Know ye the cap which Folly wears
In ancient masques and plays?
Does not the Columbine recall
That toy of olden days?
And is not folly reigning now
O’er many a wisdom-written brow?
’Tis Folly’s flower, that homely one;
That universal guest
Makes every garden but a type
Of every human breast;
For though ye tend both mind and bower,
There’s still a nook for Folly’s flower.
Then gather roses for the bride,
Twine them in her bright hair,
But, ere the wreath be done—oh! let
The Columbine be there.
For rest ye sure that follies dwell
In many a heart that loveth well.
Gather ye laurels for the brow
Of every prince of song!
For all, to whom philosophy
And wisdom do belong.
But ne’er forget to intertwine
A flower or two of Columbine.
Forget it not;—for even they,
The oracles of earth,
Mid all their wealth of golden thoughts,
Their wisdom and their worth,
Sometimes play pranks beneath the sky,
Would scarce become e’en such as I!
Weave ye an armful of that plant,
Choosing the darkest flowers,
With that red, blood-dipped wreath ye bring
The devastating powers
Of warrior, conqueror, or chief;
Oh! twine that full of Folly’s leaf!
And do ye ask me why this flower
Is fit for every brow?
Tell me but one where Folly ne’er
Hath dwelt, nor dwelleth now,
And I will then the laurel twine,
Unmingled with the Columbine.
Louisa A. Twamley.
Passion Flower.... Faith.
In the Passion Flower, we find a representation of the crown of thorns, the scourge, the cross, the sponge, the nails, and the five wounds of Christ. Hence its name and signification.