IIO 
THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
THE WALLFLOWER. 
ANON. 
Cheerful ’midst desolation’s sadness—thou— 
Fair flower, art wont to grace the mouldering pile 
And brightly bloom o’er ruin, like a smile 
Reposing calm on age’s furrowed brow— 
Sweet monitor ! an emblem sure I see 
Of virtue, and of virtue’s power, in thee. 
For though thou cheerest the dull ruin’s gloom, 
Still when thou’rt found upon the gay parterre, 
There thou art sweetest—fairest of the fair;— 
So virtue, while it robs of dread the tomb, 
Shines in the crown that youth and beauty wear, 
Being best of all the gems that glitter there. 
THE NAMING OF THE WALLFLOWER. 
HERRICK. 
Why this flower is now called so, 
List, sweet maids, and you shall know. 
Understand this firstling was 
Once a brisk and bonny lass, 
Kept as close as Danae was, 
Who a sprightly springald loved: 
And to have it fully proved, 
Up she got upon a wall, 
’Tempting down to slide withal ; 
But the silken twist untied, 
So she fell, and, bruised, she died. 
