FLORAL SYMBOLS, 
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that plant has been called Ilyacintlms non scriptus (not 
inscribed). The Eastern poets have made the hyacinth 
subserve many poetical uses. By Hafiz it was adopted 
as the symbol of elegance and grace, and he delighted 
to compare his mistress's hair to its blossoms; hence 
the term, hyacinthine locks, which was originally 
an Oriental comparison. The asphodel was also an 
emblem of sorrow, and the Greeks used it at their 
funerals. 
We cannot wonder that so fragrant a plant as the 
myrtle should become a symbolical teacher. It was 
most anciently the emblem of peace and quietude, and 
gave a living freshness to the annunciation of the angel 
mentioned by Zechariah, who said, as he stood among 
the myrtle-trees, “ We have walked to and fro through 
the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at 
rest/’ From being an emblem of peace, on account of 
its quiet beauty and perfume, it afterwards became an 
emblem of war, in consequence of the hardness of its 
wood rendering it very suitable for warlike instru¬ 
ments :— 
“ The war from stubborn myrtle shafts receives.” 
Virgil. 
From the supple nature of its branches, together with 
the odour emitted by its leaves, it was largely used lor 
entwining into wreaths, garlands, and crowns. These 
were worn at the Roman festivals, and the myrtle-boughs 
were steeped in the wine, to improve its flavour and 
fragrance; and hence the myrtle became a recognized 
emblem of festivity. By the magistrates of Athens, it 
Q 
