14 
LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
princely palace of Jerusalem, even our most learned 
and grave commentators have been compelled to 
acknowledge : showing that the language in which 
we express our admiration of the matchless love¬ 
liness of woman, approaches so near our imperfect 
utterance of the adoration of heaven, that it is Love 
which first teaches us to lisp the holier thoughts 
that are wafted upward, and on the wings of prayer 
borne to the abode of the angels. In what a sea of 
bliss must the heart of the monarch have floated 
when, looking out from his casement over the green 
gardens of Jerusalem, he saw the whole landscape 
steeped in sunshine, as if thrown back and reflected 
from a mirror of gold; and gently awaking his 
beautiful and dark-eyed Egyptian bride, he breathed 
into her ear a sweet lay of love,—told her that the 
flowers had again appeared on the earth, that the 
singing-birds had returned from distant climes, and 
the voice of the turtle was heard in the land,—that 
the grapes threw out a sweet smell, and the young 
roes were feeding amongst the lilies. He bade her 
come forth and show her beauty, like an apple-tree 
in full blossom amid the greenery of the surrounding 
woods. While he murmured in her ear, and placed 
his left hand under her head, and she looked back 
upon him with half-averted eyes ;—the banner that 
waved over him was Love. He led her forth by 
the hand, and as her sable tresses blew back in the 
