The language of flowers

by Henrietta Dumont

Burns.

DEATH OF THE FLOWERS.

The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year,
Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sere.
Heaped in the hollow of the grove, the withered leaves lie dead;
They rustle to the eddying gust and to the rabbit’s tread.
The robin and the wren are flown, and from the shrub the jay,
And from the wood-top calls the crow, through all the gloomy day.
Where are the flowers, the young fair flowers, that lately sprang and stood,
In brighter light and softer airs, a beauteous sisterhood?
Alas! they all are in their graves; the gentle race of flowers
Are lying in their lonely beds, with the fair and good of ours.
The rain is falling where they lie: but the cold November rain
Calls not, from out the gloomy earth, the lovely ones again.
The wind-flower and the violet, they perished long ago,
And the wild-rose and the orchis died, amid the summer glow;
But on the hill the golden-rod, and the aster in the wood,
And the yellow sunflower by the brook, in autumn beauty stood,
Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven, as falls the plague on men,
And the brightness of their smile was gone, from upland, glade, and glen.
And now, when comes the calm mild day, as still such days will come,
To call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home;
When the sound of dropping nuts is heard, though all the trees are still,
And twinkle in the smoky light the waters of the rill,
The south wind searches for the flowers whose fragrance late he bore,
And sighs to find them in the wood and by the streams no more.
And then I think of one who in her youthful beauty died,
The fair meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side:
In the cold moist earth we laid her, when the forest cast the leaf,
And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief:
Yet not unmeet it was that one, like that young friend of ours,
So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flowers.

Bryant.

Dictionary of Flowers,
WITH THEIR EMBLEMATIC SIGNIFICATIONS.

Acacia	Friendship.
—— Rose	Elegance.
Acanthus	The Arts.
Achillea millefolia	War.
Adonis, Flos	Painful Recollections.
Agrimony	Thankfulness.
Almond-tree	Indiscretion.
Aloe	Grief.
Amaranth	Immortality.
Amaryllis	Pride.
Anemone	Forsaken.
——, Field	Sickness.
Angelica	Inspiration.
Angrec	Royalty.
Apple blossom	Preference.
Ash tree	Grandeur.
Asphodel	My Regrets follow you to the Grave.
Aster, China	Variety.
——	After-thought.
Balm of Gilead	Cure.
—— Gentle	Joking.
Balsam	Impatience.
Barberry	Sourness of temper.
Basil	Hate.
Beech	Prosperity.
Bilberry	Treachery.
Bladder-nut	Frivolous amusement.
Borage	Bluntness.
Box tree	Stoicism.
Bramble	Envy.
Broom	Humility.
——	Ardour.
Buck-bean	Calm repose.
Bugloss	Falsehood.
Bulrush	Indiscretion.
Burdock	Touch me not.
Buttercup	Ingratitude.
Cactus, Virginia	Horror.
Canterbury Bell	Constancy.
Catchfly	Snare.
Champignon	Suspicion.
Cherry tree	Good education.
Chestnut tree	Do me justice.
Chicory	Frugality.
Cinquefoil	Beloved daughter.
Circæa	Spell.
Clematis	Artifice.
Clot-bur	Rudeness.
Clove tree	Dignity.
Columbine	Folly.
Convolvulus, Night	Night.
Coriander	Hidden merit.
Corn	Riches.
Cornbottle	Delicacy.
Cornel Cherry tree	Durability.
Cowslip, American	You are my divinity.
Cress	Resolution.
Crown Imperial	Power.
Cuscuta	Meanness.
Cypress	Mourning.
Daffodil	Self-love.
Daisy	Innocence.
——, Garden	I share your sentiments.
——, Wild	I will think of it.
Dandelion	The rustic oracle.
Day-Lily, Yellow	Coquetry.
Dittany	Childbirth.
Dock, Patience	Patience
Dodder	Meanness.
Ebony tree	Blackness.
Eglantine	Poetry.
Fennel	Strength.
Fig	Longevity.
Fir tree	Elevation.
Flax	I feel your kindness.
Flower-de-Luce	Flame.
Forget-Me-Not	Forget me not.
Fraxinella	Fire.
Fuller’s Teasel	Misanthropy.
Geranium, Pencilled leaf	Ingenuity.
——, Rose-scented	Preference.
——, Scarlet	Stupidity.
——, Sorrowful	Melancholy mind.
——, Wild	Steadfast piety.
Grass	Utility.
Hawthorn	Hope.
Hazel	Peace, reconciliation.
Heart’s-ease	Think of me.
Heath	Solitude.
Heliotrope, Peruvian	Devoted attachment.
Hellenium	Tears.
Hepatica	Confidence.
Holly	Foresight.
Hollyhock	Ambition.
Honeysuckle	Generous and devoted affection.
Hop	Injustice.
Hornbeam	Ornament.
Horse-chestnut	Luxury.
Hortensia	You are cold.
Hyacinth	Game, play.
Ice-plant	Your looks freeze me.
Ipomæa	I attach myself to you.
Iris	Message.
Ivy	Friendship.
Jasmine	Amiableness.
——, Carolina	Separation.
——, Indian	I attach myself to you.
Jonquil	Desire.
Juniper	Protection.
Larch	Boldness.
Larkspur	Lightness.
Laurel	Glory.
Laurustinus	I die if neglected.
Lavender	Mistrust.
Leaves, Dead	Sadness, melancholy.
Lilac	First emotions of love.
——, White	Youth.
Lily	Majesty.
Lily of the Valley	Return of happiness.
Linden tree	Conjugal love.
Liverwort	Confidence.
London Pride	Frivolity.
Lotus	Eloquence.
Lucern	Life.
Madder	Calumny.
Maiden Hair	Secrecy.
Mallow	Beneficence.
Manchineel tree	Falsehood.
Mandrake	Rarity.
Maple	Reserve.
Marigold	Grief.
——, Prophetic	Prediction.
—— and Cypress	Despair.
Marvel of Peru	Timidity.
Meadow Saffron	My best days are past.
Mezereon	Coquetry.
——	Desire to please.
Mignonette	Your qualities surpass your charms.
Milkwort	Hermitage.
Mistletoe	I surmount all difficulties.
Moonwort	Forgetfulness.
Moss	Maternal Love.
Mulberry tree, Black	I shall not survive you.
——, White	Wisdom.
Musk-plant	Weakness.
Myrobolan	Privation.
Myrtle	Love.
Narcissus	Self-love.
Nettle	Cruelty.
Nightshade, Bitter-sweet	Truth.
——, Enchanter’s	Spell.
Nosegay	Gallantry.
Oak	Hospitality.
Olive	Peace.
Ophrys, Spider	Skill.
Orange Flower	Chastity.
—— tree	Generosity.
Orchis, Bee	Error.
Parsley	Festivity.
Passion Flower	Faith.
Peppermint	Warmth of feeling.
Periwinkle	Tender recollections.
Pine-apple	You are perfect.
Pink	Pure love.
——, Yellow	Disdain.
Plane tree	Genius.
Plum tree	Keep your promises.
——, Wild	Independence.
Poplar, Black	Courage.
——, White	Time.
Poppy	Consolation.
——	Sleep.
——, White	My bane, my antidote.
Potato	Beneficence.
Primrose	Childhood.
——, large-flowered Evening	Inconstancy.
Privet	Prohibition.
Quince	Temptation.
Ranunculus	You are radiant with charms.
Reeds	Music.
Rose	Love.
——, Hundred-leaved	Grace.
——, Monthly	Beauty ever new.
——, Musk	Capricious beauty.
——, Single	Simplicity.
——, White	Silence.
——, Withered	Fleeting beauty.
——, Yellow	Infidelity.
Rosebud	A young girl.
——, White	A heart unacquainted with love.
Rosemary	Your presence revives me.
Rue, Wild	Morals.
Rush	Docility.
Saffron	Beware of excess.
Sage	Esteem.
Sainfoil, Shaking	Agitation.
St. John’s Wort	Superstition.
Sardonia	Irony.
Sensitive Plant	Chastity.
Snapdragon	Presumption.
Snowdrop	Hope.
Sorrel, Wood	Joy.
Speedwell	Fidelity.
Spindle-tree	Your charms are engraven on my heart.
Star of Bethlehem	Purity.
Stock	Lasting beauty.
——, Ten Week	Promptness.
Stonecrop	Tranquility.
Straw, Broken	Rupture of a contract.
——, Whole	Union.
Strawberry	Perfection.
Sunflower	False riches.
Sweet Sultan	Happiness.
Sweet William	Finesse.
Sycamore	Curiosity.
Syringa	Fraternal.
Tansey, Wild	I declare war against you.
Tendrils of climbing plants	Ties.
Thistle	Surliness.
Thorn-apple	Deceitful charms.
Thrift	Sympathy.
Thyme	Activity.
Tremella Nostoc	Resistance.
Truffle	Surprise.
Tuberose	Dangerous pleasures.
Tulip	Declaration of love.
Tussilage, Sweet-scented	Justice shall be done to you.
Valerian	An accommodating disposition.
——, Greek	Rupture.
Venus’s Looking-glass	Flattery.
Veronica	Fidelity.
Vervain	Enchantment.
Vine	Intoxication.
Violet	Modesty.
——, White	Innocence, candour.
Wallflower	Fidelity in misfortune.
Walnut	Stratagem.
Whortleberry	Treachery.
Willow, Weeping	Mourning.
Wormwood	Absence.
Yew	Sorrow.

The Calendar of Flowers.

The Roman Catholic monks, or the observers of the Roman Catholic ritual, have compiled a Catalogue of Flowers for every day in the year, and dedicated each flower to a particular saint, on account of its blooming about the time of that saint’s festival. These appropriations form a complete Calendar of the Flowers.

The figures attached express the year in which the saint died.