"THE SWEET O' THE YEAR'* 129 



Proserpine was gathering violets among other 

 flowers in the fields of Enna in Sicily when Pluto 

 carried her ofT Shakespeare touched upon the story 

 most exquisitely, through the lips of Perdita, as 

 quoted above. 



Another Greek myth accounts for the Greek word 

 for the violet, which is ion. It seems when, in order 

 to protect her from the persecutions of Juno, Jove 

 transformed lovely Europa into a white heifer whom 

 he named lo, he caused sweet violets to spring up 

 from the earth wherever the white cow placed her 

 lips ; and from her name, lo, the flower acquired the 

 name ion. 



The Athenians adored the flower. Tablets were 

 engraved with the word ion and set up everywhere 

 in Athens; and of all sobriquets the citizens pre- 

 ferred that of "Athenian crowned with violets." 



The Persians also loved the violet and made a 

 delicious wine from it. A sherbet flavored with 

 violet blossoms is served in Persia and Arabia to- 

 day at feasts; and Mohammedans say: "The excel- 

 lence of the violet is as the excellence of El Islam 

 above all other religions." 



