iv 
INTRODUCTION. 
have called into use ; but whatever is indicative of love 
or joy, or purity, or unchangeable affection, may at 
once be referred to that joyous mom, when Adam 
gave to every new created thing its fitting name; un¬ 
less, indeed, we rather think that to the first woman, 
“herself a fairer flower,” was left this graceful and 
womanly task, and that while Adam gave to the help- 
mete that was found for him the name of Eve; and she 
stood admiring by, while in succession, the Lion and 
Panther, the Leopard and Lamb, each owned his au¬ 
thority, and received its title; to the naming of the 
fragrant blossoms, more peculiarly her care, he would 
call in the aid of his fair partner, and yield to her sug¬ 
gestions in their emblematical names. But the voca¬ 
bulary of Eden, we have said, would be wanting in 
all the symbols of our angry passions—to later times, 
alas! must be referred the emblems of jealousy, fear, 
and the like evil emotions which have been the fruitful 
experience of successive ages, and have marred, like a 
canker-worm in the rosebud, the sweet blossoms of 
affection springing up in the human breast. 
We would thus trace the origin of this sweet natural 
poetry to the purity of primeval times; nor is it as a 
mere fanciful conceit that we do so. The language is, 
in truth, no creature of modem art, but the free-bom 
child of unsophisticated nature. “ Lovely as the rose,” 
“ fair as the lily,” or “ modest as the violet,” are 
phrases that seem to come naturally into use, without 
thought that in this emblematic employment lies the 
germ of true poetry, and the symbolic language of Flora; 
j and though to these will be found added, in the pre- 
| sent volume, many wherein the object seems less sug¬ 
gestive of the sense, and where the idea sought to be con¬ 
veyed is more complex and difficult intelligently to 
