THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20290, 24 December 1927, Page 3

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

OLD CUSTOMS RECALLED. . In every brightly flowering garden the air nowadays is full of talk. Each bud that bursts into bloom brings a message to swell the chorus of its kind. The garden sings inaudibly of the whims and foibles of mankind. Forget-me-nots and pansies speak for constancy and thoughtfulness. _ The lily commands, and the violet shrinks. The daisy, plucked petal by petal, tells whether “be”, loves or not; the buttercup held under the chin divines a fondness for butter; the fluffy puff of the dandelion blown in the direction of a lover carries one’s thoughts and tells in turn of his thoughts—if but one little feather is left on the stalk. This much of the flower language the average man knows, but mostly people pay little attention to what the flowers say. Savants could tell them that they make a great mistake, for they are suffering a delicately sentimental language to die. They are also spurning the services of messengers that might say what they mean to say much more gracefully and tactfully than they could themselves.

Thus, the meadow saffron sighs: “My best days are The mignonette suggests: “Your qualities surpass your charms.” Of “false riches "the sunflower warns. Nasturtiums proclaim patriotism and the peony anger. The hollyhock speaks of ambition and the hyacinth of constancy. The lady-slipper marks beauty stamped with caprice; the larkspur whispers of fancy winging its flight. Tfae wallflower tells of fidelity in adversity, the narcissus bespeaks self-love and the white water-lily purity. In olden times the receipt of a bouquet brought great flutterings to the feminine breast. The maiden buried her nose in the posy, not just for the fragrance, but also to discover the secret of her lover’s heart. Every bud and spray had some hidden meaning. If, having read her bouquet, the maiden wished to reply, she might do so by a blossom favoured in her frock or tucked in her hair.

If a lady received a bouquet of roses, lilies, laurel, and forget-me-not, she should interpret it in this case (writes a garden sage of the past): “ The flower of innocence, when kissed by the rose, blushes as thou wouldst blush at the approach of love. The proud laurel denotes thy beauty’s proud triumph. The tender forget-me-not is the emblem of eternal constancy.”

In the answer much depended on the way in which the flower was worn. In its natural position it indicated an affirmative state of mind—negative, if reversed. “ For instance,” continues the writer, "a rosebud with its leaves and thorns indicates fear and hope; but if reversed, it must be construed as saying: ‘You may neither fear nor hope.’ Again, divest the same rosebud of its thorns ami it permits the most sanguine hope; deprive it of its petals and retain the thorns and the worst fears may bo entertained.”

The marigold, the sign of grief and pain, told of the bitter sweets and pleasant pains of love. If placed on the head, it signified a troubled mind: on the heart the pangs of love; on the bosom, the disgust of ennui. If presented with other flowers it delivered a little moral Ifecture on the mingled good and evil of life; combined with poppies, the symbol of consolation, it might be read; “I will allay your pain.” And here is another refinement; “The pronoun ‘l’ is expressed by inclining the symbol to the right; thou to the left.” In mediaeval France, where much was made of tho significance of colours and every emotion was thus illustrated, red became the colour of love and the red rose became love’s messenger. Could anything be more fitting? For, according to ancidnt tradition, vvas it not Venus’s blood that stained the white rose, her foot being pricked once when she hastened to the aid of Adonis?