Vista Rodo.--A plant bearing a little flower like a diamond in
transparency and brilliancy, and exhaling from every green leaf a
beautiful perfume.
"The stars in heaven thou makest to blush by the sweetness of thy
breath."
"I deny not that they possess thy brilliancy,
But thy fragrance they deplore.
May I hope for the boon of thy lustre near me
Through the journey of life,
To teach me to be happy,
To cultivate my admiration of the beautiful,
To bid me seek the joys of home,
And teach me the greatness of my Maker!"
Oronza.--A flower unknown to your planet. It is white, the centre studded
with little spots in relief, so closely resembling turquoise and pearls
that unless touched they might be mistaken for real stones placed on the
flower.
"At sight of thee, malignity flies away and the spirits of peace
and goodness surround me, encouraging me to
all great and noble deeds, making me forget to look
back on my folly, and bidding me gaze forward into the
future and the realms of hope.
"You exalt me; you purify me; say you will part from me
no more."
Mosca.--The moss rose.
...."Come to me,
Thy virtues are more brilliant than precious stones;
Thy breath exhales intoxicating perfume;
Thy beauty is a continual feast.
Tell me thy heart shall be my haven,
To my bosom I will press thee,
And thy leaves shall embrace me with their fragrant affection."
Each kind of rose has its separate language. Thus, Javellina, the
single-leaf hedge-rose, is associated with lines indicative of "the
sweet purity of youth." Angellina, the white rose, is associated with
lines indicative of "gentle endurance and pure love;" and Orvee, the
yellow rose, with lines indicative of "affection combined with
jealousy."
* * * * *
Some flowers have qualified, some disagreeable meanings attached to
them.
No man, however nearly allied to a lady, or however great his cause for
displeasure may be, is allowed to say to her anything unpleasant except
through the medium of flowers.
The only exception is in favour of the husband, whose privilege is
seldom used; not only because it is thought more civilised to use
flowers as the medium on such occasions, but more especially because
marriages are now so well assorted that occasion for complaint scarcely
arises on either side.
At the marriage meetings flowers having the slightest disagreeable words
attached to them are strictly forbidden.
As an example of flowers having a qualified or disagreeable import take
the following:--
Ragopargee.--The white lily.
"Cold but truthful, and as constant as the drops of Mount Isione."
In a small recess of Mount Isione two drops of water, clear as crystal,
constantly fall, having percolated the rock above. As soon as two drops
have fallen two others succeed, two being the invariable number. The
interval between the fall of each pair of drops is equal and scarcely
perceptible.
These drops never cease to fall night or day, and they have already by
this accumulation formed a lake at the base of the mountain.
Voulervole--Convolvulus.
"False allurements!
Thy beauty is to please but for a day,
Like the magnet it attracts us,
And then thou wouldst make us weep
By fading before our eyes.
"Go, fickle flower,
For thou shalt not be mine
Until more lasting; thou canst learn to be."
Mooreska.--Fuchsia.
"Thy beauty is dazzling;
But, alas! its bloom will fade
The nearer we approach.
For thy external attractions find no echo within.
I can never take thee to my bosom."
* * * * *
Romeafee.--The pink lily. This flower is associated with excessive
love of dress, and the language attached to it ends with the words.
"As glaring to the eye as Kiloom."
The gorgeous appearance of sunset is personified in
poetical legends by a master spirit, called "Kiloom."
The colours of sunset are gaudy and vivid beyond
measure, and cast intense hues on all objects. Our
sunsets, though grand, are far from being so agreeably
soothing as those in your planet, but they leave an
after-glow, which gives light during the night when
darkness would otherwise prevail.
* * * * *
Flowers are profusely used in our great festivals. I
collect a fête given to me on the occasion of an anniversary,
when there appeared a cavalcade of one hundred camelopards,
bearing each on its back a kiosk, in which was a beautiful
woman. All the camelopards were united together, as it seemed
to the eye, by wreaths of flowers, though in fact these
concealed strong thongs, with which the animals were really
secured. Each animal was attended by a swarthy native of the
country whence it came.