FLORAL SYMBOLS. 97 



The language of deep feeling is ever poetical, and in every age of 

 the world's history flowers have aided in giving force to the utterance 

 of the heart's passion, whether of love, hate, sorrow, or joy. Perhaps 

 love and sorrow have created more poetry than any other sentiments 

 which have ever had birth in the breast of humanity. 



If bliss be a frail and perishing flower, 



Born only to decay; 

 Oh ! who, — when it blooms but a sinjjle hour, — 



Would fling its sweets away? 



Among the many chaste and poetical allegories which occur scat- 

 tered up and down the eastern literature, is the following ; — " As this 

 dark mould sends upwards, and out of its very heart, the rare Persian 

 rose, so does hope grow out of evil, and the darker the evil the brighter 

 the hope, as from a richer and fouler soil comes the more vigorous and 

 larger flower." There is another of this class, which conveys in a 

 most elegant form a symbolical embodiment of the refining influences 

 of the pure and the beautiful. " A traveller, in passing through a 

 country in Persia, chanced to take into his hand a piece of clay which 

 lay by the way-side, and to his surprise he found it to exhale the most 

 delightful fragrance : * Thou art but a poor piece of clay,' said he> 

 ' an unsightly, unattractive, poor piece of clay : yet how fragrant art 

 thou ! How refreshing ! T admire thee, I love thee ; thou shalt be my 

 companion, I will carry thee in my bosom. But whence hast thou 

 this fragrance ?' The clay replied, 'I have been dwelling with the 

 rose !' " In another Persian legend, we are told that Sadi the poet 

 when a slave, presented to his tyrant master a rose, accompanied with 

 this pathetic appeal ; — " Do good to thy servant whilst thou hast the 

 jjower, for the season of power is often as transient as the duration of 

 this beautiful flower." This melted the heart of his lord, and the 

 slave obtained his liberty. 



The well-known " Language of Flowers," was first introduced into 

 this country by Lady Mary Wortley Montague ; but in the modern 

 system nothing is preserved of the fresh poetry and brilliancy of 

 thought which characterized the floral symbolism of ancient eastern 

 nations. The rich imagery and startling truth of the eastern me- 

 taphors and symbols, have crumbled into ruins, like the temples dedi- 

 cated to their gods. Sickly and weak as is the modern language of 

 flowers, it is yet as prevalent in use as ever, and has been rendered 

 tame by its universal adoption in the intercoiirse of life ; instead of 



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