A sprig of hawthorn has the same meaning as a sprig of myrtle: it gives
hope to the lover--the sweet heliotrope tells the depth of his
passion,--if he would charge his mistress with levity he presents the
larkspur,--and a leaf of nettle speaks her cruelty. Poor Ophelia (in
_Hamlet_) gives rosemary for remembrance, and pansies (_pensees_) for
thoughts. The laurel indicates victory in war or success with the Muses,
"The meed of mighty conquerors and poets sage."
The ivy wreathes the brows of criticism. The fresh vine-leaf cools the
hot forehead of the bacchanal. Bergamot and jessamine imply the
fragrance of friendship.
The Olive is the emblem of peace--the Laurel, of glory--the Rue, of
grace or purification (Ophelia's _Herb of Grace O'Sundays_)--the
Primrose, of the spring of human life--the Bud of the White Rose, of
Girl-hood,--the full blossom of the Red Rose, of consummate beauty--the
Daisy, of innocence,--the Butter-cup, of gold--the Houstania, of
content--the Heliotrope, of devotion in love--the Cross of Jerusalem, of
devotion in religion--the Forget-me-not, of fidelity--the Myrrh, of
gladness--the Yew, of sorrow--the Michaelmas Daisy, of cheerfulness in
age--the Chinese Chrysanthemum, of cheerfulness in adversity--the Yellow
Carnation, of disdain--the Sweet Violet, of modesty--the white
Chrysanthemum, of truth--the Sweet Sultan, of felicity--the Sensitive
Plant, of maiden shyness--the Yellow Day Lily, of coquetry--the
Snapdragon, of presumption--the Broom, of humility--the Amaryllis, of
pride--the Grass, of submission--the Fuschia, of taste--the Verbena, of
sensibility--the Nasturtium, of splendour--the Heath, of solitude--the
Blue Periwinkle, of early friendship--the Honey-suckle, of the bond of
love--the Trumpet Flower, of fame--the Amaranth, of immortality--the
Adonis, of sorrowful remembrance,--and the Poppy, of oblivion.
The Witch-hazel indicates a spell,--the Cape Jasmine says _I'm too
happy_--the Laurestine, _I die if I am neglected_--the American Cowslip,
_You are a divinity_--the Volkamenica Japonica, _May you be happy_--the
Rose-colored Chrysanthemum, _I love_,--and the Venus' Car, _Fly with
me_.
For the following illustrations of the language of flowers I am indebted
to a useful and well conducted little periodical published in London and
entitled the _Family Friend_;--the work is a great favorite with the
fair sex.
"Of the floral grammar, the first rule to be observed is, that the
pronoun _I_ or _me_ is expressed by inclining the symbol flower to the
_left_, and the pronoun _thou_ or _thee_ by inclining it to the _right_.
When, however, it is not a real flower offered, but a representation
upon paper, these positions must be reversed, so that the symbol leans
to the heart of the person whom it is to signify.
The second rule is, that the opposite of a particular sentiment
expressed by a flower presented upright is denoted when the symbol is
reversed; thus a rose-bud sent upright, with its thorns and leaves,
means, "_I fear, but I hope_." If the bud is returned upside down, it
means, "_You must neither hope nor fear_." Should the thorns, however,
be stripped off, the signification is, "_There is everything to hope_;"
but if stript of its leaves, "_There is everything to fear_." By this it
will be seen that the expression of almost all flowers may be varied by
a change in their positions, or an alteration of their state or
condition. For example, the marigold flower placed in the hand signifies
"_trouble of spirits_;" on the heart, "_trouble or love_;" on the bosom,
"_weariness_." The pansy held upright denotes "_heart's ease_;"
reversed, it speaks the contrary. When presented upright, it says,
"_Think of me_;" and when pendent, "_Forget me_." So, too, the
amaryllis, which is the emblem of pride, may be made to express, "_My
pride is humbled_," or, "_Your pride is checked_," by holding it
downwards, and to the right or left, as the sense requires. Then, again,
the wallflower, which is the emblem of fidelity in misfortune, if
presented with the stalk upward, would intimate that the person to whom
it was turned was unfaithful in the time of trouble.
The third rule has relation to the manner in which certain words may be
represented; as, for instance, the articles, by tendrils with single,
double, and treble branches, as under--
[Illustration of _The_, _An_ & _A_.]
The numbers are represented by leaflets running from one to eleven, as
thus--
[Illustration of '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', & '6'.]