WATER-LILY. 385 



muddy water, in which it often grows*. This Water-lily 

 is said to be the ancient herb Lotus ; which, with the 

 Crocus and the Hyacinth, formed the couch of Jupiter and 

 Juno; and yet Achilles was so profane as to feed his 

 horses with it. It is not to be understood as the Lotus 

 which gave name to the Lotophagi. That was a tree (for 

 the ancients had both a herb and a tree so named) now 

 called the Rhamnus Lotus. 



Southey mentions the herb Lotus in his Curse of Ke- 

 hama : 



" The large-leaved lotus on the waters flowering." 



Vol. i. page 86". 



In Japan the Water-lily (there called Tratte), being, 

 for the reason before mentioned, considered as an emblem 

 of purity, is, with the flowers of the Motherwort, borne in 

 procession before the body in their funeral ceremonies : 

 these are carried in pots : artificial Water-lilies of white 

 paper are also borne on poles -f*. 



Moore, in his notes to Lalla Rookh, observes, that in 

 some parts of Asia the women wear looking-glasses on 

 their thumbs : " Hence," says he '' (and from the lotus 

 being considered the emblem of beauty) is the meaning 

 of the following mute intercourse of two lovers before 

 their parents : 



" He with salute of deference due 

 A lotus to his forehead prest ; 

 She raised her mirror to his view. 

 Then turned it inward to her breast." 



In another part of the same poem, Moore compares the 

 eyes of Love to the blue Water-lily : 



" And his floating eyes — oh ! they resemble 

 Blue water-lilies, when the breeze 

 Is making the stream around them tremble." 



* See Titsingh's Illustrations of Japan. f Ibid. 



c c 



