Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-05-28
FLOWER LEGENDS

ogy OF It's name, inspired the lively imagi
nation OF the men of old with fable, or
establishment Of a simple history, which
received from them kind of pleasant &C.
Ceptance, willing credence. All the po-
cts who sing we'll Of flowers have secured
a good hearing the vory names of plants
smell sweet and bloom in the dust" of
I old literature, and in almost forgotten
songs. The Pensions press their sentn
ments into the mouths of flowers, and
arrange their boquets dramatically In
all civilized nations they are the types and
symbols Of loveiness, innocence and
fteshnCss, of unqueStioned and unques-
tioning beauty.
When Venus first appeared rising from
the troth of the sea, roses are said To have
sprung simultaneously from the earth, and
the GIaces fastening to attend her, crown.
ed themselves with the novel flower in
honor Of the new divinity. The roses
which then appeared were white and
none displayed any other tint till the death
Of Adonis, when Venus fastening bare
footed to the assistance of her beloved.
trod upon rose which wounded her with
its thorns, and being stained with her
blood, ever after retaining tie crimson
hue.
Associated with the Narcissus, we have
the following
Narcissus was youth Of BmOtn, of.
whom Tiresias, the soothsaycr, ioretold
! that he should live happily until he saY
his own face, but that would be fatal to
him On account Of his surprising beaur
/ ty, the nymph Echo became desperately
] 4, - l,,, H., IL /
love, and she pined away with grief, till
nothing remained Ct her but her voice,
| and even that lost the power OF utterance
I beyond repeating the last svlablo of sen,
tence. Narcissus, heated 10y the chase,
went 10 drink from a clear calm riviulet
and there for the first time, beheld his
own image reflected in the water. lie be,
came SO fond of himself, that he would
never leave the spot where his beauty had
been revealed to him. but gazing till he
had wasted away, was changed by the gods
| into the dover that bears his name.
| Hyaciuthus, being beautiful and accom-.
| plisheG, was so highly esteemed by APP
polio, that Iephyrus, incense at the youths
GOODNESS and indifference, determined on
! his destruction Ono day, when AppOll0
and Hyacinthus were playing quoits, Zey
| phyrus, hidden among the tleecy clouds,
directed with his breath the quot flung
| by AppoIo full upon the head of the un-
| fortunate prince, who instantly fell dead.
Great was the grief of the sun~god, who,
to commem crate his victim by their grace
and beauty, caused hy0cia!hJ to spring from
| his blood.
In connection with flowers comes in the
] Il Of ha &C
who, on the Nysian plain, accompanied
ty the ocean nymphs, was plucking flow
ers.-She culled the rose, the violet, the
crocus, the hyacinth and beholding a
narcissus of rare size and beauty, she
stretched her hand to gather it, when the
earth opened, and Pluto, arising in his
golden chariot, seized her and bore her
away. Ceres her mother, heard her cries,
but Knows not who has stolen her, nor
whittier she has hed.-Hchos, however,
(the sun betrayed the secret and tells
her that Joye permitted it.-"Then Ceres,
| disgusted, leftheaven and dwelt amongmor.
tails" But she would not allow the corn>
TO sprout, and threatened with the des-
structon of his subjects on earth, Jove
beseeches her TO return to heaven to which
she consents on one condition - tho resto-
ration of her daughter, who at length re-
! turns, bat not till she has eaten pome-
granate given to her by Pluto, through
which she was compelled to return and
! pass q third of the year, with her internal
husband, "for Pluto dwelt in Hades." And
what is Prospertiue but seed corn, which
being cast into the ground, remains hidI
den there till it appears upon the surface,
and though not delaying to sprout for Il
third of n year, yet it is about that time
from the sowing Of the grain 70 its rpen-
ed fullness Of the ear.
Turning to the Christian era, we find
that the priests of the early church enls-
ted flowers into their service. They com~
piled at catalogue Of flowers for each day,
dedicnting each 10 some particular saint
on account of its Towering E bout the time
of the saints festival. Every one knows
the aspen, ever moving, ever trembling
/ in the caImest summer day, the legend Of
which runs as follows;
As the angel of death noareG the cross
on which he hung, who "considereth the
| lilies how they grow" he dashed the cup
OF bitterness full al its foot and the as.
pen that grew, for out OF one Of them the
cross was made shuddering at the daring
of the deed, inherited forever the trem
bling throes Of the dying Deity.
The Shamrock, the national emblem of
one Of Britain's fairest isles, has its Chris.
tian legend thus 81. Patricius, unable to
make his hearers comprehend the mean
ing Of the word trinity, desparingly cast
his eyes on the ground in prayer for some
means whereby he might Tighten the
Gentiles," when spying the little trefoil
shamrock at his feet, he plucked it, and
holding it up on high, pointed to three
leaves on the stem as the emblem OF his
doctrine, to the easy comprehension his
| listeners.
To the beautiful little flower the forget.
menot, with its blue, like the tint of a
summer sky, and its golden eye, bright as
hope, il attached legend known to most
of our readers, thought it will not be amiss
to repeat it. A German knight with his
lady love, we're walking on the banks of
the Danube, when the fair one saw tuft
of the myoSotiS in the stream, and express.
i l. ~ ,y;eh for ~ With oil ohiyalro,g al