tipping, pours the water out with a 

 splash and then straightens again. 

 Not only the lilies find a home in these 

 sweet ponds, but there are frogs, little 

 creatures much beloved by the Japan- 

 ese, who have written many poems 

 about them and their songs. 



In such a setting no wonder the 

 lotus blossoms in beauty in Japan. 

 The paintings of Paradise made by 

 Japanese artists show the happy souls 

 of the dead, gardening; they fondle 

 the lotus buds, sprinkling their petals 

 with something mysterious, helping 

 the buds to blossom. 



In Siam the lotus is the national 

 flower and interwoven inextricably 

 with its poetry and religion. There 

 are both the pink and white varieties, 

 and as with the Japanese, they are re- 

 produced in many materials. 



Outside of the city of Bangkok one 

 can sail for miles over flooded fields 

 Si 



