play rose-water; The Romans set a 

 special value on this blossom as a 

 funeral flower, and left directions in 

 many instances that their graves should 

 be planted with them. In China the 

 rose and anemone are chosen for this 

 same office. 



The Legend of Fair Margaret and 

 Sweet William declares, to the accom- 

 paniment of a doleful tune, that out 

 of her heart grew a white rose, and 

 out of his a brier. 



In Persia, where the rose flourishes 

 in great beauty, there is a wealth of 

 romance woven about it. The rose 

 and the nightingale are for ever linked 

 together. A bit of folklore declares 

 that whenever the rose is plucked the 

 nightingale utters a plaintive cry be- 

 cause it cannot endure to see the 

 object of its love injured. The Persian 

 poet Attar tells a legend of all the 

 birds appearing before Solomon and 

 io8 



