28 The Rose Garden. 



CHAPTER III. 



The Poetry of the Rose. 



IN venturing to add to the earlier editions of this work a Chapter on " The Poetry 

 of the Rose," I believe I have had the approval of the majority of my readers. It 

 is scarcely necessary to say even to those who have only a moderate acquaintance with 

 general literature that there is no lack of materials ; the difficulty is to make a selec- 

 tion which will bring this part of our subject within reasonable compass ; much indeed 

 that is worthy of insertion is necessarily omitted. But my readers who may wish for 

 fuller information on this subject will find it in an elegant and readable little book 

 " Ros Rosarum ex Horto Poetarum," recently published by Mr Elliot Stock of 

 London. 



I have already alluded to the mention of the Rose in the Sacred Scriptures, and 

 the most ancient of the Greek writers, Homer, Hesiod, and others, mention it. 



Of the little that remains to us of the writings of Sappho, we have the following 

 fragment on the Rose : 



Would Jove appoint some flower to reign 



In matchless beauty on the plain, 



The Rose (mankind will all agree), 



The Rose the queen of flowers should be ; 



The pride of plants, the grace of bowers ; 



The blush of meads, the eye of flowers ; 



Its beauties charm the gods above ; 



Its fragrance is the breath of love ; 



Its foliage wantons in the air, 



Luxuriant, like the flowing hair ; . 



It shines in blooming splendour gay, 



While zephyrs on its bosom play. 



Fragment 5. Translated by F. Fawkes. 



Sappho having named the Rose the " Queen of Flowers," other of the GreeK 

 writers would naturally consider it a subject worthy of their attention. This was 

 eminently the case. Theocritus, on account of its transitoriness, compares it to the 

 course of human life. The gay Anacreon alludes to it in several of his Odes, calling 

 it " the most beautiful of flowers," " the delight of the Gods," " the favourite of the 

 muses," and says its leaves are full of charms. He speaks of it still more definitely 



