"THE SWEET O' THE YEAR" 123 



flowers that the frightened Proserpine dropped from 

 Pluto's ebon car 



Violets dim 



And sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes, 

 Or Cytherea's breath. 1 



Thus in Shakespeare's opinion the violet out- 

 sweetened both Juno, majestic queen of heaven, and 

 Venus, goddess of love and beauty. 



How could he praise the violet more 4 ? 



To throw a perfume on the violet 

 Is wasteful and ridiculous excess. 



Shakespeare informs us in "King John." 2 With 

 the utmost delicacy of perfection he describes 

 Titania's favorite haunt as 



a bank where the wild thyme blows, 

 Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows. 8 



In truth, the tiny flower seems to nod among its 

 leaves. 



Shakespeare makes the elegant Duke in "Twelfth 

 Night," who is lounging nonchalantly on his divan, 

 compare the music he hears to the breeze blowing 

 upon a bank of violets 4 (see page 44). 



'"The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. 



'Act IV, Scene II. 



8 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Act II, Scene IT. 



4 Act I, Scene I. 



