The Language of Flowers" by Cui Ying, published by Life, Reading, and New Knowledge.
Tian Jiru. There are many poems related to flowers, and these poems, whether it is written in the British 19th century poet Wordsworth's "Narcissus", "So my heart is full of happiness, and I dance with the narcissus", or the female poet Li Qingzhao of the Song Dynasty in China, "The wind lives in the dust and the fragrant flowers are exhausted, and I am tired of combing my hair day and night." Things are people, and they don't have to do anything, and they want to cry first", all candles illuminate the tradition of human empathy. It can be seen that flowers have long been not only symbols in botany, but also concrete representations of human emotions. In his new book, The Language of Flowers: The Secrets of Flowers and Plants in Classical British Prints (hereinafter referred to as "The Language of Flowers"), the author explores the past and present, quotes scriptures, and tells the little-known anecdotes of flowers and plants. The first half of the book details the history and legends of 24 types of flowers, as well as related literary works and celebrity anecdotesThe second half gives a brief introduction to the appearance and posture of 136 other flowers. After reading it, I can't help but sigh: despite the huge cultural differences between the East and the West, the same flower contains similar cultural imagery, evoking the common emotional ups and downs of human beings.
The first flower introduced in The Language of Flowers is the camellia. Looking at the axis of history, we can gain insight into the origin and inheritance of flower imagery. Camellia was brought to England from China in 1689, when it was just an ordinary plant. In the 19th century, the French writer Alexandre Dumas's La Traviata built the core of a poignant love symbol. Since then, the camellia has gradually become a metaphor for the expression of human emotions. French designer Coco Chanel was deeply influenced by the metaphor of the camellia in La Traviata. The man she loves marries someone else and ends up dying in a car accident, and this unfulfilled love is like a remake of the story of "La Traviata". Later, the camellia became the symbol of Chanel's products, commemorating her unforgettable love.
The dog rose (wild rose) is another flower that makes people feel emotionally introduced in "The Language of Flowers". The canine rose resonates with the female power at the same frequency. Elizabeth I, the last queen of the Tudor dynasty of England, loved the white rose, which gave the rose a background color of independence and self-reliance. In the 19th century, the famous British female writer Emily Brontë compared friendship to wild roses in the poem "Love and Friendship", and praised the importance of friendship in life. This celebration of friendship is once again confirmed in her ** "Wuthering Heights". The devastating and passionate love and friendship between the protagonists Catherine and Heathcliff is also a reflection of Emily's own emotional attitude. In British history, these remarkable women poured their emotions into the rose, highlighting the connection between feminine power and the rose. In The Language of Flowers, the author writes: "They are very much like the canine roses they like—they grow freely, they strike people with their dark fragrances, and they are enchanting in every morning and dusk."seems to be delicate and weak, but has enough edge to protect himself. ”
On the synchronic axis, the imagery of flowers also appears to subtly coincide. In Greek mythology, the Greek nymph Paonia fell in love with the sun god Apollo and was resented by Aphrodite, who turned her into a peony. This legend implies that those who love each other cannot stay together. In ancient China, peony was also called "will leave". In the "Book of Songs", men and women give each other peonies to express their feelings of farewell: "Weishi and women, Yiqi scorn each other, and give them peonies." "When parting, give peony to each other, like folding willows, to express the pain of separation of people who love each other. In addition, the healing effect of peony also makes it a good omen in both Chinese and Western cultures. The Language of Flowers provides another legend about the origin of the peony: the Greek physician Payne used the peony to cure the Hades of his illness, only to be jealous of his teacher Asclepius. In order to protect Payne from being poisoned by his teacher, Zeus turned him into a peony. Therefore, in the eyes of Westerners, peony not only has the power to heal diseases, but also can compete with demons. In ancient China, peony could also bring good news to people. For example, Ji Yun wrote in "Notes on Reading Wei Caotang": "I know that this flower is a good omen, such as Yangzhou peony, and occasionally opens a gold belt," this passage reflects the imagination of the ancient Chinese people about the beautiful meaning of peony.
The Language of Flowers presents the time and space travel of flowers, which is a process of multiple interpretations and generation of culture. In the process, we see that human emotions and the way they are represented are connected. "Looking at humanity to transform the world", the intersection of the language of flowers in time and synchronicity allows people to see the dialogue and casting between different cultures.
*: Wen Wei Po).