Lily of the Valley. 319 



and neither the pleasures of tobacco nor the twirling of the 

 waltz are omitted on that occasion. The roads leading to the 

 forest are thronged by persons of all ages, from the earliest 

 dawn to the closing of the day ; and few are the houses in the 

 city of Hanover that are not furnished with the Whitesuntide 

 Bouquet of the Lily of the Valley. 



The flowers of this plant possess not only an agreeable 

 odor, but also a fragrance that is highly medicinal against ner- 

 vous affections, and many diseases of the head. The water 

 distilled from these little corollas was formerly in such great 

 repute that it was kept only in vessels of gold and silver, and 

 hence called golden water. In Germany it is common to make 

 a wine of these flowers by drying them in the summer, and in 

 the time of the vintage mixing them with the grapes when 

 pressed ; which wine they use for various purposes. 



In the United States there arc many species and varieties of 

 the Convallaria ; they arc all of an elegant and rather singular 

 shape, which entitles them to a situation in the shady parts of 

 our gardens, but more particularly so in the grove and amongst 

 the shrubs in the wilderness walks ; they are all of the same 

 easy propagation as the Lily of the Valley. 



to the curious eye 



A little monitor presents her page 



Of choice instruction, with her snowy bells, 



The Lily of the Vale. She nor affects 



The public walks, nor gaze of midday sun; 



She to no state or dignity aspires, 



Rut silent and alone puts on her suit 



And sheds her lasting perfume, but for which 



We had not known there was a thing so sweet 



Hid in the gloomy shade. So when the blast 



Her sister tribes confounds, and to die earth 



Stoops their high heads, that vainly were exposed 



She feels it not, but flourishes anew 



Still sheltered and secure. 



