FLOWERS.
"In the celestial spheres, flowers breathe music as well as fragrance."
Allusion has been made to the use of flowers at the "choice" meetings, as the medium through which the maiden indicates the gentleman on whom her choice has fallen.
Flowers are very beautiful in Montalluyah. They are highly cultivated, and great pains are bestowed upon them; their names are given to stars and to women, so that often a lady will at once be associated with a beautiful flower and a brilliant star.
Every flower has a well-known language of its own; many convey comparatively long expressions of emotion, both pleasing and the reverse, and the meaning of each may be qualified or increased by its union with others. In the language of flowers all at an early age are instructed. The meaning associated with each flower is universally understood, its name at once conveying its language as distinctly as though the whole of the sentence were spoken in so many words. Indeed many interesting, and even long conversations are carried on between a gentleman and lady through a floral medium.
A young lady, instead of entering into conversation or expressing her sentiments in words, may present a flower either in the first instance or by way of answer. A married lady receiving visitors has generally fresh flowers at hand, which she often separates to present one to the visitor.
The following are instances of language associated with flowers:—
Vista Rodo.—A plant bearing a little flower like a diamond in transparency and brilliancy, and exhaling from every green leaf a beautiful perfume.
"The stars in heaven thou makest to blush by the sweetness of thy
breath."
"I deny not that they possess thy brilliancy,
But thy fragrance they deplore.
May I hope for the boon of thy lustre near me
Through the journey of life,
To teach me to be happy,
To cultivate my admiration of the beautiful,
To bid me seek the joys of home,
And teach me the greatness of my Maker!"
Oronza.—A flower unknown to your planet. It is white, the centre studded with little spots in relief, so closely resembling turquoise and pearls that unless touched they might be mistaken for real stones placed on the flower.
"At sight of thee, malignity flies away and the spirits of peace and goodness surround me, encouraging me to all great and noble deeds, making me forget to look back on my folly, and bidding me gaze forward into the future and the realms of hope.
"You exalt me; you purify me; say you will part from me no more."
Mosca.—The moss rose.
…."Come to me,
Thy virtues are more brilliant than precious stones;
Thy breath exhales intoxicating perfume;
Thy beauty is a continual feast.
Tell me thy heart shall be my haven,
To my bosom I will press thee,
And thy leaves shall embrace me with their fragrant affection."
Each kind of rose has its separate language. Thus, Javellina, the single-leaf hedge-rose, is associated with lines indicative of "the sweet purity of youth." Angellina, the white rose, is associated with lines indicative of "gentle endurance and pure love;" and Orvee, the yellow rose, with lines indicative of "affection combined with jealousy."
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Some flowers have qualified, some disagreeable meanings attached to them.
No man, however nearly allied to a lady, or however great his cause for displeasure may be, is allowed to say to her anything unpleasant except through the medium of flowers.
The only exception is in favour of the husband, whose privilege is seldom used; not only because it is thought more civilised to use flowers as the medium on such occasions, but more especially because marriages are now so well assorted that occasion for complaint scarcely arises on either side.
At the marriage meetings flowers having the slightest disagreeable words attached to them are strictly forbidden.
As an example of flowers having a qualified or disagreeable import take the following:—
Ragopargee.—The white lily.
"Cold but truthful, and as constant as the drops of Mount Isione."
In a small recess of Mount Isione two drops of water, clear as crystal, constantly fall, having percolated the rock above. As soon as two drops have fallen two others succeed, two being the invariable number. The interval between the fall of each pair of drops is equal and scarcely perceptible.
These drops never cease to fall night or day, and they have already by this accumulation formed a lake at the base of the mountain.
Voulervole—Convolvulus.
"False allurements!
Thy beauty is to please but for a day,
Like the magnet it attracts us,
And then thou wouldst make us weep
By fading before our eyes.
"Go, fickle flower,
For thou shalt not be mine
Until more lasting; thou canst learn to be."
Mooreska.—Fuchsia.
"Thy beauty is dazzling;
But, alas! its bloom will fade
The nearer we approach.
For thy external attractions find no echo within.
I can never take thee to my bosom."
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Romeafee.—The pink lily. This flower is associated with excessive love of dress, and the language attached to it ends with the words.
"As glaring to the eye as Kiloom."
The gorgeous appearance of sunset is personified in poetical legends by a master spirit, called "Kiloom."
The colours of sunset are gaudy and vivid beyond measure, and cast intense hues on all objects. Our sunsets, though grand, are far from being so agreeably soothing as those in your planet, but they leave an after-glow, which gives light during the night when darkness would otherwise prevail.
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Flowers are profusely used in our great festivals. I collect a fête given to me on the occasion of an anniversary, when there appeared a cavalcade of one hundred camelopards, bearing each on its back a kiosk, in which was a beautiful woman. All the camelopards were united together, as it seemed to the eye, by wreaths of flowers, though in fact these concealed strong thongs, with which the animals were really secured. Each animal was attended by a swarthy native of the country whence it came.