ANEMONE. 23 



Within the limber rind their purple grains ; 

 And yet the beauty but awhile remains ; 

 For those light-hanging leaves, infirmly placed, 

 The winds, that blow on all things, quickly blast." 



Sandys's Ovid, book x. 



The Greek poet, Bion, in his epitaph on Adonis, makes 

 the Anemone the offspring of the goddess's tears. 



Mr. Hor. Smith, in his poem of Amarynthus, supports the 

 first reason for naming this flower the wind-flower — that it 

 never opens but when the wind blows : 



" And then I gather'd rushes, and began 

 To weave a garland for you, intertwined 

 With violets, hepaticas, primroses. 

 And coy Anemone, that ne'er uncloses 

 Her lips until they 're blown on by the wind." 



Amarynthus, p. 46. 



It seems more usual, as well as in character, for the 

 presence of the sun to unclose the lips of the Anemone, 

 which commonly close when he withdraws ; but when he 

 shines clear, 



" Then thickly strewn in woodland bowers, 

 Anemonies their stars unfold." 



Sir W. Jones has translated an ode from the Turkish 

 of Mesihi, in which the author celebrates several of the 

 more sweet or splendid flowers : 



" See ! yon anemones their leaves unfold. 

 With rubies flaming, and with living gold." 



" The sweetness of the bower has made the air so fragrant, that the 

 dew, before it falls, is changed into rose water." 



" The dew-drops, sweeten'd by the musky gale. 

 Are changed to essence ere they reach the dale." 



The only poetical allusion, which I have met with, to 



