tis not

Men must be taught as if you taught them not,

And things unknown proposed as things forgot.
Without good breeding, truth is disapproved
That only makes superior sense beloved.
Fope.

171

Ni'sllts^alit, or 13itlcv-s5ntt.

Truth needs no flowers of speech.

Pope.

When fiction rises pleasing to the eye,

Men will believe, because they love the

lie;

But truth herself, if clouded with a frown,

Must have some solemn proofs to pass her down.
Churchill,

All truth

precious, if not all divine.

is

And what

dilates the

powers must needs

refine.

Cuicper.

V^erily there is

not in

is

nothing so

fiilse,

that a sparkle of truth

it.

Tupper.
This above

And

it

all,

must

to thine

own

self

be true

follow, as the night the day.

Thou canst not then be

false to

any man.
Shakspeare.

What

is

truth?

staff rejected.

WordsiooHh,

weary and a bitter task

Back from the lip the burning word
It is a

And
And

to

in the dark

urn of the soul

Indignant feelings

to keep,

shut out heaven's air with falsehood's mask,

to

heap

making e'en of thought

buried treasure.
Mrs. Remans.

172

Eforufi Qtalamus.

Acorus Calamus.... Grace.

The Sweet Flag

One autumn
Beside

eve

my

I'd written long,

And

my

Quite weary

book

fire

and eyes and head

fingers 'gan to tire.

I rose to shut

sat alone

study

fell

desk,

and go

half asleep

open as

moved

E'en sleepy eyes must peep

And, pictured on its page,

The portrait of a friend,

Whose smiling face bade my

To happy memories wend.
It

saw
dull thoughts

was the tall, sweet-scented Flag,

Lay pictured there so true,
could have deemed some fairy hand
The faithful image drew.

The falchion-leaves, all long and sharp

The stem, like a tall leaf too,
Except where, halfway up its side,

cone-shaped flower-spike grew,

Like a lady's

From end

finger, taper, long,

to

end arrayed

173

fSrtoius CTalamus.

In close scale-armour, that was

Of starry
If

all

flowers made.

you could fancy

fairy folk

Would mimic works

of ours,

You'd think their dainty fingers here

Had wrought mosaic flowers.

The tiny petals, neatly formed,

With geometric skill,
Are each one so exactly shaped,
Its

And

proper place to

fill.

stamens, like fine golden dust.

Spangle the flowerets green;

Aught more compact and beautiful,

Mine eyes have never seen

How

well I know when first I met

The Sweet Flag's graceful form

'Twas on a glowing summer's day,

Mid hearts as bright and warm.
hearts as warm as sunny gleams.
And eyes as kind and bright,
And spirits that, like sunshine too,

Mid

Are cheering,

loved,

We gathered there

and

light.

the Acorus

From Claremont's quiet lake

And home with me, full many a
I did the pale flower take.

mile,

174

; ;

SitoxMS Calamujsf.

'Twas new to me, but yet is not

So very scarce and rare,

As many a river knowetli well

None better than the Yare
1

For by

its

banks abundantly
tall leaves grow

The fragrant

Singing with reedy rustling voice,

Whene'er

soft breezes blow.

The Mayor of Norwich holds

His annual feast and show

And

to the

in

June

grand cathedral church

Processions with him go.

And then the gray and solemn

And all the ancient floor,

aisles,

Are with the aromatic leaves

Bestrewed thickly

o'er.

In by-gone days the costly fumes

Of incense here were shed

But sweeter far the fragrant gush
That greets each passing tread.
;

In the sordid streets are bowers

built.

Of these same reeds as well,

Plaited and wrought like basket-work.
All full of spicy smell.

And many

a queer and quaint device

Are round about them made,

175

Slconis (talamus.

Of the gold and red ranunculus,

In varied shape and shade.

Oh

many

a young and guileless heart

Is blithe as blithe can be,

To walk through Norwich streets

The decked out bowers to see.

that morn,

In far gone times, ere folks had grown

So mighty nice and clever

When

carpets were unh'*ard-of things.

And

When
Or

Were

druggets dreamed of never

wide bare

good hard

all

that unto knightly strides.

light steps,

When common
Where

were given

rushes strewed the halls

royal banquets were

precious must these reeds have been

Beside the banks of Tare

mud

stone, not over even.

Or dames'

How

floors of

can fancy high and dainty dames

Sending stout serving-men

To gather store of these sweet

From river, pool, and fen.

Flags,

Perhaps to strew a lady's bower.

Perhaps the castle hall.

Where warlike lords and knights should meet

At stately festival.

17G

How

'

alamus.

gtcorus

often in the chapel too,

The fresh-thrown reeds might lie

While the tears and smiles of a bridal band

Went

And

softly passing

when sorrow deep

doom

they were there

Wept

by

the untimely

Of young, and bright, and beautiful,

Borne to the ancestral tomb.
In sooth

it is

an ancient thing,

This new-found friend of mine.

And many
Hath
I love

it

a scene of joy and

known

it

for

But yet

them

in

all

I love it

wo

days lang syne.

right well,

more

For the fairy scene that lay around

Its

home on

that lakeless shore:

Beside the bank the stately trees

Waved

And

gently to and fro,

flitting

The

specks of sunlight

And danced among the tall

And on the water fell,
Where

And

fell

leafy branches thro',

the

merry

fish

keen reeds,

were glancing swift;

the water snake, as well,

Came, gliding in a graceful curl

All silently and still,

177-

Sltorujs .-.Iamu5.

Liko a lord in his o^m

Swimmiug ubuut

Now

at

(luiniiiions there,
\vill.

toward the margin where we stood

We

saw him steering on,

Then vinder groups of iily leaves
The happy thing was gone.

And

and

wild-fowl, water-rats,

Liyed in that

little

lake

Oh, what a pleasant picture

BIj thoughts of it awake
Its

all,

now
!

margent of smooth lawny turf

mossy, soft, and deep,

Was
Where

the shadows broad of the beech and oak

Seemed

quietly to sleep.

The rhododendrons, purple yet

With many a massive wreath.

Had

seedling plants, a countless host.

Crowding the turf beneathI

dearly love small relics brought

From spots Where I have been,

That seem to certify the facts
Of memory's pictured scene
;

But seeds and roots of flowers

The pleasantest of all

are

I've

Broom-seeds from a heathy glen,

And

ferns from an old stone

12

walL

S.corus alamu5.

278

Of wall-flower slips and roots

So many, that I'm fain,
Bear as they are

Many

to

I've got

me, to turn

adrift again.

My

ivy-plant from Tintern's braved

Four winters' stormy weather
I've scraps, too, from proud Kenilworth,

And

here they grow together.

The feathery seeds

of clematis

In Goodrich I have caught

Hartstongue from Ragland's

With maiden-hair,

lofty keep,

brought.

And

so at Claremont, where the crowd

Of rhododendrons grew,
My whims were humoured, and I novr

Am rearing one or two.

And

e'en those little things can bring

Before me, passing well,

The very nook where the scented

Of the graceful calamus dwell.

leaves

Louisa A. Twamky,

179

33room.

'BRooyi....HnmiUit/.

Thomas Miller thus speaks

Romance of Nature:

of the "

bonny Broom,"

in his

Broom

Beautiful art thou,

waving

in all

thy rich

array of green and gold, on the breezy bosom uf the

bee-haunted heath.

The sleeping sunshine, and the

silver-footed showers,

the clouds that for ever play

about the face of Heaven, the homeless winds, and the

sleep on the veined eyelids of

upon thy blossoms like

an infant, are ever beat-

ing above and around thee, as

if to tell

crystal-globed dews, that settle

in thy companionship,

and

that,

that they rejoice

although a thousand

years have strided by with silent steps, time hath not

abated an atom of their love.

Who can tell the thoughts

of Saxon Alfred when, wandering alone, crownless

sceptreless,

and

he stretched himself on the lonely moor

beneath the shadow of thy golden blossoms, sighing

for the fair

bowed

queen he had

left for

his kingly head, and,

When

behind ?

he

musing on thy beauty,

buried in a solitary wild, thought

how even

regal dig-

nity would be enhanced by humility, and that, although

thou didst grow there unmarked and unpruned, not a

more princely flower waved

in his

own English

garden.

Humility, that low, sweet root.

From which

all

heavenly virtues shoot.

Moore.

180

Broom.

Oh

the Broom, the bonny bonny Broom,

The Broom of the Cowden-knowes
;

For sure so soft, so sweet a bloom,

Elsewhere there never grows.
Scottish Song.

Here

is

Among
I'll

a precious jewel I have found

the

filth

stoop for

Set on

my

it,

and rubbish of the world.

when I wear it here,

but

forehead like the morning-star.

The world may wonder, but

it

will not laugh.

Longfellow.

Their groves of sweet myrtle,

Where

bright beaming

let foreign

summers

lands reckon,

exalt the perfume

Far dearer to me yon lone glen o' green breckan,

Wi' the burn stealing under the lang yellow Broom.
Burns.

But

the publican stood afar off in his grief.

For he

felt like

a beggar

who needed

relief;

And

he raised not his eyes, and he saw not the scorn

Which the lip of the Pharisee proudly had worn.

But he smote on

As
It

his bosom,

and deeply he sighed

a sinner, for mercy, sweet mercy, he cried.

was

And

all

he could

utter,

but God hears a sigh,

no matter how feeble the cry.

Both unheard and unblest, the proud Pharisee then
Returned to the pomp of his riches again
listens,

While the publican sinner, though loathed and oppressed.

Went joyfully homeward with peace in his breast.
MacKellar.

-^

St. 3of)u's

St. John's

381

(DSIort.

Wort. ...SKjicrstiiion.

This plant is an appropriate emblem of superstition;

it has always been regarded with reverence by the

for

its real and supwas supposed to possess the power

of defending persons from phantoms and spectres, and
driving away all evil spirits. Its large, yellow flower
grows close to the earth, and resembles a small wheel

peasantry of Europe, on account of

posed virtues.

It

of fireworks.

'Tis a history

Handed from ages down a nurse's tale

Which children, open-eyed and mouthed, devour
;

And

We

thus as garrulous ignorance relates,

learn

and

it

believe.
Souihei/.

A fortune-telling host.
As numerous as the stars could
Matrons, who toss the cup, and
The grounds

boast,

see

of fate in grounds of tea.

CkurcJiill.

Gipsies,

who

every

ill

can cure.

Except the ill of being poor,

Who charms 'gainst love and agues

Who

can in hen-roost set a

spell,

sell,

182

St. 3oi)n'5 g^oit.

Prepared by

To catch

Who
As

arts, to

all feet

them best known,

except their own,

as to fortune can unlock

it,

easily as pick a pocket.

Churchill,

We may

smile, or coldly sneer,

The while such ghostly tales we hear,

And wonder why they were believed.

And how

wise

men

could be deceived

Bathing our renovated sight

In the free gospel's glorious

We

marvel

it

was ever night

light.
I

Mrs. Hale.

This present

life

seems

The vulgar mind,

full

of mysteries

to superstition prone,

In nature's workings fearful omens

And

sees,

shrinks aghast from terrors of

its

own

Absurd imagining. Despotic is the power

Of ignorance and thousands live in fear
And die unnumbered times before the hour
That Heaven has set to end their being here.
The trustful, quiet, mighty thinker seeks
The beautiful and simple orderings
Of the Great Former of created things,
And God to him in guiding accents speaks.
Still, in the dealings of the Lord with men.
Some things there are beyond our human ken.
;

MacKellar.

; ;

:; ;

St.

Mn'5

OTort

Tam saw an unco sight

Warlocks and witches in a dance
Nae

cotillon brent

new

183

frae France,

But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and

Put life an mettle in their heels.
A winnock bunker in the east,

reels,

There sat auld Nick, in shape o* beast

A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large,

them music was

To

gie

He

screw'd the pipes and gart them

Till roof

and

his charge
skirl,

rafters a' did dirl.

round like open presses,

That shaw'd the dead in their last dresses
And by some devilish cantraip slight,
Each in its cauld hand held a light,
By which heroic Tam was able
To note upon the haly table,
A murderer's banes in gibbet aims
Coffins stood

Twa

span-lang, wee, unchristen'd bairns

A thief,

new

"Wi' his last

cutted frae a rape,

gasp his gab did gape;

Five tomahawks, wi' bluid red-rusted

Five scimiters, wi' murder crusted

A
A

garter,

which a babe had strangled

had mangled,
;

knife, a father's throat

"Whom

his ain son

The gray
Wi' mair

Which

o' life bereft.

hairs yet stack to the heft;

o'

horrible

ev'n to

and awfu'.

name wad be

unlawfu'.

Burns.

184

Vtxhuin.

Yerv AiN....EncJian(incni.
Vervain was employed by the ancients
kinds of divinations.

Tliey ascribed to

it

in various

a thousand

among others, that of reconciling eneWhenever the Romans sent their heralds to offer
jieace or war to nations, one of them always carried a
sprig of Vervain.
The Druids, both in Gaul and Britain, regarded the Vervain with the same veneration
j.roperties, and,

mies.

as the misletoe,

and

offered sacrifices to the earth be-

which was a cereand their

religion have passed away, the Vervain is still the plant
(^jf spells and enchantment.
In the northern provinces
of France, the shepherds gather it with ceremonies and
Avords known only to themselves, and express its juices
iiuder certain phases of the moon.
They insist that
this plant enables them to cure their ailments, and to
cast a spell on their dangliters and cattle, by which
thej can make them conform to their AAdshes.
fore they cut this plant in spring,

mony

of great

I'd

wake

And

pomp.

Though

the Druids

the spell that sleeps within an herb,

witch the lady

till 1

know

she's mine.

Fcerbold.

Her overpowering presence made you

It

would not

l)e

feel

idolatry to kneel.
Bi/7-on.

185

Ftrbafii.

Her sacred beauty hath enchanted heaven,

And, had she lived before the siege of Troy,
Helen, whose beauty summoned Greece to arms,
And drew a thousand ships to Tenedos,
Had not been named in Homer's Iliad
Her name had been in every line he wrote.
Marlowe.

Not all the charms that superstition gave

To plants in lonely forests found.
Could work such magic in Love's doting slave,
As the voice which hia wishes crowned.
Anon.

voice of laughter

a voice of glee

Among the maidens, who happy as she ?

By love's enchantment her thrilling breast
Is wildly, witchingly, over-blest:

And

gushing joys,

like the

sun in May,

Enliven the noon of her bridal-day.

MacKellar.

Mysterious plant

whose golden

tresses

wave

With a sad beauty in the dying year,

Blooming amid November's frost severe.
Like a pale corpse-light o'er the recent grave.
If shepherds tell us true, thy wand hath power,

With gracious influence,

Of ominous planets.

to avert the

harm

Token, 1831.

Corn.

186

Corn.... Riches.

Ceres, the goddess of Corn and harvest, was represented with a garland of ears of Corn on her head.

The commemoration of the loss of her daughter Proserwas celebrated about the beginning of harvest;

pine,

that of her search after her, at the time of sowing Corn.

A whole

straw has been

made

the

emblem

of union

and a broken straw, of rupture. The custom of breaking a straw, to express the rupture of a contract,

may

be traced back to an early period of French history,

and may be said

to

When

have had a royal origin.

Charles the Simple, of France, was abandoned by his

principal lords, they broke a straw to express that they

would no longer acknowledge him as their king. Corn

may be regarded as an appropriate emblem of wealth
since, wherever it grows, it leads us to infer plenty and
;

comfort.

Therefore,

if at

great things thou wouldst arrive.

Get riches

first,

get wealth.
MiUo7i.

Then

let

us get money, like bees lay up honey

We'll build us

new

hives and store each cell

Tlie sight of our treasure shall yield us great pleasure,

We'll count

it,

and chink

it,

and jingle

it

well.

Br. Franklin.

187

Corn.

Much
Much
At

learning shows
wealth,

how

best, it babies us

And

how

little

mortals

know;

with endless toys,

keeps us children

As monkeys

little

worldlings can enjoy:

till

we

di-op to dust.

amazed,

at a mirror stand

They fail to find what they so plainly see

Thus men, in shining riches, see the face
Of happiness, nor knaw it as a shade
But gaze, and touch, and peep and peep again.
And wish, and wonder it is absent still.
;

Young.
Oh, blessed lot

To be possessed of wealth and of a heart

So heavenly made that

Of

abundance

its

it

refuses not

freely to impart

MacKellar.

You
To

are heir

lordships, mansions, forests, parks,

and gems.

You have three mighty manors in Castile

Two broad estates in Leon two amidst

The mulberry

Crammed

and huge chests

dug by naked slaves,

trees of Murcia,

full of ingots,

Who

famished on coarse bread. Besides all these,

There bloom plantations in the East, whose fruits
Are pearls, and spice, and princely diamonds

And

in Brazil, Pactolus floods, ne'er

Whose waves

all

dumb.

talk in gold

Bai-ry Cornwall.

188

Cranfinrj.

Cranberry.. ..Cw/'e/b?-

Far away among

the Heartache.

the hills,

Far from tower and town,

Where wide moors and heaths
Desolate and brown.

lie

spread.

Where

the grouse and plover live

Far from gun and dog,
A delicate and tiny flower
Decks swamp and watery bog.

The Cranberry blossom dwelleth there

Amid

the mountains cold,

Seeming

like a fairy gift

Left on the dreary wold.

Oh

and 'tis very beautiful,

The flowers are pink and white,
!

And

the small oval polished leaves

Are evergreen and

bright.

'Tis such a wee, fair, dainty thing,

You'd think a greenhouse warm

Would be
Kept

its

close

proper dwelling-place,

from wind and storm.

But on the moors

it

dwelleth free,

Like a fearless muuntain child

189

CraulurD.

With a rosy

And

cheek, a lightsome look,

spirit strong

In autumn, aU

among

And marshes
Come

and wild.

soft

the

swamps

and wet,

troops of poor hill-children

The ripened
The bushes

fruit to get.

all in

water grow,

In those small pools, that

lie

In scores among the turfy knolls

On mountains

And
To

broad and high.

there the peasant children

come

pull the Cranberries red,

"Where bold and booted sporting squirea

Would

scarcely dare to tread.

Tliey only shoot the poor wild birds,

And

chase the timid hare.

For their diversion

they

can

live

In luxury, without care.

But these poor peasant-children's

Is full of

And

hungry, thinly clad, and cold,

They

With

lot

human wo.

o'er the

feet,

mountains go

that shoes have never

And legs
And yet, so

all

known,

blue and bare.

light are they of heart.

You'll hear

them laughing

there.

190

GTranitrrs.

Such laughter makes my very

Leap up with joy to hear,

lieart

even poverty

It tells that

Is not entirely drear.

what I ever think,

That God is good indeed

It telleth

And

that he suiteth, in us

Our

spirit to

Think ye

if

all,

our need.

these poor peasants were

All discontent and sour

If they in frowns

and murmurings

Spent every wretched hour

Like

many

Whom

a cherished, pampered child.

wealth and fondness cloy.

Till e'en the

knowledge of a want

Would be a

novel joy

if these peasants pined like him

For pleasures they have not.
How manifold would then have been

Think,

The sorrows

of their lot

But they, unshod, bareheaded too,

Fed sparsely with coarse food,

Go laughing on their gleesome way,

As God's bright creatures should.
They

are like flowers, springing up

In some unkindly place.

191

Craniirrs.

Yet

full of all their

colours rare,

Their sweetness and their grace.

They

are bright flowers, that spring to cheer

E'en penury's wilderness,

And

often with a swelling heart,

Those human flowers I bless.

Kind

blessings on their bold, clear eyes,

And elvish, unbound hair

And blessings on their laughter
;

Mid

wild,

crags and moorlands bare

In autumn mornings forth they go

With baskets to the wold.

Some of wicker, some of rush,
Some new, and many old.

And

over mountain, over glen,

The merry creatures bound.

On to the wide and boggy heaths.

Where a thousand

streamlets sound.

The small bare legs all splash

Heeding not cold nor wet,

about,

So long as busy eyes can see.

And hands the treasure get.

"And

after all this toil

What profit win

and

Perhaps a long day's work

A few poor

moil.

they thence?"

sordid pence.

may

bring

102

Cranitrr^.

But more than hundreds to the rich

Are pennies to the poor,
And thankfully they seek and sell
The Cranberries on the moor.
Louisa A. Twamley.

The heart of kindness seldom sours or curdles

The cream of love is in it pure and sweet
With every charm that human nature girdles,

And

every grace of gentleness replete,

The man who has a kindly heart is most

In pattern like his Lord for where the law
Of kindness rules the heart, the virtues draw
Together in companionship, and post
;

Themselves around that citadel of love.

The kindly man doth always kindly prove:

He

has a word of sweetness for the child

for the poor

For

who mourn

of sympathy

Of pity
all

"When through

and truly glad is he

some sorrowing face

his generous care

has smiled.
There's music ever in the kindly soul,

For every deed of goodness done is like

A chord set in the heart, and joy doth strike

Upon

it

oft as

memory

doth unroll

The immortal page whereon good deeds are writ;

And Heaven gives nothing sweeter to the mind
Than memories of the acts that bless our human kind.
MacKellar.

193

3ESj).

Ivy.... Consianci/.

Greece

I.v

tlie

altar of ll^-men \vas enwreatlied

Avitii

and a branch of it was presented to the new-married couple, as a symbol of the indissoluble knot.
It
was sacred to Bacchus, who is represented crowned
with Ivy leaves, as well as those of the vine. It formed
the crown of the Greek and Roman poets and, in modern, txmes, has been made the poet's frequent image
of constancy. The Ivy is attached to the earth by its
OAATi roots, and derives no nourishment from the substances to Avhich it clings. The protector of ruins, it
adorns liie dilapidated walls which it holds together
Ivy,

it

will not accept every kind of support, but its attach-

ment ends only with

When

all

Nothing

its life.

things have their

is

trial,

you

shall find

constant but a virtuous mind.

SJiirlei/.

The mountain
Seeks with no surer flow the

Than my unchanged

far,

rill

bright sea.

affections flow to thee.

Park Benjamin.
I

am

constant as the northern star

Of whose
There

is

true, fixed,

and resting quality

no fellow in the firmament.

ShaJcspeare.

104

Ihs.

Make my

breast

Transparent as pure crystal, that the world,

may

Jealous of me,

My

see the foulest thought

heart does hold.

Her eyes

to find out

Where

shall a

woman

turn

constancy?
BuckingJiam.

No, never from this hour to part,

We'll live and love so true,

The

sigh that rends thy constant heart,

Shall break thy Edwin's too.

GoldsmiiX

The Ivy round some

Its

lofty pile

twining tendril flings

Though

It yet the fonder clings

As

lonelier

if it

is its

its

loved

becomes the

still

The warmer
More firm

As

from thence be pleasure's smile,

fled

place,

fond embrace,

verdant rings

its

shade to rear

O'er one devoted to despair.

Thus shall my bosom cling to thine.

Unchanged by gliding years
Through Fortune's rise, or her decline,
;

In sunshine, or in tears

And though between

And rocks divide us,

us oceans
still

my

roll,

soul

Shall feel no jealous fears

Confiding in a heart like thine.

Love's uncontaminated shrine.

Mrs. Hale.

195

J^cIIj.

Holly.

The

Holly, with

tiful of the

its

...

Foresight.

scarlet berries, is the

most beau-

evergreens that have been used for ages to

adorn the churches of old England, during the Christ-

mas

season.

It is

an ornament

woods, stripped

to the

bare by the rude breath of winter;

its

berries serve for

birds that never leave us, and its

them an hospitable shelter during the
cold season.
Nature, by a seeming forethought, has
been careful to preserve the verdure of this handsome
tree all the year round, and to arm it with thorns, that
it may furnish both food and protection to the innocent
creatures which resort to it for shelter.
It may be

food for the

little

foliage affords

common
when fermented and washed from the woody
is made the bird-lime which is used for catching

added, however, that from the bark of the

Holly,
fibres,

small birds.

With Holly and

ivy.

So green and so gay,

We deck up our houses

As fresh as the day

With bays and rosemary,

And laurel complete.

And every one now
Is a

king in conceit.

Poor Robin's Almanac, 1695,

; ;

196

J^oIIj.

THE HOLLY TREE.

Reader

hast thou ever stood to see

The Holly

The eye

tree

that contemplates

it

well perceives

Its glossy leaves,

Ordered by an intelligence so wise

As might confound the atheist's sophistries.
Below, a circling fence

its

leaves are seen,

Wrinkled and keen

No grazing cattle, through their prickly round

Can reach to wound

But as they grow where nothing is
Smooth and unarmed the pointless

to fear,

leaves appear.

1 love to view these things with curious eyes

And

And

moralize

wisdom of the Holly tree

Can emblems see,
Wherewith, perchance, to make a pleasant rhyme,
One which may profit in the after-time.
in this

Thus, though abroad, perchance I might appear

Harsh and

To

those

who on my

austere,

leisure

would intrude

Reserved and rude.

Gentle at

home amid my

friends I'd be.

Like the high leaves upon the Holly

And

should

my

youth, as youth

is

Some harshness show.

tree.

apt, I

know,

107

JLlolIri.

All vain asperities I clay by day

Would wear away,

Till the

smooth temper of

my

age should be

Like the high leaves upon the Holly

And

as

when

all

the

summer

tree.

trees are seen

and green,
The Holly leaves a sober hue display,
So

briglit

Less bright than they

But when

What

the bare and wintry woods

So serious should
So would I

That in

As

we

then so cheerful as the Holly tree

my

my

see,

youth appear among

The thoughtless throng,

seem amid the young and gay
More grave than they,
age as cheerful I might be

the green winter of the Holly tree.

Soutliey

To know the road ere on't we trust the foot,

And where it leads, and what, while journeying.
We may meet, is Wisdom's eager wish.
Peerhold.

Walk
Boldly and wisely in that light thou hast

There

is

a hand above will help thee on.

Bailey.

iHtaboio SaSron.

198

Meadow

Saffron... .Tlf// best days are past.

The Meadow

Colchicum Autumnale,
fall from

or

Saffron,

springs up about the time the leaves begin to

the trees, and may, therefore, be said to proclaim to

summer

nature, that the bright days of

are past.

all

Ac-

cording to Ovid, this autumnal

flovrer owes its origin

some drops of the magic liquor prepared by Medea,
to restore the aged ^son to the bloom and vigour of
youth, which were spilled in the fields. As a medicine,
the Colchicum is powerful, but dangerous, and must

to

be used with caution. The poisonous quality of the

plant seems to be known, as if by instinct, to all kinds
of cattle.

They

all

shun

it,

and

alone will be found standing,

in

when

many
all

pastures this

other herbage

has been consumed.

Why

grieve that time has brought so soon

of manhood on ?
As idly should I weep at noon
To see the blush of morning gone.

The sober age

True, time will sear and blanch

Well

And my

I shall sit

good glass will

me how
me then.

tell

A grisly beard becomes

And

my brow

with aged men.

should no foul dishonour

Upon my head when

am

lie

gray,

Love yet may search my fading eye.

And smooth the path of my decay.
Bryant.

V\f^^d

SWELT PEA PANSY

:;

199

^caiioto Sauroa.

Oh

tliou wlio dry'st the

How
If,

dark

when

We
The

this

deceived and

could not

friends

who

mourner's

tear,

world would be,

fly to

wounded

here.

thee

in our sunshine live,

When winter comes, are flown;

And he who has but tears to give.
Must weep those tears alone:
But tbou wilt heal that broken heart,
Which, like the plants that throw
Their fragrance from the wounded part,
Breathes sweetness out of wo.
Moore,

Then bright from earth, amid the troubled sky,

Ascends fair Colchicum, with radiant eye.
Warms the cold bosom of the hoary year.
And lights with beauty's blaze the dusky sphere.
Darwin.

The world around me groweth gray and old

jNIy friends are dropping one by one away
Some live in distant lands some In the clay
Ilest quietly, their mortal moments told.

And when my children gather at ni}"^ knee

To worship God and sing our morning psalm.
Their rising stature whispers unto

My

life is

waning towards

its

me

evening calm.
MacKellar.

2G0

Cr!)ina Esttr.

China

Aster.... Fan^f//.

to blow when other flowers

an afterthought of Flora's, who

The China Aster begins

are scarce.

It is like

The China Aster was introduced

Europe by Father d'Insarville, a Jesuit missionary
who, about the year 1730, sent seeds of it to the royal
gardens of Paris. As, by cultivation, many varieties
of the Aster have been obtained, the flower has been
smiles at leaving us.

into

made

the

emblem

of variety.

The sleepless streams move onward

Through beds of idling lilies,
Chiding the foolish flowers

That watch their mirrored beauty

So live the thoughtless many,
Who throng the halls of fashion.

Dawes.
I love the

Upon
I

ever-varying hue

the face of heaven

would not have it always blue,

But oft with lightning riven.
would not have wide oceans spread

A mirror
But lashed

By

e'er to see
to

many

a cresty head

scowling tempests free

C. Watson.

201

Cljina asltr.

Play every string in love's sweet lyre

Set all its music floAving

Be air, and dew, and light, and fire,

To keep the soul-flower growing.
3[rs.

Osgood.

The rapid and the deep the fall, the gulf,

Have likenesses in feeling and in life.
And life, so varied, hatli more loveliness
In one day than a creeping century

Of sameness.
Bailey.

Youth

loves

Till the soul sighs for

Becomes

varietj^

and

lives

sameness

and takes

its

on change,

which

at last

place.

Bailey.

Variety's the source of joy below,

From which

still

fresh revolving pleasures flow

In books and love the mind one end pursues,

And only change the expiring flame renews.
Gay.

Wherefore did nature pour her bounties forth

With such a full and unwithdrawing hand.
Covering the earth with odours, fruits, and flocks,
Thronging the seas with spawn innumerable,
But all to please and sate a curious taste ?
Milton.


;: ;

^mmxaii

202

Stariuort.

American Starwort.... Welcome.

The Starwort

is

another late-blooming flower.

exclusively indigenous to North

It is

America and the Cape

of Good Hope. The flowers are of every variety of hue,

and present a very attractive appearance.

Stranger,

new

flowers in our vales are seen.

With a dazzling eye, and a lovely green.

They scent the breath of the dewy morn
'J'hey feed no worm, and they hide no thorn,
But revel and grow in our balm}' air
They are flowers which Freedom hath planted
;

there.

This bud of welcome to thee wo give,

unborn sweets in thy bosom live

charm thee from all a stranger's pain,
lleserve, suspicion, and dark disdain

Bid

its

It shall

..'V

race in

its

freshness and bloom are

we

Bring no cares from a worn-out world with

thee.

Mrs. Sigoitrney.

; .

203

3un4)r.

J u M I'E K

The Juniper has been

Protection

. . .

the favourite of Superstition.

The ancients consecrated the shrub to the Furies. The

smoke of its green roots was the incense which they
and they
ban malign in-

offered in preference to the infernal gods

burned

its

berries during funerals to

In some parts of Europe, the peasant

fluences.

still

believes that the perfume of Juniper berries purifies

and
The Juniper
the air,

made

to signify protection,

of the defensive qualities ascribed to

and the

humble

drives evil spirits from his

is

it

by

cot.

on account

superstition,

shelter its drooping branches afford to small

animals which are hard pressed by the hunters.

have found out a

I

gift for

my

fair

have found where the wood-pigeons breed

But

let

me

that plunder forbear.

She will say, 'twas a barbarous deed.

" For he ne'er could be true," she averred,

"Who
And

could rob a poor bird of

I loved her the more,

Such tenderness

fall

when

its

young ;"

heard

from her tongue.

Shenstone.

204

^la^tl.

Reconciliation.

Hazel.. ..Peace

Fable gives the following account of the origin of

There was a time when
men were at constant war with each other, and could
not be restrained from cruelty and revenge by any tie
of kin. The gods at length took pity on them. Apollo
and Mercury made presents to each other, and descended to the earth. The god of harmony received
from the son of Maia the shell of a tortoise, out of
which he had constructed a l^^'e, and gave him in exchange a Hazel stick, which had the power of imparting a love of virtue and of reconciling hearts divided
by envy and hate. By the power thus given him,
IMercury taught men the love of peace, and of home
and country, and made commerce the bond of nations.
Adorned with two light wings, and entwined with serpents, the Hazel rod given to the god of eloquence by
the god of harmony is still, by the name of caduceus,
the emblem of peace, commerce, and reconciliation.

the signification of the Hazel.

Oh then

that

wisdom may we know,

AVhich leads a

life

of peace below

Sprague.
Peace, sweet peace

In her eternal

is

ever found

home on holy ground.

Mrs. Embury.

205

^s}tl.

And
As

see,

yet unclothed, the Hazel tree

Prepares his early

The coppice

tufts to

first-fruits

lend

and depend

In russet drops, whose clustered rows,

Still

closed in part, in part disclose,

Yet fenced beneath their scaly shed.

The pendent anther's yellow head.
Louisa A. Twavileij.
the frown thy features wear,
Ere long into a smile will turn

I trust

would not that a face as

xls thine, beloved,

fair

should look so stern.

The chain of ice that winter

Holds not
It

melts

And

binds,

for aye the sparkling

away when summer

rill

shines.

leaves the waters sparkling

still

Thus let thy cheek resume the smile

That shed such sunny light before

And though
I'll

vow

I left thee for a while,

to leave thee, love,

no more.

Wm.

Leggett.

Come, while the morning of thy life is glowing,

Ere the dim phantoms thou art chasing die
Ere the gay spell, which earth is round thee throwing,
Fades like the crimson from a sunset sky.
Life

is

but shadows, save a promise given,

AV'hich lights
Oil,

up sorrow with a fadeless ray.

with a hope in heaven,

touch the sceptre

Come, turn thy

spirit

from the world away.

Anon.
IS

206

ak.

OAK....NobiUtij,

The form
naturally,

is

of the

Oak

tree,

when grown

a perfect emblem of

its

fairly

and

qualities, so finu

You may always know it

whether as a wintry skeleton form, bare, and
gnarled, and angular, or in its summer garb of rich
and finely massed foliage, always the monarch of the
set, so

massive, and strong.

instantly,

woods.

True

is,

that whilome that good poet said.

The

gentle

For

man by

mind by gentle deeds is known.

nothing is so well bewrayed
As by his manners, in which plain is shown
Of what degree and what race he is grown.
Spenser.

How

vain are

all

hereditary honours.

Those poor possessions from another's deeds.

Unless our own just virtues form our title.

And

give a sanction to our fond assumption

Shirley.

Of reason,

Whoe'er amidst the song

and virtue,

valour, liberty,

Displays distinguished merit,

is

a noble

Of nature's own creating. Such have risen,

Sprung from the dust or where had been our honours?
;

l^omson.

207

ah.

LIFE OF

Long

centuries have

AN OAK TREE.
come and passed

Since, in a stormy wind,

An

acorn fell one autumn day.

Like thousands of his kind.

The wild swine fed in the forests then,

And hungry beasts were they
They crunched the mast where'er it fell,
;

And

they feasted well that day.

But as they trampled all about

With heavy hoofs, they trod
That acorn perchance hundreds more
Deep in the yielding sod.

Years came and went.

And became
With a

The acorn grew

a young

Oak

slender, straight,

tree

and

flexile stem,

Dressed in rich greenery.

Time passeth

on.
The young tree rose
and noble thing
Each summer showed a leafier crest,

A bold
And

a longer shoot each spring.

There came into the ancient wood

Some stern official men

They marked the fairest, loftiest
And they were doomed then.

trees,

208

ah.

They glanced upon

the tall

young Oak,

And quickly passed it by,

And laughing harshly, said 'twould
By the next century.

do

Soon through the

forest's solemn glades

There rang that deathful sound.
and crashing fell
The woodman's axe
Trunks, branches, all around.
;

Craftsmen of

many

kinds there came

For that oak tiniber good.

And

carried

From
Some

its

it

in loads aw^ay

old native wood.

waves
and squalls.
Both merchant-ships, and men-of-war,
"Old England's Wooden Walls."
floated far o'er ocean's

]Mid stormy winds

Some, raised on high, with rare device

The royal roof support.

And look down in the banquet-hall

On king, and queen, and court.
Some, quaintly carved, and polished

May

shrine a pictured face,

Of Dolci's gentle loveliness,

Or Raphael's angel grace.

And many

a toilet mirror owes,

Its flowered

and gilded frame

fair.

209

aife.

To

the good trees of which I sing:

Well have tliey won their fame

And

massive tables, that liave once

Groaned 'neath baronial

If they could talk of that

Might

tell

fare,

Oak wood,

of dwelling there.

The young Oak

tree yet statelier grew,

And broader spread its shade,

And the dappled deer lay sheltered

il
jj

jj

'neath
|j|

The

canop}'

it

made.

Years came and went. The Oak tree stood

In full-grown prime and pride,

And

lords of various

mind and mood

';

S:
\.

j
5,1

Possessed those woodlands wide.

The

first,

a reckless forester.

and hawk, and hound,

wide domains,
"Wellnigh the whole year round.

Loved

And

horse,

he chased

all o'er his

His lady fair, as dames were wont.

In those long bygone days.
Loved hawking too and gallant trains
;

She led through

forest

ways.

'Twas a merry and a winsome thing,

AYhen lord, and squire, and knight
Rode forth, mid bucdes ringing shrill,

With dainty

ladies bright,

;l

210

afe.

To sweep along by vale and hill,

Or through the forest glade,

Where

A
And

the echoes of their laughter light

merry music made.

oft

they reined their palfreys in

Beneath the young Oak tree,

And oft foretold how grand a thing
In after-time 'twould be.
These jocund sports passed

all

away;

For direful civil war

Spread its fell curse throughout the land,
Wasting it near and far.

And

the next lord these broad lands had,

A warrior
He

stern

was

he,

dwelt with camps and cannon more

Than sylvan glade and

tree.

and his lands

and deeds unfair,
Ilis brother claimed and won, although
His infant son was heir.
lie died in battle

By

craft

This hard, bad

And

man was

miserly.

loved no thing save gold

marked out the stately

To be cut down and sold.

lie soon

What was

its beauty unto him ?

The grand and uoble thing

tree.

211

His dull eyes only measured well

What moneys

it

would bring.

But while he doomed

His wicked

And

life

suddenly, death

From

the lordly oak,

ebbed low,

summoned him

his ill-got hoards to go.

The grand estate the ancient hall,

The woods, and wealth untold,

Came

then unto that warrior's child,

A boy

of ten years old.

He was

a thoughtful, quiet boy,

For though yet young in years.
His mother's sorrows and his own

Had made him

And

old in tears.

with a calm and gentle joy

Came home

that youthful heir,

For his chief source of gladness was.

To bring his mother there:

To watch her sadly smile to see

Again each well-known spot,
"Where days of happiness had passed,
That ne'er could be forgot

To have her former

state restored,

Maidens, and serving-men

And garments, richer than of old,

He bade them bring her then.

!:

ak.

212

The gardens, that the miser had

Left all untrimmed and bare,
Were planted, pruned, and decked anew.

And

stored with all things rare.

But chiefly did the lady love

One glade within the wood,
The shady glade, where broad and
The noble Oak tree stood.

high,

Sad memories, yet sweet ones too.

For her that lone spot bore
'Twas there she parted from her lord
To meet on earth no more
!

'Twas
His

there, beneath that tree,

last, last

he spoke

fond farewell

From thence she watched him

The eve before he fell

ride

away

No

marvel that sad lady loved

The

And

silent spot so well

there they oft together came,

The lady and the boy.

For he to her was all on earth,
Her one sole living joy.

And

long years

Her

after,

when

she slept

tomb beside.
When the boy had grown an aged man,
With grandsons by his side:
warrior's

That ancient wood he reverenced

And

peasants,

when they spoke

21.1

(!&aL

Of the old

tree within the ghidc,

the Lady's Oak.

know the spotthough strangely time
Called

Hath

it

altered all around,

"Where once the

Now

forest's stillness lay,

whirling wheels resound.

A large

and busy peopled town

E'en on that spot we

Where dappled

see,

deer and timid birds

Dwelt fearlessly and

free.

But I remember when a child,

One old and mouldering shell
Of a most ancient, huge Oak tree
Stood near the public well.
I've sat within

it

many

a time,

In childish sport and play,

And much

The trunk
Soon they

And

mourned

to see at last

quite cleared away.

built there a fine

new

street,

noisy coaches sweep

With roar and riot, even where

That lady came to weep
I

Each passing year we note

a change

In ancient things and new

And if we see so much in one,

What may not hundreds do?
Louisa A. Twamley,

211

There's no power

In ancestry, to make the foolish wise,

The ignorant

learned, the cowardly

and base

Deserving our respect as brave and good.

All

men

His

fiat

feel this

nor dares the despot say

can endow with truth the

Or, like a pension,

soul,

on the heart bestow

Tlie virtues current in the realms above.

best riches must be gained not given

His noblest name deserved, and not derived.

Hence man's

Mrs. Male.

Some men

are born to endure the toil and strife

And heavy
The

burdens of the earth. They are

temple of this life.

pillars in the

Its

strength and ornament

Beneath, they form

its

or,

hidden far

firm foundation-stone.

In nobleness they stand distinct and lone,

Yet other men upon them lean, and fein

(Such selfishness in human bosoms swells)
Would lay on them the weight of their own pain.

Where

greatness

They

is,

a patient

spirit dwells;

who bear and

sufi'er most
and stern endurance they sustain
The ills whereof all weaker minds complain

In

least repine

still

And

in their blessed lot they stand, without a sigh

or boast.

MacKellar.

215

gcbo.

Yew.... Sorroio.

The Yevr
Its

is

among

all

nations an

emblem

of sorrow.

bare trunk, and dark foliage, with which

its fruit,

looking like drops of blood, stands in harsh contrast,

Persons who sleep

under a Yew tree are liable to be seized Avith dizziness,
heaviness, and violent headache. Its juice is poisonous,
and the tree exhausts the soil which supports it, and
destroys all other phmts which spring up beneath it.
excite in us a sort of aversion.

The Yew was planted in old English burying-grounds,

and its wood was commonly employed for making bow3
and arrows before the introduction of fire-arms. The
Greeks, impressed with the melancholy aspect of this
tree,

invented the fable of the unhappy Smilax

was
a Yew.

seeing that her love

transformed into

Who

rejected

who,
by young Crocus, was
;

that hath ever been,

to be no more ?
Yet who would tread again the scene
lie trod through life before ?

Could bear

Montgomerj/.
Griets of mine own lie heavy in my breast
Which thou wilt propagate, to have them prest
With more of thine this love, that thou hast shown.
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
:

Shaksj)eare.

ii^^JJ

;;

gtbj.

21

And

sorrowing friends stood round the bed

Whereon a form was

'Tvvas Ellen

lying

-there the suffering saint,

Without a murmur or complaint,

In peace and hope was dying.
A silence deep as death was there

When her true soul departed

And grace and mercy crowned her end

Who

lived the broken-hearted.

MacKellar.

When

the cold breath of sorrow

is

sweeping

O'er the chords of the youthful heart,

And

the earnest eye,

dimmed with

strange weeping,

Sees the visions of fancy depart

When the bloom of young feeling is dying,

And the heart throbs with passion's fierce
When our sad days are wasted in sighing,
Who then can find sweetness in life?

strife

Mrs. Emhury.

He

is

dead.

Those words

toll

on the

ear,

The knell of hopes, and fears, and fleshy aims.

The spirit light has cast a farewell beam
Has shaken off its way-worn gear, and winged
To heaven. Sorrow will demand her tears.
For he was lovely, and leaves a hollow
In our near-drawn sphere which none may upclose.
But thoughts of heaven, through tears, will light us,
Making that refresh which seemed to blast
C. Watson.

Ccab

217

?.cabfs.

Dead Leaves. ...i)ea^yi.

A MORE appropriate emblem of death than the remains of the forest's refreshing verdure could not bo
selected.
Withered by the chill breath of ruthless
Winter, the leaves strew the earth; and, in time, mingle with the dust, like ourselves. The eye cannot help
watching how the winds pursue, scatter, whirl, and

drive these remnants of departed

life.

longer mourn for me when I am dead.

Then you shall hear the surly, sullen bell

Xo

Give warning

From

to the

world that I

this vile world,

am

fled

worms
remember not

with

vilest

to dwell.

you read this line,

The hand that writ it, for I love you so.
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
If thinking of me then should work you wo
Nay,

if

Shahspeare.
shall my verse, which thou in life didst
Not leave thee in the grave, that ugly place,
That few regard, or have respect unto
Where all attendance and observance ends

Now

grace,

Where all the sunshine of our favour sets

Where what was ill no countenance defends,

And what was

good the unthankful world forgets.

Daaiel.

218

3ira& %t&iis.

Hence, profane grim

To

man

my

appi'oach so neere

Marble

vaults,

nor dare

faire.

and gloomy caves.

Church-yards, charnell-houses, graves,

Where

the living loath to be,

Heaven hath designed to thee.

But if needs 'mongst us thou'lt

rage,

Let thy fury feed on age.

Habiuffion.

So doth the swiftly turning VFheel not stand

the instant we withdraw the moving hand,

I'

But some short time retains a faint, weak

By virtue of the first impulsive force

course,

And

so,

whilst I cast on thy funeral pile

Thy crown

And
Suck

of bays, oh let

spit disdain,
all

till

it

crack awhile,

the devouring flashes

the moisture up, then turn to ashes.

Carew.

Ah thou hast left to live and in the time

When scarce thou blossom'dst in thy pleasant prime
!

So

falls

At

half that doth her bashful

by northern blast a virgin rose,

bosom close

So a sweet flower languishing decays.

That late did blush when kissed by Phoebus' rays;

So Phoebus mounting the meridian's height.
Choked by pale Phoebe, faints unto our sight;
Astonished Nature sullen stands to see
The life of all this all so changed to be
In gloomy gowns the stars this loss deplore.
The sea with murmuring mountains beats the shore.
Diianmoiid.

:;
;

219

Scab Htzits.

crown of life
men would live in vain
denied, to live would not be life
"Were death denied, even fools would wish to die.
Death

Were death
Were death

is

the

denied, poor

Youiiff.

Peath

To

is

lose

the sea,

and we

like rivers flow

our selves in the insatiate maine,

"Whence rivers may, she ne'er returne againe.

Xor

grieve this christall streame so soone did fall

Into the ocean

banks she

'J'he

since shee

perfumed all
each neighbour

past, so that

field

Did sweete flowers cherish by her watring, yeeld,

AVhich now adorne her herse.
Hahington.
bore him to the grave while yet 'twas morn,
The winter sunlight shining on his coffin
The weight of grief was heavy to be borne.

"W'e

And

We

the salt tears rose in our eyelids often.

slowly walked in mutely sad procession

The pitying people

And

made us way

the blest child, yet guiltless of transgression,

We
We
And

freely

softly placed

sang a

God,

hymn

between the walls of clay.

we bowed our heads

who had our

to

pray

bitter grief appointed,

Sunt also strengthening grace by lips anointed.

We looked again on George as low he lay
Deep in the earth and when we homeward went,
We felt his home was better 'yond the firmament.
;

MacKellar.

220

jHistlrlof.

Mistletoe..../

The

Mistletoe

is

c?i?;i6 to

a creeping plant which grows on

The proud oak

the tops of the tallest trees.

and nourishes

it

greatness.

is its slave,

with hia own substance.

paid a kind of adoration to

it,

as

The Druids
the emblem of a weak-

ness that was superior to strength

they regarded the

tyrant of the oak as equally formidable to

men and

gods.

'Tis a

common

proof,

That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,

Whereto the climber upwards turns his face
But when he once attains the upmost round,
lie then unto the ladder turns his back,

Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees

By which he did ascend.
Sliakspeare.

He who
The

ascends to mountain-tops shall find

loftiest

He who

peaks most wrapt in clouds and snow;

surpasses or subdues mankind

Must look down on the hate of those below.

Though high above the sun of glory glow.

And

far

Kound him

beneath the earth and ocean spread,

are icy rocks,

and loudly blow

Contending tempests on his naked head,

And

thus reward the

toils

which

to those

summits

led.

Byron.

221

iHistldot.

Ye

A man

So get the

And

gods,

it

doth amaze me,

of such a feeble temper should

start of the majestic world,

bear the palm alone.

Shaksj)eare.

On
The

summit

the

see,

seals of office glitter in his e jes

He climbs,

he pants, he grasps them.

At his heels,

Close at his heels, a demagogue ascends,

And
And

vrith

a dexterous jerk soon twists him down.

wins them, but

to lose

them

in his turn.

Cowper.

man must fall

Then seek I not to

If any

I choose not for

A robe

of honour

for

my
is

me

rise.

good,

to rise,

Another's pain

golden chain

too poor a prize

To tempt my hasty hand to do a wrong

Unto a fellow man. This life hath wo
Sufficient, wrought by man's satanic foe
And who that hath a heart would dare prolong

Or add unto the sorrows of a soul

That seeks some healing balm to make it whole?
My bosom owns the brotherhood of man
From God and truth a renegade is he

Who

scorns a poor

Or on

man

in his poverty.

his fellow lays a supercilious ban.

MacKellar.

222

mti.

SiSl

Ash

!!

Tki:e.... Gi-andeiir.

It is sure,

Stamped by the
Of mind, where

seal of nature, that the well

all its

waters gather pure,

Shall with unquestioned spell all hearts allure.

Wisdom

enshrined in beauty

The order of that

Oh

how high

loveliness.

Percival.

The sky

And

is

changed!

and such a change

night.

storm, and darkness, ye are wondrous strong,

Yet lovely in your strength, as is the light

Of a dark eye in woman
Far along,
From peak to peak, the rattling crags among
Leaps the live thunder Not from one lone cloud,
But every mountain now hath found a tongue,
And Jura answers, through her misty shroud,
!

Back

to the

And

joyous Alps,

Thou wert not

who

this is in the night

her aloud

call to

most glorious night

sent for slumber

let

A portion
How

the

lit

of the tempest

and of thee

Of the loud
if

lake shines, a phosphoric sea,

And the big rain comes dancing to

And now again 'tis black, and now,
As

me be

sharer in thy fierce and far delight,

hills

shakes with

they did rejoice o'er a

its

the earth
the glee

mountain mirth,

young earthquake's

birth.

Bijroii.

asb
I'll

But

223

3rr.

go along, no such sight to be shown,

to rejoice in

splendour of mine own.

Shakspeare.

But lo! the dome the vast and wondrous dome,

To which Diana's marvel was a cell
Christ's mighty shrine above his martj-r's tomb
have beheld the Ephesian's miracle
columns strew the wilderness, and dwell
The hyaena and the jackal in their shade
have beheld Sophia's bright roofs swell
I

Its

Their glittering mass

Its sanctuarj'^ the

But

i'

the sun, and have surveyed

while the usurping Moslem prayed

thou, of temples old, or altars new,

Standest alone

with notliing

like to thee

Worthiest of God, the holy and the true.

Since Zion's desolation,

when

that

He

what could be,

Of earthly structures in his honour piled,
Of a sublimer aspect ? Majesty,
Power, glory, strength, and beauty, all are

Forsook his former

city,

aisled

In this eternal ark of worship undefiled.

Enter:

And

its

grandeur overwhelms thee not;

Avh}-? it is not lessened

Expanded by
lias grown

fit

but thy mind,

the genius of the spot,

colossal,

and can only find

abode wherein appear enshrined

Thy hopes

of immortality

and thou

Shalt one day, if found worthy, so defined,

See thy
Ilis

God

face to face, as thou dost

Holy of Holies, nor be blasted by

now

his brow.

Byron.

224

gtsi)

What

Zin.

peremptoi-y, eagle-sighted eye

Dares look upon the heaven of her brow,

That

is

not blinded by her majesty

Shakspeare.

The

glorious sun

Stays in his course, and plays the alchymist,

Turning, with splendour of his precious eye,

The meagre, cloddy earth

to glittering gold.

Shakspeare.

No

I shall

Of what

And

should

Should

never lose the trace.

I've felt in this bright place

my

spirit's

God

I,

forget thy power,

This mighty scene again

At

And

the

hope grow weak,

I'll

seek,

same calm and glowing hour

here at the sublimest shrine

That nature ever reared to thee,

Rekindle all that hope divine.

And

feel

my

immortality

Moore.

Cfjamomi'It.

225

CaAMomLE....Eiierg7/ in Adversity.
Italy!

Time, which hath wronged thee

with ten thousand renta
Of thine imperial garment, shall
deny,
And hath denied, to every other sky,

which soar from ruin : thy decay

impregnate with dignity.
^\^hich gilds it with revivifying
ray.
b^pirits

Is still

Byron.
I said to

Penury's meagre

train,

^your threats I brave

Come on

My
Yet

poor life-drop you

last

And

crush

still

to the

And meet

3'-our

force the while.

I said to cold Neglect

bitter smile.

and Scorn,

on I

Pass

Ye may

And

drain,

each cold, cold grasp of yours

With

Yet

may

grave;

the spirit that endures.

mock

Shall

me

heed you not

pursue me till my form

being are forgot

the spirit which you see

Undaunted by your wiles.
Draws from its own nobility
still,

Its

10

high-bom

smiles.

Mrs. Sale.

Cb^'mciuilx.

122G

When a great mind falls,

The noble nature of man's generous heart
Doth bear him up against the shame of ruin.
With gentle censure, using but his faults
As modest means to introduce his praise
For pity, like a dewy twilight, comes
To close th' oppressive splendour of his day,
And they who but admired him in his height
His altered state lament, and love him fallen.
Joanna BailUe.
Oh, more or

less

than

man

in high or low.

Battling with nations, flying from the

Now making

monarchs' necks thy

More than thy meanest

An

field

footstool,

now

soldier taught to yield

empire thou couldst crush, command, rebuild,

But govern not thy pettiest passion, nor.

However deeply in men's spirits skilled.
Look through thine own, nor curb the lust of war,
Nor learn that tempted fate will leave the loftiest star.
Yet well thy soul hath brooked the turning tide
With that untaught innate philosophy,
Wliie.h, be it wisdom, coldness, or deep pride,
Is gall and wormwood to an enemy.
Wlien the whole host of hatred stood hard by.
To watch and mock thee shrinking, thou hast smiled
With a sedate and all-enduring eye
When fortune fled her spoiled and favourite child.
He stood unbowed beneath the ills upon him piled.
;

Byron.

;;

227

Citron.

ClTRO^s ....Estj'angemeni.

Ev'n as one lieat another heat expels,

Or as one nail by strength drives out another;
So the remembrance of my former love
Is

by a newer object quite

foi-gotten.

Shakspeare,

Few

years have passed since thou and I

Were

firmest friends, at least in

And childhood's gay

name,

sincerity

Preserved our feelings long the same.

But now,

What

And

like

me, too well thou know'st

trifles oft

the heart recall

who once have

loved the most

Too soon forget they loved at all.
And such the change the heart displays,

So

those

frail is early friendship's reign,

A month's

brief lapse, perhaps a day's,

Will view thy mind estranged again.

If so,

it

never shall be mine

To mourn the loss of such a heart

The fault was Nature's fault, not thine,
Which made thee fickle as thou art.

As

rolls

the ocean's changing tide.

human feelings ebb and flow

And who would in a breast confide
Where stormy passions ever glow ?
So

Byron.

! ;! !;

228

Citron.

Tis otherwise decreed,

Alone

guide

my

and

submit

bark adown the stream

Dark is the voyage, around the night-birds flit,

The waves are tinged by no sweet-smiling beam.
And now I breathe the parting word Farewell
And now, the cords which fondly bind, I sever
Break from the scenes I once had loved so well,

And

tear thine

image from

my

heart for ever

/.

Farewell, Theresa

Yon moon

this

W. Hanson.

that cloud which over

moment gathering we

see.

Shall scarce from her pure path have passed, ere thy
lover

Swift o'er the wide wave shall wander from thee.

like that dim cloud, I've hung around thee.
Darkening thy prospects, saddening thy brow
With gay heart, Theresa, and bright cheek I found

Long,

thee

Oh

think

how changed,

love,

how changed

art thou

now!
But here

I free thee

like

one awaking

From fearful slumber, this dream thou'lt

The bright moon her spell too is breaking.
Past are the dark clouds

tell

Theresa, farewell
Mooi'e.

;;

2-2'3

iSraaoii plant.

Dragon

Plant....

Pwu are near a snare.

lie secretly

Puts

pirate's colours out at both our sterns,

That we might fight each other in mistake,

That he should share the ruin of us both
!

down.
His tongue was soft as velvet leaf,
His poison-fangs concealing
But where he stung, the festering wound

Was

past the art of healing.

"Beware of him whose speech is smooth,"

The mother spake her daughter
" The deepest depths are ever found
"Where flows the smoothest water."
" His heart is like an angel's heai't,"

The daughter spake her mother

seeks to be to thee and me
A loving son and brother."

"He

She listened to his guileful tale.

Nor heeded words of warning
Ah bitterly did future pain

Repay her present scorning.

laid his cunning game
"With art so deep and skilful,
That gentle Ellen's mind was turned
To disobedience wilful.

For Robin

MacKellar.

230

iDv.^aou ptciiit.

Is there no

And

way

thou art

to save thee?

lost! tlicni!

my

minutes

fly,

sole benefactor,

The only being who was constant to me

Through every change. Yet, make me not a
Let me save thee but spare my honour

traitor!

Byron.

Ah, heedless

What

Why

girl!

why

thus disclose

was meant

thus destroy thine

And
Oh

ne'er

for other ears?

own

repose,

dig the source of future tears?

thou wilt weep, imprudent maid,

While lurking, envious foes will smile,
For all the follies thou hast said.
Of those who spoke but to beguile.
!

Byron.
but by all
tell thee, ask not
Thou holdest dear on earth or heaven by all
The souls of thy great fathers, and thy hope
To emulate them, and to leave behind
Descendants worthy both of them and thee
By all thou hast of blest in hope or memory

Again, I

By
By

all

thou hast

all

the good deeds thou hast done to me,

to fear here or hereafter

Good I would now repay with greater good,

Remain within trust to thy household goda
And to my word for safety, if thou dost

As

now

counsel

but

if not,

thou art

lost

Byron.

231

iJuU.

Reed.... Single Blessedness.

But

earlier

the rose distilleJ,

is

1'han that which withering on the virgin thorn

Grows,

and

lives,

dies in single blessedness.

Shakspeai'e.

you love may change;

Li)ve not, love not; the tiling

The rosy

may

lip

cease to smile on you,

beaming eye grow cold and strange,

The heart still warmly beat, and not for you.

Tlie kindly

Mrs. Norton.

Alone

alone

how

drear

it is

always to be alone

In such a depth of wilderness, the only thinking one

The waters

in their path rejoice, the trees together

sleep

But

have not one silver voice upon

my

ear to creep
Willis.

Do any

And

thing but love

art a

AVhom thou

How

or, if

woman, hide thy

him
him know
a bird before him

dost worship.

dear he

is

flit

like

thou lovest,

love from

Never

let

Lead him from tree to tree, from flower

But be not won or thou wilt, like that
When caught and caged, be left to pine
;

And

to flower

bird.

neglected,

perish in forgetfulness.

Miss Landon,

;;

232

aa&.

many a summer's morning glow

Has

lent the rose its ray;,

And many

a winter's drifting snow

Has swept its bloom away
But she has kept the faithless pledge
To this, her winter hour.
;

And keeps it still, herself alone,

And wasted like the flower.
0.

My

heart

It

is

with

its

early

W. Holmes.

dream

cannot turn away

To seek again the joys of

And

earth,

mingle with the gay.

The dew-nursed

flower that

lifts its

brow

Beneath the shades of night,

Must wither when

Its too

My

heart

And
Would

the

sunbeam sheds

resplendent light.
is

with

its

early dream.

vainly love's soft power

seek to charm that heart anew,

In some unguarded hour.

1

would not that some gentle one

Should hear my frequent sigh

The deer

that bears

In loneliness

its

death-wound, turns

to die.

Mrs. Embury.

;;

2C3

JFtixntl.

YEysEh.... Si)-enffih.

Oh,

f(3Jir

not ia a world like

this,

And thou shalt know ere long,

Know how sublime a thing it is.
To

suffer

and grow strong.

Longfellow.

As

the slow beast with heavy stren^rh indued

In some wide

by troops of boys pursued.

wooden tempest rain.
harvest, and lays waste the plain

field

Though round

his sides a

Crops the tall

Thick on his hide the hollow blows resound.
The patient animal maintains his ground.
Scarce from the

And stirs but

On Ajax thus
The

field

slowly

with

all their efforts

when he

a weight of Trojans hung.

strokes redoubled on his buckler

Confiding

now

chased.

stirs at last.

rung

in bulky strength he stands,

Xow turns, and backward bears the yielding bands

Now stiff recedes, yet hardly seems to fly,
And

threats his followers with retorted eye.

Fixed as the bar between two wai-ring powers,

While hissing darts descend in iron showers
In his broad buckler
Its surface bristled

And many
Marks

many

a weapon stood,

with a quivering wood

a javelin,

the dry dust,

guiltless,

and

on the plain

thii-sts for

blood in vain.
Pope.

'

jFtnufl.

suunds the claiiuii l(j the signal l';il!s,

den expands, and expectatiun mute
Gapes round the silent cirole's peopled walls.
Bounds with one lashing spring the mighty brute,
And, wildly staring, spurns, with sounding loot,
Tliricc

Tlie

The

sand, nor blindly rushes on his

ii)e

Here, there, he points his threatening front,

His

first attack,

angry

Ills

tail

wide waving

to

and

to suit

fro

red rolls his eye's dilated glow.

Jii/ron.

The
Is better far

lusty strength of 3'outh

than proud decrepitude.

With mind and might and

We

fortitude endued.

stand erect and light for present truth.

We're in the young delight of new existence

The ardent blood leaps lively in our veins
The dim traditions glimmering in the distance
We scorn, for objects Avorthier manly pains.
MacKdlar,
;

He

that of such a height hath built his mind.

And
As

reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong.

neither fear nor hope can shake the frame

Of his resolved powers nor do all the wind

Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong
;

His settled peace, or to disturb the same:

What a fair seat hath he, from whence he

may

The boundless wastes and weilds of man survey

Daniel,

235

C^oxcoiul).

CoxcoM 15.
Cio then,

and

if

. . .

Sintjiilari/i/.

you can, admire the

Of beaming diamonds, and

Procure a taste

And
Be

to

state

reflected plate;

double the surprise,

gaze on Parian charms with learned eyes:

struck with bright brocade, or Tyrian dye,

Or birth-day

nobles' splendid livery.

Pope.

lie also

To

had a quality uncommon

early risers after a long chase,

Who wake

in winter ere the cock can

December's drowsy day

quality agreeable to

When

Who

summon

to his dull race,

woman.

her soft liquid words run on apace,

likes a listener,

whether saint or sinner,

lie did not fall asleep just after dinner;

But, light and airy, stood on the

alert,

And shone in the best part of dialogue,

By humouring, always what they might assert,
And listening to the topics most in vogue

Now

grave,

And

now

gay, but never dull or pert;

smiling but in secret

lie ne'er

presumed

to

cunning rogue

make an

error clearer

In short, there never was a better hearer.

i/ron.

236

Ctras5.

Grass.. ..Subynission.

AccoRDENG

to the

Greek historians, Grass was made

the symbol of submission, because the ancient nations

of the

West gathered Grass and presented it to the conshow that they confessed themselves overThe grass is trodden under foot by imperial

queror, to
ciime.

man

and, instead of returning to

with elastic spring, or punishing

nettle, yields to its fate

It grieves

To

see

How

its

its

former vigour

violator like the

spiritless submission.

me

how man submits

to the soul
to

man's control

overpowered and shackled minds are led

In vulgar tracks, and

to

submission bred.
Craibe.

You

My

shall be as a father to

my

youth,

you do prompt mine ear

stoop and humble my intents

voice shall sound as

And

I will

To your well

practised, wise directions.

ShaJcspeare.

Romans now
Have thews and limbs like to their

wo
And we

But,

the while

ancestors

our fathers' minds are dead,

are governed with our mother's spirits

Our yoke and

sufferance

show us womanish.
Shaksjpeare.

;; ; ;

237

(5mss.

E'on liberty

itself is

bartered here.

At gold's superior charms

The needy sell it, and the

all

freedom

rich

flies,

man buys

land of tyrants, and a den of slaves,

Here wretches seek dishonourable graves,
And, calmly bent, to servitude conform,
Dull as their lakes that slumber in the storm.
Goldsmith.

Yet,

By

still

arts,

From

An

the loss of wealth

is

here supplied

the splendid wrecks of former pride

these the feeble heart and long-fallen

easy compensation seem to

mind

find.

Here may be seen, in bloodless pomp arrayed.

The pasteboard triumph and the cavalcade
Processions formed for piety and love,

A mistress
By

or a saint in every grove.

sports like these are all their cares beguiled,

The sports of children satisfy the child

Each nobler aim, repressed by long control,
TVow sinks at last, or feebly mans the soul
;

While low

delights, succeeding fast behind,

In happier meanness occupy the mind

As in those domes, where Csesars once bore sway,
Defaced by time and tottering in decay,

There in the ruin, heedless of the dead,

The shelter-seeking peasant builds his shed

And, wondering man could want the larger
Exults, and owns his cottage with a smile.

pile,

Goldsmith

;;

2S8

Jir.

Fir.. ..Time.

What

does not fade? the tower, that long had stood

The crush of thunder and the warring winds,
Shook by the slow, but sure destroyer, Time,

Now hangs in doubtful ruins o'er its base,

And flinty pyramids and walls of brass
Descend

the Babylonian spires are sunk

Achaia, Rome, and Egypt moulder down.

Time shakes the

And

stable tyranny of thrones.

tottering empires crush

by

their

own

weight.

Armstrong.

The clock upon the mantel-piece is ticking

Thus hour by hour it tolls a funeral chime
By day and night its calm and constant clicking
Denotes the speed of the old traveller Time.
It is a

solemn

To hoar

its

voice.

Who

hath an ear

warning accents,

let

him

hear,

And preparation make to meet the day

When he, alone, shall lie upon the brink
Of human life, and death shall bid him drink
The hemlock cup that none can put away.
What though man turn from the unwelcome theme,
Will Time sit still for man's forgetfulness ?
To watch and wake were Aviser than to dream
And wake at last to wo remediless.
MacKeUar.

239

jFir.

The world's great age begins anew,

The golden years return,
The earth doth like a snake renew
Iler winter

Heaven

smiles,

weeds outworn
and faiths and empires gleam
:

Like wrecks of a dissolving dream.

A brighter

Hellas rears

From waves
A new Peneus

mountains

its

serener far
rolls its

fountains

Against the morning-star.

"Where fairer Tempes bloom, there sleep

Young

Cyclads, on a sunnier deep

Argos cleaves the main,

Fraught with a later prize
Another Orpheus sings again,
And loves, and weeps, and dies.
loftier

A new

Ulysses leaves once more

Calypso for his native shore.

Oh, write no more the tale of Troy,
If earth Death's scroll must be
Nor mix with Laian rage the joy
Which dawns upon the free

Although a

subtile sphinx

renew

Riddles of death Thebes never knew,

Another Athens

And

to

shall arise,

remoter time

Bequeath, like sunset

to the skies.

The splendour of its prime

And leave, if naught so bright may

live,

All earth can take or heaven can give.

Saturn and Love their long repose

Shall burst, more wise and good

!:
!

240

Than all who fell, than one who

Than many unwithstood

rose,

Not gold, nor blood, their altar dowers.

But native tears and symbol flowers.
Oh cease! must hate and death return?
Cease must men kill and die ?
!

Cease

drain not to

its

dregs the urn

Of bitter prophecy.
The world is weary of the past
Oh, might

it

die or rest at last

Shdley.

Time past and time to come

Time pi'esent is our only lot

are not

God, henceforth our hearts incline

To seek no other

love than thine

Montgomery.

Then haste

thee.

Time

'tis

That speeds thy winged

Thy

pleasures stay not

And

all

till

kindness

all

feet so fast

they pall.

thy pains are quickly past.

Bryant.

Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back.

Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,

great-sized monster of ingratitudes

Those scraps are good deeds past:
voured

As
As

fast as they are

which are

de-

made, forgotten as soon

done.

Shakspeare.

241

jFir.

As through

a valley remote

strayed,

Methought, beside a mouldering temple's stone,

The tale of whose dark structure was unknown,
I saw the form of Time: his scythe's huge blade

Lay swathed

whose gleam was seen

in the grass,

Fearful, as oft the wind, the tussocks green

Moved

stirring to

and

fro

the

beam

of

morn

Cast a dim lustre on his look forlorn;

When

touching a responsive instrument.

Stern o'er the chords his furrowed brow he bent:

Meantime a naked boy, with aspect sweet.

Played smiling witli the hour-glass at his feet!
Apart from

these,

and

in a verdant glade,

sleeping infant on the moss was laid.

O'er which a female form her vigils kept.

And watched

it,

softly-breathing as

it slept.

drew nigh, and to my listening ear

Came, stealing soft and slow, this ditty clear:

Then

"Lullaby, sing lullaby,

Sweetest babe, in safety
I

thy mother

Nor hear

of

sit

and

lie

sing.

Time the hurrying wing.

Here, where innocence reposes,

Fairy sylphs, your sports delay;

Then the breath of morning roses

From its bed of bliss convey.
Lullaby, sing lullaby,

Sweetest babe, in safety

lie

and sing.
Nor hear of Time the hurrying wing."
I thy

mother

sit

Bowles.
16

; ;

242

Relentless
Shall tear

Time
away

that steals with silent tread,

the trophies of the dead.

Fame, on the pyramid's aspiring

top,

\Yith sighs shall her recording trumpet drop

The

hand
upon the sand

feeble characters of Glory's

Shall perish, like the tracks

But not with these expire the sacred flame

Of virtue, or the good man's awful name.
Bowles.

Time

who know'st a

lenient

hand

to lay

wound, and slowly thence

sad repose the weary sense)

Softest on sorrow's

(Lulling to

The

faint

pang

stealest unperceived

away

On thee I rest my only hope at last,

And think, when thou hast dried the

bitter tear

That flows in vain o'er all my soul held dear,

1 may look back on every sorrow past.
And meet life's peaceful evening vsdth a smile
As some lone bird, at day's departing hour,
Sings in the sunbeam, of the transient shower
Forgetful, though its wings are wet the while:
Yet ah how much must that poor heart endure.
Which hopes from thee, and thee alone, a cure
!

Bowles,

Common

Common

Who

! ;

243

3If)ij5tI.

Tristle.. ..Misanihropi/.

would seek or

pi-ize

Delights that end in aching?

Who

would trust to ties

That every hour are breaking ?

Better far to be

In utter darkness lying,

Than be

blest with light,

That light

and see

for ever flying.

All that's bright must fade,

The

brightest

still

All that's sweet was

But

to

the fleetest,

made

be lost when sweetest

Moore.

had much rather see

A crested dragon or a basilisk.

Both are

less poison to

my

eyes and nature.

Dryden.

Hate

But

all,

curse

let the

Ere thou

What

all

show charity

relieve the

beggar

thou deniest to

Debts wither them

woods,

And may

to

none

famished flesh slide from the bone,

men

give to dogs
let

prisons swallow them,

to nothing:

diseases lick

up

be

men

like blasted

their false bloods.

Shakspeare.

CPommon

244

; ;

:
;

'Qllisth.

I am Misanthropos, and hate mankind:

For thy part, I do wish thou wert a dog,
That I miglit love thee something.

Shaks2)eare.

keep

I'll

my way

alone,

and burn away

Evil or good I care not, so I spread

Tremendous desolation on my road

I'll be remembered as huge meteors are
From the dismay they scatter.
Proctor.

I see thou art implacable, more deaf

To prayers than winds and seas yet winds and
Are reconciled at length, and sea to shore
;

Thy

anger, unappeasable,

still

seas

rages

Eternal tempest never to be calm.

Milton.

Warped by

the world in disappointment's school,

In words too wise, in conduct there a fool

Too firm

to yield,

Doomed by

and

far too

proud

to stoop,

his very virtues for a dupe,

He cursed those virtues as the cause of ill,

And not the traitors who betrayed him still
Nor deemed

Had

left

that gifts bestowed on better men,

him joy, and means

to give again.

Feared, shunned, belied, ere youth had lost her force,

He hated men too much to feel remorse.

And thought the voice of wrath a sacred
To pay

the injuries of some on

call,

all.

Byron.

Common

;;

245

<L\iistlt.

He

has outsoared the shadow of our night

Envy and calumny, and hate and pain,
And that unrest which men miscall delight.
Can touch him not and torture not again
From the contagion of the world's slow stain
He is secure, and now can never mourn
;

A heart grown
Nor,

when

cold, a

head grown gray in vain

the spirit's self has ceased to burn,

"With sparkless ashes load an uulamented urn.

Shelley.

They

too,

who mid

the scornful thoughts that dwell

In his rich fancy, tinging

all its

streams,

As if the Star uf Bitterness which fell

On earth of old, and touched them with its beams,
Can track a spirit, which, though driven to hate,
From Nature's hands came kind, affectionate

And

which, even now, struck as

Comes

out, at times, in love's

it is

own

with blight.

native light

IIuw gladly all, who've watched these struggling raya

Of a bright, ruined spirit through his lays,
Would here inquire, as from his own frank lips,
What desolating grief, what wrongs had driven
That noble nature into cold eclipse
Like some fair orb, that, once a sun in heaven,

And

born, not only to surprise, but cheer

warmth and lustre all within its sphere.

now so quenched, that, of its grandeur, lasts
Naught but the wide cold shadow which it casts
AVith
Is

Moore.

::

246

SibD ^lant.

Dew
Inesilla

VhATfiT.... Serenade.

am

here

Thy own cavaliei*

Is now beneath thy

Why
He

lattice

playing

art thou delaying ?

hath ridden

many

But to see thy smile

The young light on the
Yet he is repining.

What

to

him

is

What

to

When

him the

is

shining,

star,

his heart's

Sweetest girl

flowers

summer

If his love's afar

a mile

flowers perfuming,

consuming ?

why

dost thou hide

Beauty may abide

Even before the eye of morning.
And want no adorning.

Now, upon

their paths of light,

Starry spirits bright

To catch thy

Why

brighter glance are staying:

art thou delaying

Barry Cornwall,

Listen

The

from the forest boughs

voice-like angel of the spring

Utters his soft vows

To

the proud rose blossoming.

And now beneath thy lattice dear

I am like the bird complaining:
Thou above

(I fear)

Like the rose disdaining.

From her chamber in

the skies

Shouts the lark at break of morning,

And when
Comes

day-light

flies

the raven's warning.

This of gloom and that of mirth

In their mystic numbers

But thoughts

tell

of sweeter birth

Teacheth the nightingale.

Barry Cornwall.

2-18

33 int.

PiNE....B7y.

Naught

is there under Heaven's wide hollownesa

That moves more dear compassion of the mind

Than beauty brought to unworthy wretchedness

Through envy's snares, or fortune's freaks unkind
I, whether lately through her brightness blind,
Or through allegiance and vast fealty,
Which I do <*we unto all womankind,

my heart pierced with so great agony,

When such I see, that all for pity I could die.
Toel

Spenser.

Like Ariadne, Avhen in pale despair

The Athenian

left her,

so sad Eva pined,

And so she went complaining

And gave her tresses to the

to

the air.

wind
The colour of her fate was on her mind.
and her eye
Dark, death-like, and despairing
careless

Shone lustrous,

like the light of

Over the grassy meads,

To

prophecy.

beside lone streams.

perilous heights which no

weak

step could reach,

She wandered, feeding her unearthly dreams

With musing, and would move the tremulous beech
And shuddering aspen with imploring speech
For nothing that did live, save they (who sighed)
;

Pitied the downfall of her amorous pride.

Barry

Corinvall.

r'ijj.'-

UARriSM",

:^.(;aHIET,

geranium, MARlCniD

>,.,/> v.// /'> -//^'/ .l////''//'/'

-.'!//''

/"' /""''

Has Hope,
That

like the l)ird in the story,

flitted

from tree

to tree

"With the talisman's glittering glory

lias

Hope been

that bird to thee

On branch after branch alighting.

The gem did she still display.
And, when nearest and most inviting.
Then waft the fair gem away
1

If thus the sweet hours have fleeted.

When

Sorrow herself looked bright

If thus the fond hope has cheated,

That led thee along so

light

If thus, too, the cold world wither

Each feeling that once was dear

Come, child of misfortune come hither,
I'll weep with thee, tear for tear.
;

Moore.

The blind man groping cautiously his way

Along the crowded pavement of a city,
Has natural claims upon our tender pity.
"Whether 'twere night, or whether

AYould seem

to

make small

it

were day,

difference to

him

AVhose days and nights alike are ever dim

still the tramp of human feet, and hum
Of human voices, sweetly fill his ear
The surgings of the tides of life appear
Like the deep sounds that from the ocean come
At midnight to the listener. Pity's ghince
Upon his form instinctively we throw;
And while some sadness clouds our countenance,
To God we pray to save us from such wo.

Yet

MacKellar.

;;

250

pint.

Come, chase that starting tear away,

Ere mine to meet it springs
;

To-night, at least, to-night be gay,

Whate'er to-morrow brings

Like sunset gleams, that linger
When all is darkening fixst.

late

Are hours like these we snatch from Fate

The brightest and the last.
Moore.

'Tis the last rose of

summer,

Left blooming alone

All her lovely companions

Are faded and gone

No flower of her kindred.

No rose-bud is nigh.
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh
!

I'll

not leave thee, thou lone one,

To pine on

the stem

Since the lovely are sleeping,

Go, sleep thou with them.

Thus kindly

I scatter

Thy leaves o'er the bed,

Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.
Moore.

; ; ;

251

Sast.

Sage. ...Domestic Virtues.

At

length his lonely cot appears in view,

Beneath the shelter of an aged tree

Th' expectant wee things, todlin stacher through
To meet their dad, wi' flichtering noise and glee
His wee-bit ingle blinkin bonilie.
;

His clean hearth-stane, his thrifty wifie's smile,

The lisping infant prattling on his knee.
Does a' his weary kiaugh and care beguile,
.Ind

makes him quite

forget his labour

and

his toil.

Burns.

How warmly we
Then

are loved,

we seldom

learn

pain and sorrow take our strength away

Till

hearts too long estranged, to us will turn.

And

be at peace, as in a former day.

Our true and loving wife more loving grows

Our little ones in pitying wonder stand
Beside the bed and clasp our fevered hand
Their glistening eye the tear of feeling shows

And

it

may

be,

when evening

They sadly kneel beside

calls to rest.

their mother's chair,

Their silvery voices blend in simple prayer.

And

for their sire they

make a

child's request.

The times of anguish vainly are not given.

That lead a family to unity and heaven.
MacKellar.

n\

252

Sast.

madam now condemned

Poor

The

to

hack

rest of life with anxious Jack,

Perceiving others fairly flown,

Attempted pleasing him alone.

Jack soon was dazzled to behold

Her present face surpass the old

With modesty her cheeks are dyed,
Humility displaces pride

For tawdry finery

A person

is

seen

ever neatly clean

No more presuming

on her sway,

She learns good nature every day

Serenely gay, and.strict in duty,

Jack

finds his wife a perfect beauty.

Goldsmiih,

Yes

let the rich deride, the proud disdain,

These simple blessings of the lowly train.
!

To me more deai', congenial to my heart,

One native charm, than all the gloss of art
Spontaneous joys, where nature has its play,
The soul adopts, and owns their first-born sway;
Lightly they frolic o'er the vacant mind,

Unenvied, unmolested, unconfined.

But the long pomp, the midnight masquerade.

With all the freaks of wanton wealth arrayed.
In these, ere

The

And

triflers

half their wish obtain.

toiling pleasure sickens into pain:

e'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy.

The heart

distrusting asks, if this be joy

Goldsmith.

253

Sasc.

The

first

sure

symptoms of a mind in health,

and pleasure felt at home.

Is rest of heart,

Young.

Nor need

Ave po'wer or splendour,

"Wide hall or lordly

The good, the

dome

true, the tender,

These form the wealth of home.

Mrs. Hale.

His

warm

but simple home, where he enjoys

With her who

shares his pleasure and his heart,

Sweet converse.
Cowjyer.

Home

is the sphere of harmony and peace,

The spot where angels find a resting-place.
When, bearing blessings, they descend to earth.

Mrs. Hale.

Home
Of

is

love, of joy, of peace,

the resort

and plenty, where.

Supporting and supported, polished friends

And

dear relations mingle into

bliss.

Thomson.

An

angel always dwells beneath the roof

Where, in her

virtue, a

sweet wife

fulfils

Her gentle duties and unnumbered ills

From that love-guarded precinct keep aloof.
;

MacKella)'.

!::

254

3Lit\)tn.

Lichen. .. Solitude.
.

How

use doth breed a habit in a

The shadowy

man

desert, unfrequented wooda,

I better brook than flourishing peopled towns

There can

And

unseen of any,

I sit alone,

to the nightingale's

Tune

my

distresses,

complaining notes

and record

my

woes.
Shakspeare.

many

Full

My

a dreary hour have I past.

brain bewildered, and

With heaviness

No

my mind

in seasons

sphery strains by

me

when

o'ercast

I've

thought

could e'er be caught

From the blue dome, though I to dimness gaze

On the far depth where sheeted lightning plays
Or, on the wavy grass outstretched supinely,
Pry 'mong the
That

stars, to strive to

think divinely

should never hear Apollo's song,

Though

feathery clouds were floating

Tlie purple west, and,

The golden
That the

lyre itself

still

Would never

murmur

all

along

two bright streaks between,

were dimly seen
of the honey-bee

teach a rural song to

me

That the bright glance from beauty's eyelids slanting

AVould never make a lay of mine enchanting.
Or warm my breast with ardour to unfold
Some tale of love and arms in time of old.
Keats,

: ;

255

licijtn.

No
Invades the temple of their mind

And

sighs of

Though

And

men

well they

din
;

the mirth

are sounds to

know

them unknown,

the spirit's inward groan

mortal agonies belong to them

As

men for death

who draw the vital breath,

well as to their follow

Hath passed on

all

And where sin is, there doth the law condemn.

Ah, hapless men relentless Silence keeps
!

Her watchpost at the portals of the ear

No heavenly word or sound approacheth near

And music's melting influence in lasting stillness sleeps.

MacKellar.

There was a poet whose untimely tomb

with pious reverence reared,
But the charmed eddies of autumnal winds

No human hands

Built o'er his mouldering bones a pyramid

Of mouldering

leaves in the waste wilderness

lovely youth

no mourning maiden decked

With weeping flowers, or votive cypress wreath,

The lone couch of his everlasting sleep
Gentle and brave, and generous, no lorn bard
Breathed o'er his dark fate one melodious sigh:

He

lived,

he died, he sang, in solitude.

Strangers have wept to hoar his passionate notes,

And
And
The

And

virgins, as

unknown he

wasted

fond love of his wild eyes.

fire

for

past,

have sighed

of those soft orbs has ceased to burn,

Silence, too,

enamoured of that

voice,

Shelley.

!! :;

25G

Hluljin.

How
Who,

blest the Solitary's lot,

all-forgetting, all-forgot,

his humble cell,

The cavern wild with tangling

Within

Sits o'er his

newly-gathered

roota,

fruits,

Beside his crystal well

Or, haply, to his evening thought,

By

unfrequented stream,

The ways

of

men

are distant brought,

A faint collected

dream
and raising
His thoughts to heaven on high,

While

As

praising,

wand'ring, meand'ring,

He

views the solemn sky.

Than I, no lonely hermit placed

Where never human footstep traced,
Less

fit

to

play the part

The lucky moment

And just
With
But ah

to stop,

to improve,

and just

to

move,

self-respecting art
!

those pleasures, loves, and joya

Which I too keenly taste.

The Solitary can despise,
Can want, and yet be blest

He

needs not, he heeds not,

Or human love or hate.

Whilst I here must cry here,

At

perfidy ingrate

Burns,

Statlj of

tlic

257

jFIoJncrs.

DEATH OF THE FLOWERS.

The melancholy days

are come, the saddest of the

year,

Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows

brown and sere.
Heaped in the hollow of the grove, the withered leaves
lie

They

dead

rustle to the

eddying gust and

to the rabbit's

tread.

The robin and the wren

and from the shrub

are flown,

the jay,

And

from the wood-top

calls the crow,

through

all

the

gloomy day.
"W^here are the flowers, the
lately

young

fair floAvers,

that

sprang and stood,

In brighter light and softer

a beauteous

airs,

sister-

hood?
Alas

they

all

are in their graves

the gentle race of

flowers

Are lying

in their lonely beds, with the fair

and good

of ours.

The rain is falling where they lie but the cold November rain
Calls not, from out the gloomy earth, the lovely ones
:

again.

The wind-flower and

the violet, they perished

long

ago.

And

the wild-rose and the orchis died,

mer glow

amid the sum-

258

33falij of

But on

jFIotocrs.

ti)t

the hill the golden-rod,

and the aster

in the

wood,

And

yellow sunflower by the brook, in autumn

tlie

beauty stood,
Till fell the frost

from the clear cold heaven, as

fulls

the plague on men.

And

the brightness of their smile was gone, from up-

And

now, when comes the calm mild day, as

and

land, glade,

glen.
still

such

days will come.

To

call the squirrel

and the bee from out

their winter

home

When

the sound of dropping nuts

the trees are

is

heard, though

all

still,

And

tAvinklc in the smoky

The south wind searches

light the waters of the

for

rill,

the flowers whose fra-

grance late he bore.

And

sighs to

And them

in the

wood and by

the streams

no more.

And

then

think of one

who

in her youthful beauty

died.

The

foir

meek blossom

that

grew up and faded by

my

side:

In the cold moist earth we laid her, when the forest

cast the leaf,

And we wept

that one so lovely should have a

life

so

brief:

Yet not unmeet

it

was that

one, like that

young

friend

of ours,

So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the

flowers.

Bryant.

Dirtiunaq nf /Irnnrrs,
yVITU THEIR

EMBLEMATIC SIGNIFICATIONS.

Acacia

Friendship.

Rose
Acanthus

Elegance.

Achillea millefolia

AVar.

The

Adonis, Flos

Agrimony

Arts.

Painful Recollections.
,

Thankfulness.

Almond-trcc

Indiscretion.

Aloe

Grief.

Amaranth

Immortality.

Amaryllis

Pride.

Anemone

Forsaken.

Field

Sickness.

Angelica

Inspiration.

Angrec
Apple blossom

Royalty.

Ash

Grandeur.

tree

Asphodel

Preference.

My

Regrets follow you to

the Grave.

Aster, China

Variety.

After-thought
259

2C0

jButionars of

Balm

of Gilead

jFIoioflJEf.

Cure.

Gentle

Joking.

Balsam

Impatience.

Barberry

Sourness of temper.

Basil

Hate.

Beech

Prosperity.

Bilberry

Treachery.

Bladder-nut

Frivolous amusement,

Borage

Bluntness.

Box

Stoicism.

tree

Bramble

Envy.

Broom

Humility.

Ardour.

Buck-bean

Calm

Bugloss

Falsehood.

repose.

Bulrush

Indiscretion.

Burdock

Touch me

B uttercup

Ingratitude.

Cactus, Virginia

Canterbury Bell

not.

Horror.

Constancy.

Catchfly

Snare.

Champignon

Suspicion.

Cherry tree

Good education.

Chestnut tree

Do me justice.

Chicory

Frugality.

Cinquefoil

Beloved daughter.

CircEea

Spell.

Clematis

Artifice.

Clot-bur

Rudeness.

Clove tree

Dignity.

Columbine

Folly.

Sutioiiarn

Convolvulus, Night

Night.

Coriander

Hidden

Corn

Riches.

Cornbottle

Delicacy.

merit.

Cornel Cherry tree

Durability.

Cowslip, American

You

Cress

Resolution,

Crown Imperial

Power.

Cuscuta

Meanness.

Cypress

Mourning.

are

my

Daffodil

Self-love.

Daisy

Innocence.

Garden
Wild

think of

The

Day-Lily, Yellow

Coquetry.

Dittany

Childbirth.

it.

rustic oracle.

Dock, Patience

Patience.

Dodder

Meanness.
tree

divinity.

share your sentiments.

I will

Dandelion

Ebony

201

of jflointw.

Blackness.

Eglantine

Poetry.

Fennel

Strength.

Fig

Longevity.

Fir tree

Elevation,

Flax

I feel

Flower-de-Luce

Flame.

your kindness.

me

Forget-Me-Not

Forget

Fraxinella

Fire.

Fuller's Teasel

Misanthropy.

not.

2G2

30ictiouarD o{ JlototrS.

Geranium, Pencilled

leaf... Ingenuity.

Rose-scented

Preference.

Scarlet

Stupidity.

Sorrowful

Melancholy mind.

Wild

Steadfast piety.

Grass

Utility.

Ilawthora

Hope.

Ilazel

Peace, reconciliation.

Ileart's-ease

Think of me.

Heath

Solitude.

Heliotrope, Peruvian

Devoted attachment.

Hellenium

Tears.

Hcpatica

Confidence.

Holly

Foresight.

Hollyhock

Ambition.
Generous and devoted

Honeysuckle

fection.

Hop

Injustice.

Hornbeam

Ornament.
Luxury.

Horse-chestnut

Hortensia

You

Hyacinth

Game, play.

Ice-plant

Your

Ipomaea

I attach

Iris

Message.

Ivy

Friendship.

Jasmine

are cold.

looks freeze me.

myself

to you.

Amiableness.

Carolina

Separation.

Indian

I attach

myself to you.

af-

ictioiiaiB of jFIototrK.

Jom|iul

Desire.

Juniper

Protection.

Lurch

Boldness.

I>:u-kspur

Lightness.

Laurel

( !

lory.

Laurustinus

die if neglected.

L:i vender

^listrust.

Leaves, Dead

Sadness, melancholy.

Lilac

First emotions of love.

White

Yimtli.

Lily

Majesty.

Lily of the Valley

lloturn of happiness.

Linden

Conjugal love.

tree

Liverwort

Confidence.

London Pride

Frivolity.

Lotus

Eloquence.

Lucern

Life.

Madder
Maiden Hair
Mallow

Secrecy.

Manchineel

Falsehood.

tree

Calumny.
Beneficence.

Mandrake
Maple

Rarity.

Marigold

Grief.
,

Reserve.

Prophetic

and Cypress
Marvel of Peru
Meadovr Saffron
Mozerenn

Prediction.

Despair.
Timidity.

My

best days are past.

Coquetry.
Desire to please.

203

201

jiifiiouaru of

jjlolutrjsr.

Your

Mignonette

qualities surpass

your

charms.

Milkwort

Hermitage.

Mistletoe

Moonwort
Moss

Forgetfulness.

Mulberry

surmount

all difficulties,

Maternal Love.
tree,
,

Black

I shall

White

Wisdom.

not survive you.

Musk-plant

Weakness.

Myroholan

Privation.

Myrtle

Love.

Narcissus

Self-love.

Nettle

Cruelty.

Nightshade, Bitter-sweet.. .Truth.

.

Enchanter's

...Spell.

Nosegay

Gallantry.

Oak

Hospitality.

Olive

Peace.

Ophrys, Spider

Skill.

Orange Flower
Orchis,

Chastity.

tree

Generosity.

Bee

Error.

Parsley

Festivity.

Passion Flower

Faith.

Peppermint

Warmth

Periwinkle

Tender

Pine-apple

You

Pink

Pure

Yellow

of feeling.

recollections.

are perfect.
love.

Disdain.

2C5

jBUtuinnrs of ^lohtis.

Plane h-ce

Genius.

Plum

Keep your promises.

tree
,

Wild

Independence.

Poplar, Black
,

Courage.

White

Time.

Poppy

Consolation.
Sleep.
,

My

White

Potato

bane,

my

antidote.

Beneficence.

Primrose
,

Childhood.

large-flowered Even-

ing

Inconstancy.

Privet

Prohibition.

Quince

Temptation.

Panunculus

You

are

radiant

with

charms.
Music.

Pieeds

Pose

Love.
,

Hundred-leaved

Grace.

Monthly

Beauty ever new.

Musk

Capricious beauty.

Single

Simplicity.

White
Withered
Yellow
Rosebud
White

Silence.

Fleeting beauty.

Infidelity.

A
A

young

girl.

heart unacquainted with

love.

Piosemary

Your presence

Hue, Wild

Morals.

revives me.

ittiouars

20(5

of jFlokicrs.

Hush

Docility.

Saifron

Beware of

Sage

Esteem.

Saiufoil,
St.

Shaking

John's Wort

excess.

Agitation.
Superstition.

Sardonia

Irony.

Sensitive Plant

Chastity.

Snapdragon

Presumption.

Snowdrop
Sorrel,

Wood

Hope.
Joy.

Speedwell

Fidelity.

Spindle-tree

Your charms
on

Star of Bethlehem

are engi-aven

heart.

Purity.

Lasting beauty.

Stock
,

my

Ten Week

Stonecrop
Straw, Broken
,

Whole

Promptness.
Tranquillity.

Rupture of a contract.
Union.

Strawberry

Perfection.

Sunflower

False riches.

Sweet Sultan
Sweet William
Sycamore
Syringa
Tansey, Wild

Happiness.
Finesse.
Curiosity.

Fraternal.

I declare

war against you.

Tendrils of climbing plants. Ties.

Thistle

Surliness.

Thorn-apple

Deceitful charms.

Thrift

Sympathy.

207

dctioiiari) of jFlolutrs.

Thyme

Activity.

Tremella Nostuc

Rosistaiioe.

Truffle

Surprise.

Tuberose

Dangerous ploasurcs.

Tulip

Declaration of love.

Tussilage, Sweet-seenteeL... -Justice shall be done to you.

An accommodating

Valerian

disposi-

tion.
,

Greek

Yenus's Looking-glass

Rupture.
Flattery.

Veronica

Fidelity.

Vervain

Enchantment.

Vine

Intoxication.

Violet
,

"White

Wallflo-wer

Modesty.
Innocence, candour.

Fidelity in misfortune.

Walnut

Stratagem.

Whortleberry

Treachery.

Willow, Weeping

Wormwood

Mourning.
Absence.

Yew

Sorrow.

'^t Cabnkr

The Roman

Roman

of /InniBri

Catholic monks, or the observers of tho

Catholic ritual, have compiled a Catalogue of

Flovrers for every

day

in the year,

and dedicated each

flower to a particular saint, on account of

about the time of that saint's

festival.

its

blooming

These appro-

priations form a complete Calendar of the Flowers.

The

figures attached express the year in

which the

saint died.

JANUARY.
1.

Laurustinus, Vibernum tinus.

St. Faine, or Fanan Irish saint of the sixth century.

Groundsel, Senecio vulgaris.
St. Macarius of

chea,

2.

Alexandria, 394.
3. Iris,

Persian, Iris Persica.

St.

Genevieve, patron-

ess of Paris, 422.

4.

Hazel, Conjlus avellana.

Paul.
268

St. Titus, disciple

of St.

Calendar

5.

209

of jFlobjtrs.

Hellebore, Hellcborus fceiidus.

St.

Simeon

Stylitea

Rome.

of

Nilamraon.

C.

Moss, screw, Toriula rigida.

7.

Laurel, Portugal, Ptninus Lusiianica.

St.

St.

Kenti-

gerna.
8.

Treme\\a,,jo\\ow,Tremelladeliquescens.

St.

Gudula,

patroness of Brussels.

common, Frumis

9. Laurel,

lauro-cerasus, or

10.

common

Marciana of Rome.
Gorse, or Furze, Ulcx Europoeus.
St. William of
small-fruited cherry.

St.

Bourges, 1207.

Bryum homum.

11. Moss, early,

moss.

St.

Swan-neck thread-

Theodosius.

12. Moss, hygrometric,

Funaria hygrometnca.

St.

Ar-

cadius.
13.

Yew

tree,

nun

common, Taxus

hacata.

St.

Veronica, a

of Milan, 1497.

14. Strawberry,barren,ii>a5'an'as<en7w. St.Hilary, 368.

15. Ivy, Hedei-a helix.

16. Nettle,
St.

17.

common

St.

Paul, the

first

hermit.

red Dead, Larnium purpureum.

Marcellus, Pope.

Anemone, garden, ^ne?norae /iorteTis?'.?.

St.

Anthony,

patriarch of monks, 251.

18. Moss, four-toothed, 5/'yM??i j7eZZMC!'(Zi.

Roman

19. Nettle, white Dead,

Roman

St. Prisca,

martyr.

Lamium

album.

St.

Martha,

martyr, 270.

20. Nettle, woolly

Dead,

Lamium

Gargaricum.

St.

Fabian, Pope.
21. Hellebore, black, Hellehorus niger.

St.

Agnes, a

special patroness of purity: beheaded at the age

of thirteen, 304.

270

C^altniar o{ JlohstrJ.

22. Grass, early -whitlow,

Draha

verna.

St.

Vincent, a

Spanish martyr.
23. Peziza, Pezz'za acetobolum.
fort,

Raymond

St.

of Penna-

1275.

Phascum muticum.

24. Moss, stalkless,

Timothy,

St.

disciple of St. Paul, 250.

The Con-

25. Hellebore, winter, Helleborus hyemalis.

version of St. Paul.

26. Butter-bur, white,
St.

Tussilago alba, or Colt's-foot.

Polycarp.

27. Moss, earth,

Phascum cuspidatum.

St.

28. Daisy, double, BcUis perennis plenus.

Chrysostom.

Margaret

St.

of Hungary, 1271.

Osmunda

29. Fern, flowering,

regalis.

St.

Francis of

Sales, 1622.

30. Spleen-wort,
ol. Hart's

Asplenium

tricliomanes.

Tongue, or Spleen-wort,

drium.

St.

Martin,

^*pZe!/u"w?Ji sculopeit-

Marcella, 410.

St.

FEBRUARY.
1.

Moss, lesser water, i^oni^maZw

and Bay-tree, Laurus

OTi'ttor.

nohilis.

St.

Ignatius;

St. Bridget, pa-

troness of Ireland.
2.

Snow-drop, Galanthus

nivalis.

Purification of the

Virgin Mary.
3.

Moss, great water, Fontinalis anti-pyretica, St.Blaso

4.

Moss,

of Armenia, 316.

common

cotnmune.

Bay,

Indian,

England.

hair,

St.

or Goldilocks, Polytriclmm

Jane, or Queen Joan, 1505.

Laurus

indica.

St.

Margaret

of

Calendar

5.,

271

of jFIoiutrs.

Primrose, common, Primula vulgaris.

Agatha,

St.

a Sicilian martjT.
Primi-ose, red,
G.

rrimula acaulis.

Hyacinth, blue, Hyaciidhus

St.

Adelaide, 1015.
St.

orientalis.

Doro-

thy, 308.
7.

Cyclamen, round-leafed. Cyclamen coum.

St.

Ro-

muald, 1027.
8.

Moss, narrow-leafed spring, Milium androgynum.

9.

Narcissus,

St.

John of Matha, 1213.

Roman, Harcissus Eomanus.

St.

Apol-

lonia, 2-49.
10.

Mezereon, Daphne mezereon.

St. Scholastica, 543.

Moss, silky fork. Milium heteromallum.

St. Ceteris,

fourth century.
11.

Primrose, red. Primula verna rubra.

St.

Theodora,

empress, 3G7.
12.

Anemone, noble Liverwort, Anemone

hepatica.

St.

Eulalia of Barcelona.
13. Polyanthos,

Plimula Polyanthus.

Catherine de

St.

Ricci, 1589.
14. Crocus, yellow, Crocus mcesiacus, or Crocus aureus.
St.

at

Valentine, the lover's saint. He was a priest

Rome, and married there about the year 270.

15. Crocus, cloth of gold,

fi-ed,

Crocus sulphureus.

St. Sigi-

bishop of Sweden, 1002.

16. Primrose, lilac, -Pm/ii(Zrt acaulis plena.

17. Gvocu.s, Scotch, Crocus susianus.

St.

St.

Juliana.

Flavian, arch-

bishop of Constantinople, 449.

18. Speedwell, wall, Veronica

vemus

arvensis.

St. Si-

meon, bishop of Jerusalem, 116.

19. Speedwell, field, Veronica agrestis.

patron of Benevento, bishop, 682.

St.

Barbatua,

Calmbar

272

20.

of j^hiatxs.

Cynoglossum omphalodes, or

C. lusitanicum.

St.

Milfred, abbess of Muaster.

21. Crocus, white, CrocMS a^tiMS.

Serviaaus, bishop,

St.

452.
22. Margaret, herb, Bellis perennis.

St.

Margaret of

St.

Milburge of

Cortona, 1297.
23. Apricot tree,

Prumis armeniaca.

England.
24. Fern, great,

Osmimda

i-egalis.

St. Ethelbert,

King

of Kent.
25.

Peach blossom, Amygdalus persica.

abbess of Swabia, Germany.

2G. Periwinkle, lesser, Viaca minor.

St.

Walburg,

St. Victor,

seventh

century.
27.

Lungwort,

Palmonaria

St.

officinalis.

Leander,

bishop, 596.
28. Crocus, purple, Crocus vernus.

St. Proterius, pa-

triarch of Alexandria, 557.

MARCH.
1.

Leek, common, ^ZZm?^^^-?^^.

St.

David of Wales,

archbishop, 544.
2.

Chickweed, dwarf mouse-ear, Cerastium pumilum.

St. Chad, or Ceada, martyr, under the Lombards,

3.

Marigold, golden

in the sixth century.

St.
4.

fig, Mesemhryanthemum, aureiim.

Cunegunda, empress, 1040.

Chickweed, common, Alsine media.

St.

Casimir,

prince of Poland, 1458.

5.

Hellebore, green, Hellehorus. viridis.

309.

St.

Adrian,

273

OTaltnilar of JloSntrs.

G.

Lih^ Lent, Pseudo narcissus multiplex.

St. Colette,

bishop.
7.

Daffodil,

Narcissus simplex.

early,

Perpetua,

St.

martyred under the emperor Severus, 203.

8.

Rose, ever-blowing, liosa semperjlorens.

St. liosa,

of Viterbo, 1261.

Jonquil, great, Narcissiis

9.

Naixissu^

bulbocodium.

Catherine of Bologna, 1463.

St.

10.

St. Felix, 646.

Iceius.

hoop-petticoat,

Daffodil,

Chickweed, upright, Veronica

triphyllos.

St.

Droc-

tavaeus, abbot, 580.

11.

Heath, Cornish, Erica vagans.

St.

Eulogius of

Cordova, 851.
12. Ixia, or crocus-leafed Mistletoe, Lc'ia Imlhocodium,

or Viscum albiis bidbris.

proetor of

St.

13. Heart's Ease, Viola tricolor.

14.

Gregory the Great,

Rome, 574.
St.

Euphrasia, 410.

Bindweed, mountain, Soldanella alpina.

St.

Maud,

or Matilda, queen, 968.

15. Colt' s-foot,

common, Tussilagofarfara.

St.

Zachary,

pope, 752.
16. Daffodil,

nodding, Harcissns nutans.

St.

Julian

of Cilicia.
17. Yiolet, sweet, FioZaofZora/a. St.Gertrude,abbess,626

Shamrock, White

Trefoil,

TiifoUum

repens.

St.

Patrick, apostle of Ireland.

18. Leopard's bane,
St. Cyril,

19. Star of
St.

great,

Doronicum pardalianches.

archbishop of Jerusalem.

Bethlehem, yellow, OrnUhogalum luieum.

Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary.

20. Violet,

dog's,

Viola canina.

bishop of Sens, 720.

St.

Wolfram, arch-

274

Calendar

21. Fumitory, bulbous,

of

^loions.

Fumaria

bulbosa.

St.

Bennet,

or Benedict, founder of the Order of Benedict,

of

Rome, 543.

22. Ficariaverna. St.Catlierineof Sweden, abbess, 13S1.

23. Daffodil,

Narcissus incomparabilis.

peerless,

St.

Alphonsus Turibius, archbishop of Lima, 1606.

24. Saxifrage,

Clirysosplemum oppositifoliuin.

golden,

St. Irenaeus,

bishop of Sirmium, 304.

25. Marigold, Calendula officinalis.

Annunciation of

the Virgin Mary.

26.

Henbane, nightshade-leafed, Hyosciamus

St.

scopalia.

Braulio, bishop of Saragossa, 646.

27. Jonquil,

sweet.

Narcissus

odoi'us.

John

St.

of

Egypt, hermit, 394.

28. Leopard's

bane,

Doronicum

plantagineum.

St.

Priscus, 260.
29. Ox-lip, or great Cowslip,

Pnmula

elatior.

St.

Eus-

tatius, abbot, 625.

Fumitory, Fumaria
30. Water-cress,

officinalis.

Cardamine

Jonas, 327.

St.

hirsuta.

St.

John of

Cli-

macus.
Daffodil,

lesser,

Narcissiis

minor.

St.

Zosimus,

bishop of Syracuse, 660.

81.

Benjamin

tree,

Laurus

benzoin.

St.

Benjamin,

deacon, martyr, 424.

APRIL.
1.

Mercury, French annual, Mercurialis annua.

St.

Hugh, bishop, 1132.

2. Violet, white, Viola alba.

native of Calabria.

St.

Francis of Paula, a

altniar

3.

Alkanet,

evergreen,

275

of jfloiotxs.

Anchusa sempermrens.

St.

Fritillaria imperialis.

St.

Agape, 304.
4.

Crown

Imperial,

red,

Isidore, bishop of Seville, 636.

5.

Crown

Imperial, yelLw, Fritillaria imperialis luiea.

Vincent Ferrer, 1419.

6.

Hyacinth, starch, Hyacinthiis racemoms.

tus

7.

I.,

Anemone, wood, Anemona nemorosa,

St.

Aphraa-

fourth century.

tes,
8.

St. Six-

pope.

Ground-ivy,

Glechoma

Tiederacea.

St.

Dionysius,

bishop of Corinth.
9.

Polyanthos, red, Priimila.

10. Violet, pale, Viola

St.

Mary of Egypt, 421.

tambngens.

St.

Mechtildes, ab-

bess, fourteenth century.

11. Dandelion,

Leontodon

taraxacum.

Leo

St.

the

Great, pope, 461.

12. Saxifrage, great thick-leafed, Saxifraga crassifolia.
St.

Zeno, bishop, 380.

13. Narcissus, green. Narcissus viridiflorus.

St.

Her-

menegild, martyr, 586.

14. Borage,

common, Borago

officinalis.

St.

Lidwina,

1184.
15. Stitch wort, greater,

Stellaria holostea.

St.

Peter

Gonzales, 1246.
yellow,

16. Tulip,

Tulipa

sylvestris.

St.

Joachim of

Sienna, 1305.
17.

Arum,
St.

Friar's cowl, broad-leafed,

Anim

arisarum.

Stephen of Citeaux, abbot, 1134.

18. Narcissus,

musk, Karcissus moscliatus.

St.

Appol-

lonius, 186.

19. Garlic,

Allium ursinum.

St.

Leo IX., pope, 1054.

276

C^altitbar of jflo'iotxe.

20. Snowflake, spring, Leucoium vernum.

St.

Agnea

of Monte Pulciano, 1317.

21. Narcissus, cypress. Narcissus orientalis albus.

St.

Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury.

22. Crowfoot, wood, or Goldilocks, Ranunculus auricomus. St. Rufus of Glendaloch.
23. Harebell, Hyacinthus non scriptus.

St.

George the

martyr, patron of England.

24.

Black thorn, JPrunus spinosa.

25. Tulip, clarimond,

TuUpa

St. Fidelis.

prcecox.

St.

Mark, the

Evangelist.
26.

Erysimum, yellow. Erysimum harbarea.

St. Ri-

charius, abbot, 645.

27. Daffodil, great, Narcissus major.

St.

Anastasius,

pope, 401.
28.

Arum,

spotted.

Arum

maculaium.

Sts.

Didymus

and Theodora, 304.

29. Herb, Robert, Geranium roberiianum.
St. Robert,
abbot of Molesme, 1110.
30. Cowslip, Primula veris.
St. Catherine of Sienna,
1380.

MAY.
Tulip, Genser, Tulipa gesnerina.

posed to have been the

first

Bachelor's Button, Lychnis dioica.

just and the

less, apostle,

St. Philip, sup-

of Christ's Apostles.
St.

James

the

martyred in the tumult

in the Temple.

Charlock,
vensis.

373.

Baphanus raphanisirum, or Sinapus

St.

ar-

Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria,

Calcnbar

3.

277

of ^lo^atxM.

The

Narcissus, poetic, Narcissus poeiictis.

disco-

very of the cross, 326.

4.

Stock Gilliflower, Cheiranlhus incaiitcs. St. Monica,

mother of
5. Apple-tree,

St.

Augustine.

Pyriw rnoZu*.

Sts.

Angelas and Pius V.,

pope, 1572.
G.

Globe Flower, bright yellow, TroUius europceus.

7.

Globe Flower, Asiatic, bright orange, TroUius asior

8.

Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majalis.

9.

Lily of the Valley,

St.

John Damascene, 780.

ticus.

St.

John of Beverly.
St. Selena.

Convallaria multifiora.

St.

Gregory of Nazianzen, 389.

10.

Peony, slender-leafed, Pceonia tenuifolia.

St.

Com-

gal, Irish abbot, 601.

11.

Asphodel, Lancashire, ^5^7iO(ieZM5

Zm^cms.

St.Mam-

mertus, archbishop of Vienna, 477.

12. Iris,

German,

L-is

Germanica.

St.

Germanus, pa-

triarch of Constantinople, 733.

13.

Comfrey, common, Symphytum

officinalis.

St.

John

the silent, bishop, 558.

14.

Peony, common, Pceonia

coralline, P. corolUna.

15.

officinalis,

St.

and Peony,

Pontius, 258.

Poppy, Welsh, Papaver camh~icum.

St.

Dympna,

seventh century.

Bethlehem, great Omithogalum umbdlaium.

John Nepomucene, 1383.

16. Star of
St.

17. VoTp^jfearlyTedtPapaverargemone. St.Paschal,1592.

18. Mouse-ear, or

Eric,
19.

King

Hawkweed, Hieracium pilosella.

St.

of Sweden, 1151.

Monk's hood, Aconitum

napcllus.

archbishop of Canterbury, 988.

St.

Dunstan,

278

20.

21.

Caltnbar

of jflaiatxs.

Horse Chestnut, JEschylus hippocastanum.

St.
Bernardine of Sienna, 1444.
Ragged Robin, Lychnis jlos cuculi. St. Felix of
Cautalicio, 1587.

22. Star of

Bethlehem, yellow, Tragopogon pratensis.

Yvo, 1303.

St.

23. Lilac,

Springa vulgaris.

century.

St. Julia, fifth

24.

Poppy, monkey, Papaver

25.

Herb, Bennet, common, Geum urbanum.

orieniale.

St.

Vincent of

Lerins, 450.
St.

Ur-

ban, pope, 223.

26.

Rhododendron, purple, Rhododendron ponticum..

St.

Augustine, archbishop of Canterbury, 604.

Azalea, yellow, Azalea pontica.

St.

Philip Neri,

1595.
27. Buttercup,

Ranunculus

acris.

St.

John, pope, 526.

Bachelor's Button, yellow, Ranunculus acris plenus.

St.

28. Iris,

Bede, 735.
lurid.

Iris lurida.

St.

Germain, bishop of

Paris, 576.
29. Ulne-hottlefCentaureamontana.
30. Spearwort, lesser,

dinand

St.Cyril, about 275.

Ranunculus fiammida.

III., confessor,

King of

Castile

St.

Fer-

and Leon,

1252.
i>l.

Lily,

Yellow Turk's cap, Lilium pomponium.

St.

Petronilla, first century.

JUNE.
1.

Rose, yellow, Rosa

2.

Pimpernel,
St.

luiea.

common

Erasmus, 303.

St. Justin,

scarlet,

martyr, 167.

Anagallis arvensis.

nlcubar

3.

279

of j^lohtts.

Rose of Meaux, Rosa provincialis.

St. Cecilius,

211.
4.

Indian Pink, Dianthus chinensis.

St.

Quirinus,

bishop, 304.
5.

Rose, three-leafed China, Rosa sinica.

St.

Boni-

missionary from England to Friesland

face, first

afterwards archbishop of Mentz, and primate

of Gernian}'^ and Belgium, eighth century.
6.

Pink, common, Dkuitlms deltoides.

St.

Norbert,

1134.
7.

Chironia centaureum.

Centaury, red,

St.

Paul,

bishop of Constantinople, 350.

8.

Money-wort, Herb Two-pence, or creeping Loosestrife,

Lysiinaclua nummularia.

St.

Medard,

bishop, sixth century.

9.

Barberry, Berberis vulgaris.

St.

Columba, 597.
St. Mar-

10. Iris, bright yellow, Iris i^seudo-acorus.

garet,

St.

queen of Scotland, 1093.

midsummer, Crysanthemum leucanthemuvi.

11. Daisy,

Barnabas, apostle,

12. Rose, white dog,

Rosa

first

century.

arvensis.

St.

John, hermit,

1479.
13.

Ranunculus, garden, Ranunculus

Anthony

asiaticus.

St.

of Padua, 1231.

14. Basil, sweet,

Ocimum

hasilicum.

St. Basil, arch-

bishop, 379.
15. Sensitive plant,

Mimosa

sensitiva.

St. Vitus,

mar-

tyr, fourth century.

IG. Rose, moss,

Rosa muscosa.

St. Julietta,

martyr,

304.
17. ^Monkey-flower,

yellow,

candeo, about 303.

Minudits

lideu-s.

St.

Ni-

280

CaUnlJctr of ^lobitis.

18. VoYtpy,

homed, Chelidonmm glaucum.

St.

Marina,

St.

Juliana

eighth century.
19.

La Julienne de

Nuit, Hesperis

tristis.

Falconieri, 1340.
20.

Poppy, doubtful, Papaver duhium.

St. Silverius,

pope, 538.
21. Bugloss,Viper's ^cAmi FiiZ^'are. St.Aloysius, 1591.
22.

Canterbury

Bell,

Campamda medium.

St.

Paulinus,

bishop of Nola, 431.

23. Ladies Slipper, Cypripedium calceolus.

St. Ethel-

dreda, 679.
24. St. John's

of St.
25.

Wort, Hipericum pitlchrum.

John the

Sweet William, Dianthris harhatus.

of

Monte Virgine,

William

Sonchus cceruleus.

Reingarda, 1135.

27. St. John's Wort, perforated,

St.

St.

1142.

26. Sowthistle, Alpine hairy blue,

St.

Nativity

Baptist.

John of Montier,

Hypericum perforatum.

sixth century.

28. Cornflower, blue, Centaurea cyanus.

St. Irenteus,

bishop of Lyons, 202.

29. Rattle, yellow, Rhinanihus crista-galli.

St.

Peter

the apostle.
30. Cistus, yellow, Cistus helianthemum.

St.

Paul the

apostle.

JULY.
Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatm-ia. St. Aaron.
Lily white, Lilium candidum. Virgin Mary.
Mallow, common, Malva sylvesiris. St. Phocas,
gardener, 303.

Caltniai

4.

Day

o{

2S1

^hiotzB.

tawny, Ilemerocallls fulva.

Lilj',

St.

IJlric,

bishop of Augsburg.
5.

Rose, double yellow, Rosa sulphurea.

of Elphin

6.

St.

Edana,

and Tuam.

Ilawkweed, Crcpis barbata.

St. Julian, anchorite,

fourth century.
7.

Nasturtium, Tropceolum majus.

St. Felix,

bishop

of Nantes, 584.
8.

Primrose, evening,
beth,

9.

10.

(Enothera biennis.

Sowthistle, marsh, AS'oHcAjwjjaZw^^m.

Snapdragon, speckled,
Sts.

St. Eliza-

queen of Portugal, 1336.

St.Everildis.

Antinkinum

triphyllum.

Rufina and Secunda, 257.

11. liM^'ine, j^Wo-w,

Lupinus Jlavus.

St.

James, bishop

of Nisibis, 350.
12.

Snapdragon, great. Antirrhinum purpureum.

13.

John Gualbert, abbot, 1073.

Lupine, blue, Lupinus hirsutus.

St.

St.

Eugenius,

bishop, 505.
14.

Lupine, red, Lupinus perennis.

St.

Bonaventure,

cardinal bishop, 1274.

15. Marigold,

Small Cape, purple and white, Calendula

pluvialis.
16. Convolvulus,

St.

Swithin, bishop, 862.

Convolvulus purjyureus.

St.

Eusta-

thius, patriarch of Antioch, 338.

17. Sweetr^esi,

Lathy rus odor aius.

St.

St.

19.

Marcellina, 397

autumn. Chrysanthemum
Bruno, bishop, 1125.

18. Marigold,

Hawkweed,

golden,

coronarium.

Hieracium auranticum.

St.

Vincent de Paule, 1660.

20. Dragon's head, Virginian, Dracocephalus Virginia-

num.

St.

Margaret of Antioch.

282

C^altnbar of

jj^loiatxs.

21. Lily, Philadelphian, Lilium Philadelphicum.

St.

Praxedes.
22. Lily, African,

Agapanihus umbellatus.

St.

Mary

Magdalen.
23.

Musk

flower, Scabias atro-purpiirea.

24.

St.

Apollina-

bishop of Ravenna.

ris,

Lupine

tree,

Lupinus arboreus.

St.

Lupus, bishop,

478.
25.

Herb Christopher,

white, Actea spicata.

St. Chris-

topher.

Chamomile, or Corn Feverfew, Matricaria chamomilla.

St. Ann, mother of the Virgin Mary.
St.Pantaleon,303.
27. Iioose-Btrite, Lythrum salicaria.
6.

28. Groundsel, mountain, Senecio montanvs.

St.

Inno-

cent L, pope, 417.

29. Chironia, red, Chironia centoriurn.
30. Mullein, white,

Verbascum

Martha.

St.

lychnitis.

St. Julietta,

303.
31. M.\x\\&m, ^e\\ovf,Verbasmmvirgatum.

St.

Ignatius

of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, 1556.

AUGUST.
1.

Stramony, or Thorn-apple, Datura stramonium.

2.

Tiger Lily, Lilium tignim,

3.

Hollyhock, Althea rosea.

St.

Peter ad Vincula.
St. Alfrida,

834.

Discovery of the relics

of St. Stephen, 415.

4. Bluebell,

Campanula

rotundifolia.

St.

Dominic,

founder of the Friar Preachers, 1221.

6. Lily,

Egyptian water, Nelumbo

ad Nives.

nilotica.

St.

Mary

Caltubar

283

of JFlototrs.

6.

Meadow

7.

Lord on Mount Tabor.

Amaranth, common, Amarantkus hypochondriacus.

8.

Love-lies-bleeding,

anhimnale.

Colchicum

Saffron,

Ti-ans-

figuration of our

St.

Cajctan, 1547.

Amaranthus procumbent.

St.

Hormisdas.
9.

Ragwort, yellow, Senecio jacohoea.

10.

Balsam, Impatiens balsamea.

11.

China Aster, Aster Chinensis.

St.

St.

Romanus.

Lawi-ence, mar-

tyr, 258.
St.

Susanna, third

century*
12. Sowthistle, great corn,

Sonchus arvensis.

St. Clare,

abbess, 1253.
13. Groundsel, marsh. Great

Tongue,
14. Zinnia,

Seiiecio

Fen Ragwort,

paludosus.

Zinnia elegans.

St.

St.

or Bird's

Radigunda.

Eusebius, third cen-

tury.
15. Virgin's

Bower, white, Clematis

tion of the Virgin

Mary

vitalba.

Assump-

or the miraculous as-

cent of her body into heaven.

IG. Lily, belladonna,

Amaryllis belladonna.

St.

Hya-

cinth, 1257.
17.

Snapdragon, Toadflax, Antirrhinum linaria.

St.

Manus, 275.
18. Marigold, African, Tagetes ereda.

St.

Helen, em-

press, 382.
19.

Timothy

grass,

branched Cat's Tail grass, Phleum

panniculatum, or Ph. aspenim.

20. Dandelion, Leontodon serotinus.

St.
St.

Timothy, 304.

Bernard, abbot,

1153.
21. Marigold, French, Tagetes patula.
cois de Chantal, 1641.

St.

Jean Fran-

281

Caltni&ar of jFIotoxrs.

common

22. Timothy,

St.

tense.

23. Tansy,

Phleum pra-

Cat's Tail grass,

Timothy, 311.

common, Tanacettim

St. Philip

vulgare.

Beniti, 1285.
24. Sunflower, tall, HeliantTius annuus.

mew,

St.

Bartholo-

apostle.

25. Sunflower, perennial, Helianilms multifiorus.

St.

Louis, king of France, 1270,

26. Amaryllis, banded, Amaryllis rotata.

St.

Zephy-

rinus, pope, 219.

27.

Hawkweed, hedge, Hieracium umhellatum.

St.

Ceesarius, archbishop of Aries, 542.

28.

Golden rod, Solidago Virga aurea.

St.

Augustine,

bishop, 430.
29. Hollyhock, yellow, AUliea fiava.

St.

Sabinus, king,

about 697.
30. Lily, Guernsey, Amaryllis sarniensis.

St.

Rose of

Lima, 1617.
31. Pheasant's eye,

Adonis autumnalis.

St.

Raymond

Nonnatus, 1240.

SEPTEMBER.
1.

Orpine, or Livelong, great,

Giles, patron of

Sedum

telepliium.

beggars and cripples.

Born

St.

at

2.

Athens abbot of Nismes, in France, died 750.

Golden rod, Solidago. St. Margaret, thirteenth

3.

Flea-bane,

century.

4.

common

yellow,

Simeon

Stylites, the

Soapwort,

pale pink,

Rosalia, 1160,

Imda

dysenterica.

St.

younger, 592.

Saponaria

officinalis,

St.

Caltniar

5.

28."

of jnoSntrff.

Mushroom, or champignon, Aganeus

St.

Laurence Justinian,

first

campestris.

patriarch of Venice.

1455.
6.

Dandelion, Leontodon autumnalis.

Pambo

St.

of

Nitria, 385.
7.

Starwort, golden, Aster solidaginoides.

Cloud,

St.

560.
8.

Star\Yort, Italian blue, Aster amellus.

St.

Adrian,

306.
9.

10.

Golden rod, Canadian, Solidago Canadensis.

Omer, 607.
Crocus, autumnal, Crocus autumnalis.

Meadow
St.

Pulche-

empress, 453.

ria,

11.

St.

St.

Saffron, variegated, Colchicum variegatum.

Hyacinthus, 257.

12. Passion-flower,

semilunar, Passifiora peltata.

St.

Earnswith, abbess, seventh century.

13. Crocus, officinal, Crocus sativus.

St.

Eulogius, pa-

triarch of Alexandria, 608.

14. Passion-flower, blue, Passijlora ccerulea.

of the
15. Saffron

Holy

Exaltation

Cross, 629.

Byzantine,

Colchicum

Byzanticum.

St.

Nicetas, fourth century.

16. Starwort, sea-blue, Aster tripolium.
17.

Mallow, narrow-leafed, Malva

St.Editha, 984.

angustifolia.

St.

Lambert, bishop, 709.

18. Starwort, pendulous. Aster pendulus.

St.

Thomas,

archbishop of Valencia, 1555.

19. Scabius,

Devil's bit, Scabiosa succisa.

St.

Lucy,

1090.
20.

Meadow
St.

Saffron,

Eustachius.

common, Colchicum auhimnale.

285

aknlJar

21. Passion-flower,

of jFIointW-

fringed-leafed,

flora ciliata.

St.

variegated,

Passi-

Matthew, the Evangelist.

22. Boletus, tree. Boletus arboreus.

St.

Maurice, fourth

century.
23. Starwort, white bushy. Aster dumosus.
first

24.

St.

Thecla,

century.

Fungus, Agaricus Jimetarius.

St.

Gerard, bishop,

1046.
25. Boletus, great, order Fungi, Boletus hovinu^.

St.

Ceolfrid, abbot, 716.

26.

Golden rod, great, Solidago gigantea.

St. Justina,

304.
27. Starwort, white small-leafed N. American, Aster
multiflorus.

St.

Delphina, 1323.

28.

Golden rod, evergreen, Solidago scmpervirens.

Eustochium, 419.

29.

Michaelmas Daisy, Aster

and all angels.

St.

tradescanti.

St.

Michael

30. Amaryllis, golden, Amaryllis aurea.

St.

Jerome,

420.

OCTOBER.
1. A.m?LVj\\\9,\oYf\j,

Amaryllis Jiumilis.

St.

Remigius,

bishop of Rheims, 533.

2.

Soapwort, Saponaria

officinalis.

Feast of the holy

guardian angels.
3.

Ilelenium, downy, Helenium pubescens.

sius, the

4.

St.

Diony-

Areopagite, 51.

Southernwood, dwarf, Artemisa abrotanum.

St.

Francis of Assissi, founder of the order of Franciscans, 1226.

287

CTaliitljar of JFIotocw.

5.

Chamomile,
St.

G.

starlike,

a fungus, Boltonia asteroides.

Placidus, 540.

Feverfew, creeping rooted, Pi/rethrum serotimtm.

Bruno, founder of the Carthusian order,

St.

1101.
7.

Chrysanthemum, Indian, Chrysanthemum Indicum.

St. Mark, pope, 336.

8.

^Maudlin, sweet, Achillea ageratum.

St. Bridget,

1373.
9.

Mushroom, milky, Agaricus

Listen.

10. Aletris,

St.

or A.

lactifluiis acris,

Denys, patron saint of France.

Cape waved-leafed,

Aletris viridifolia.

St.

Francis Borgia, 1572.

common.

11. Holly,

Ilex

aquifoUum.

St.

Ethelburga,

664.
12. Fleabane,

wavy,

Imda

undidata.

St, "Wilfred,

bishop of York, 709.

13.

Helenium, yellow, smooth, Helenium auiumnale.

St.

Edwai'd, king and confessor, 1066.

14. Fleabane, Indian, JnwZa

//ttZc'ca.

St. Calixtus,

pope,

222.
15.

Sweet Sultan, purple, Centaurea moschata.

St.

Te-

resa, 1582.

16.

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.

St. Gall, abbot, 646.

17. Sunflower, dwarf, Helianthus indicus.

St.

Anstru-

diB, 688.

18.

^Mushroom, Agaricus fioccosus.

list,

St.

Luke, Evange-

63.

19. Tick-seed, perennial. Coreopsis procera.

St.Frides-

with, patroness of Oxford, eighth century.

20.

Sweet Sultan, yellow, Centaurea suaveolens.

Artemius, 362.

St.

eaknUar

288

of ^loiotxs.

21. Silphium, hairy-stalked,

Ursula,
22. Silphium,
St.

fifth

Silphlum

asteriscus.

St.

century.

rough three-leafed, Silphium

trifoliatuin.

Nunilo, 840.

23. Starwort, slender-stalked, ^siej-ywracews.

Theo

St.

doret, 362.

24. Starwort, Carolina, Aster Carolinus flexuosus.

St.

Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople, 447.

25. Starwort, fleabane. Aster Conizoides.

St. Crispin,

287.

Starwort,
287.

meagre, Aster miser.

These were

makers, and patrons of that

26.

Golden

St.

Crispinian,

brothers and martyrs, shoeart.

rod, late flowered, Solidago peiiolaris.

St.

Evaristus, pope, 112.

27. Starwort,

floribund.

Aster fioribundiis.

St.

Fru-

mentius, apostle of Ethiopia, fourth century.

28.

Chrysanthemum,
rotinum.
Starwort,

St.

late-flowering creeping.

Chrysse-

Simon, Apostle, the Zealot.

scattered.

Aster passifloi'us.

St.

Jude,

Apostle.
29. Narcissus, green autumnal. Narcissus viridijlorus.

St.Narcissus,bishop ofJerusalem, second century.

30.

Mushroom, mixed, Agaricus Jimetarius.

St.

Mar-

cellus the centurion, 298.

31. Tick-seed, fennel-leaved, Coreopsis ferulafolia.

St.

Quintin, 287.

NOVEMBER.
1.

Laurustinus,
tunatus.

Laurustinus sempervirens.

St.

For-

289

Calcutiar of jyiotucrs.

2.

Cherry, winter, Phi/salis.

;'>.

Primrose, Primula vulgaris.

4.

Strawberry

St.

Arbutus.

tree,

Marcian, 387.
St. Flour, 38U.

bishop

Brinstane,

St.

of Winchester, 931.
5.

Cherry,

common

winter, Physalis alkakengi.

St.

Bertille, abbess of Chelles, 092.

C.

Yew

tree,

common, Taxus

baccala.

St.

Leonard,

sixth century.
7.

Furcriea, Furcrcea yiganiea.

Wiilebord,

St.

first

bishop of Utrecht, 738.

8.

Cape,

Aletris,

Vdtheinda.

four

TJk;

crowned

Brothers, martyrs, 304.

9.

Aletris,

glaucous-leafed,

Vellhcimia glauca.

St.

Nympha,

fifth

John Lateran.
10. Fir,

Scotch, Pinus sylveslris.

St.

century.

Weymouth,

11. Pine,

Pinus

strobus.

St.

Martin,

bishop, 397.
12. Aloe, great orange-flowering, Veliheimia, or Aletris

uvaria.
13.

St. Nilus, 390.

Bay, Laurtis poeiica.

14. Laurel,

Portugal,

St.

Homobonus, 1197.

Cerasus Lusitanica.

St.

Law-

rence, bishop of Dublin, 1180.

15. Colt's foot, sweet-scented, Tussilago fragrans.

St.

Gertrude, abbess, 1292.

IG.

Hemp, African bow-string, Sanseviera Guineensis.

St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, 1242.

17.

Stramony, or Thorn-apple
St.

tree,

Datura arborea.

Gregory, Thaumaturgus, bishop, 270.

18. Passion-flower, notch-leafed, Passiflora serratifolia.

Dedication of the churches of

Paul at Rome.
19

St.

Peter and St.

2yo

C^aknJJar of jFIoSntW.

19. Passion-flower, apple-fruited, Passijlora maliformis.

Elizabeth of Hungary, 1231.

St.

20. Stapelia, red,

Stapella rubra.

Edmund, king

St.

and martyr, 870.

21. Sorrel, wood, Oxalis grandiflora.

Presentation of

the Virgin Mary.

Sorrel,

wood, tube-flowered, Oxalis

tuhijlora.

St.

and patroness of music, parof sacred music supposed to be the

Cecilia, martyr,

ticularly

inventress of the organ, 230.

Sorrel,

convex,

Oxalis

convexula.

St.

Clement,

pope, 100.
24. Stapelia, starry, Stapelia radiata.

John

St.

of the

Cross, 1591.
25. Butterbur, sweet, Tussilago fragrans.

St.

Cathe-

rine, patroness of spinsters, third centui-y.

26. Sorrel, linear, Oxalis linearis.

St.

Conrad, bishop

of Constance, 976.
27. Sorrel, lupine-leafed, Oxalis lupinifolia.

St. Virgil,

bishop of Salzburg, 784.

Stapelia, variegated, Stapelia variegaia.

St.

Stephen

the younger, 764.

29.

Sphenogyne, S.piloflora. St.Saturninus,bishop,257.

30. Sorrel, three-coloured, Oxalis tricolor.

St.

Sapor,

bishop.

DECEMBER.
1.

Stapelia, dark,

2.

Noyon, 659.
Geodorum, lemon, Geodorum citrinum.
363.

S. pulla.

St. Eligius,

bishop of

St. Bibiania,

Caltiibtv of

3.

Indian

4.

Euphorbia iirucaUe.

tree,

vier,

291

jFIofaucrs.

St.

Francis Xa-

1552.

Gooseberry, Barbadoes, Cactus pereskia.

St.

Chry-

sologus, 450.
5.

Hibiscus, long-stalked, H. pedunculatus.

St. Cris-

pina, 304.
G.

Heath, nest-flowered, Erica nudijlora.

St.

Nicholas,

archbishop of Myra, 342.

7.

Achania, hairy, Achania pilosa.

Ambrose,

St.

397.
8.

Arbor Vitae, American, J^M^ra occid!eniaZis. Blessed

Virgin Mary.

9.

Spruce, Corsican, Pinus laricio,

St.

Leodocia, 304.

10. Cypress, Portugal, Cupressus pendula.

11. Pine,

Aleppo, Pinus halapensis.

St. Eulalia.

St.

Damascus,

pope, 384.

Eadburga, 751.

12.

Heath, crowded, Erica dbietina.

13.

Arbor Vitas, African, J%M5'a CM^&s50tdes. St. Lucy,

martyr of Syracuse, 304.
Pine, swamp, Pt/m5j3aZs^ri5.
St. Spiridion, arch-

14.

St.

bishop, 348.
15. Pine, pitch,
16.

Arbor

Pimis resinosa.

Vitae,

Chinese,

St. Florence, abbot.

TImga

orientalis.

St.

Ade-

laide, empress, 999.

17. Cedar, white, Cupressus ihyoides.

IS. Cypress,

St.Olympias, 410.

New-Holland, Cupressus

australis.

St.

Winebald, 760.
10.

Heath, two-coloured, Erica

bicolor.

St.

Samthana,

abbess, 738.
20. Stone-pine, Pinus pinea.

St.

Philogonius, bishop

21. Sparrow-wort, j&ricapassen'na.

St.Thomas, apostle.

of Antioch, 322.

292

(CalciiUav of jFIoixifr5.

22. Heath, pellucid, Erica pcllucida.

23.

St. Cyril, 881.

Cedar of Lebanon, Pt'ims cednis.

24. Pine,

frankincense,

Plnus

St. Victoria,

tceda.

Sts.

250.

Thrasilla

and Emiliana.
25. Holly,

Ilex

Nativity of our

aculeata baccifera.

Saviour.
2G. Heath, purple. Erica purpurea.

St.

Stephen,

first

martyr.
27. Heath, flame. Erica flavimea.

St.

John, the Evan-

gelist.

28.

The Holy
from Herod's cruelty.
St. Thomas, archbishop

Heath, bloody-flovrered. Erica cruenta.

Innocents,

who

suffered

29. Heath, Erica genisiopha.

of Canterbury, 1170.
30. Ponthieva,

glandular, Ponthieva glandulosa.

Anysia, 304.
31.

There

is

no

flovrer

appropriated to this day.

St.

Ir

'TwAS a

Sinl Df /Inuirrs.

lovely thought to

As they

floated in light

mark

the hours,

away,

By

the opening and the folding flowers

That laugh to the summer's day.

Thus had each moment

And

its

its

own

rich hue,

graceful cup and bell.

In whose coloured vase might sleep the dew,

Like a pearl in an ocean

shell.

To such sweet signs might the time have

flowed,

In a golden current on,

Ere from the garden, man's first abode,

The glorious guests were gone.
So might the days have been brightly told
Those days of song and dreams

^hen shepherds gathered their flocks

By the blue Arcadian streams
25*

of old
293

291

i@ial of jFIoiows.

So, in those isles of delight, that rest

Far

off in

a breezeless main,

Which many a bark with a weary

Has sought, but still in vain.
Yet

is

not

in its real flight,

life,

Marked thus

By

even thus on earth,

the closing of one hope's delight,

And
Oh

another's gentle birth ?

let

us live so that, flower by flower,

Shutting in turn,

guest

lingerer

still

may

leave

for the sunset hour,

A charm for the

shaded eve

Hemans.

When

a plant

when

its

loped,

and

is

approaching

its state

of perfection,

organs of nourishment are completely deve-

"the joy of plants."

is most luxuriant, then arrives

which has been aptly termed
The most superficial observer

must have noticed how

different is the season of flower-

its

vegetation

the time of flowering,

ing of individual plants, and

how each month is adorned

with

When

its

particular flowers.

January confines us

to

the intense cold of

our houses, the Black Helle-

bore, or Christmas Rose, unfolds its dazzling white

blossoms; in February, the innocent Snowdrop presents

In the same month the Hazel

and not rarely the early-blooming

to us her elegant cup.

puts forth

its

catkins,

Crowfoot shows the blue tips of its clusters of blossom.

March
us with

boasts a richer Flora

its

then the Violet

fragrance; the Mezereou offers

deliglits

its

peaeh-

;:

Cial

295

of jFIototra.

coloured flowers, and the Primrose leads on a long

train of the

continue

to

charming children of Spring. These now

advance in increasing numbers, displaying,

especially in
till

May and

at length the

June, their highest splendour;

Meadow

Saffron takes leave of in-

clement Autumn, and, saturated with rain, the Mosses

new

acquire fresh vigour, and open to the botanist a

field for investigation.

Not

less different

than the period of flowering

time of the opening and shutting of flowers.

j)lants habitually

is

the

Some

open and close their flowers by turns

others are governed in these respects

by the weather
by the length or shortness of the day:
while some open and shut at certain hours, and thus
iurnish materials for composing the Dial of Flowers.
According to the observations of later botanists, the
flowery crown of plants serves, among other things, to
envelop the tender organs of fructification, and to protect them from the pernicious influence of external
agents.
Those organs of fructification are the chief
objects of the maternal care of Nature
while shut up
in the flower-bud, they acquire that strength and perfection of parts which enable them to endure the light
of the sun, and to perform the functions for which they
others again,

are designed.

It is not

till

they are capable of fulfilling

these functions that the flower unfolds itself; but

again closes at such times

might be injurious
tion.

Many

when

to the delicate

organs of

fructifica-

flowers can bear only the refreshing

ing air and the

first

it

external influences

morn-

rays of the sun, but remain sLu^

all the rest of the day.

This

may

be particularly ob-

served in the different species of Convolvulus, Ipomaea,

29G

S^idl of jFlolmrs.

and Goat's Beard.

till

We

find these, in general,

about eleven o'clock.

open only

In like manner, the Mallows

and the IMesembryanthemums unfold their flowers

about noon: and precisely at that time, in serene
weather, open the singularly- formed Drosera, and the
common Purslain, which shut again in an hour.
Others unfold themselves only in the evening, and continue open

all night,

probably because their delicate

organs would be injured by the sun.

The CEnotheras,

the Gauras, and the different species of the Mirabilis,

furnish examples of this kind.

opuntia opens

its

Thus,

too, the

and towards morning shuts them up

flowers of

many

Cactus

magnificent blossoms at night only,

for ever.

Tlie

plants of the nineteenth class are ob-

the Cami-HIa,

served to hang their heads during night

example by which means the rain, or dew, which

might injure the tender organs of fructification, can run
In other plants of this class, the
off the more easily.
flower shuts up against rain, and on the approach of
for

evening, as

The

is

the case with the Marigolds.

some flowers is
worthy of remark. Thus, the flowers of the
speckled French Honeysuckle [Hedysarummaculatum)
Tlie
are purple in the morning and green at noon.
periodical change of colour in

also

changeable Hibiscus {Hihisciis mutabilis)

is

white in

the morning, flesh-coloured at noon, and rose-red in the

evening.

Thus,

yrandis) changes

too,
its

the great Corn-flag {Gladiolus

colour several times in the course

of the day.

Neither

is

agreeable at

the scent of flowers equally strong and

all

hours of the day: many, even of our

indigenous flowers, have the strongest scent at night.

QUI
The

1107

of jfloU)trs.

Ixia cinnamoinea gives out

its

frajrranco

in

the

evening only; the highly-scented Lesser Orpine [Cra^'

sulu odoralissinta) only in the night; the

frayrans, morning and evening

Epldendrum

another species of

Epideudrum, hung up in a room, without earth or

"VN'ater, yields an agreeable perfume for j-ears.
The
flowers of the Hebeiistreitia dentata are scentless in the

morning, have a disagreeable smell at noon, and give

out in the evening a fragrant odour, not unlike that of
the Hyacinth.

These properties of
shutting of

many

flovrers,

and the opening and

at particular times of the day, led to

the idea of planting

them

in

such a manner as

cate the succession of the hours,

and

supply the place of a watch or clock.

disposed to try the experiment

to indi-

make them
Those who are
to

may easily compose

sucli

comprehending
the hours between three in the morning and eight ia

a dial by consulting the following

the evening.

table,

298

j3ial of J71obotr5.

Names

Hours of
Opening.

of Plants.

Hours of
Shutting.

Vellow Goat's Beard (Tragopogon

3

luteuni)

Common Base Hawkweed,

Crepis

teclorum)
Field Sowthistle, [Sonchi^s agres

4
5

Us)

Dandelion (Leonlodon Taraxacum)

Alpine Base Hawkweed, (^Crepis
,

alpina)

Naked-stalked Poppy (Fapaver

5

nudicaule)

Orange

(^HemerocaUi

Day-lily

fulva)

Red Hawkweed

(^Hieracium

56

brum)

Meadow Goshmore

(Hypochoeris

pratensis)

Red Base Hawkweed,

[Crepis

rubra)

White

rii

6i

Water Lily [Nymphcea

alba)

White Spiderwort [Anlhericum

album)
Tongue-leafed Mesembryanthe-

mum

[M. linguiforme)

Bearded

Mesembryanthemum

[M. barbatuvi)
Dandelion [Leonlodon

Taraxacum)
Yellow Goat's Beard ( Tragopogon
luteum)
Field Marigold [Calendula arvensis)

Single-flowered Hawkweed [Hieracium Pilosella)

Red Pink [Dianthus prolifer)

39

iai

Names

Red

299

of jFIointrs.

urs of

of Plants.

Sandwort

juiug.

[Arenaria

Hours of
Shutting.

ru

10

bra)
Ice
Plant

[Mesembryanthemuin
crystaUinum)

10

Common Base Hawkweed (Cre^/i

11

teclorum)

.Upine Base Hawkweed,

{^Crepis

11

alpina)

Field Sowtlustle {^Sonchus agres

12

(is)

Red Pink i^Dianthus prolifer)

Red Base Hawkweed (Crepis
rubra)

Bearded

Mesembryanthemum

(iV. harbatum)
Single-flowered Hawkweed {Hieracium Pilosclla)
Red Sandwort [Are7iaria ru-

bra)
Field Marigold [Calendula arv en-

'^')

Tongue-leafed Mesembryanthe-

mum

[M. linguiforme)

Red Hawkweed [Hieracium

ru-

brum)
Plant [Mesembryanthemum
crystaUinum)
White Spiderwort, [Anthericum
album)

Ice

Meadow Goshmore

[Hypochceris

pratensis)

White Water

Lily

[NymphcEa
6

alba)

Naked-stalked Poppy, {Papaver

7

nudicaule)

Orange Day-lily,
fiilva)

[Hemeroeallis

tal

300

It

is,

of jFIototrs.

of course, impossible to ensure the accurate

going of such a

dial,

because the temperature, the dry-

and the dampness of the air, have a considerable

influence on the opening and shutting of flowers.
ness,

PPOR

m
m$
im

>5S|f

~rS S3^g'

gC-4 g Sg M^:AJasg'^ManiTati
i

Irtifc i iii j

Jiri

lii