{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_24485/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_24485","id":"gutenberg_24485","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24485","summary":null,"tags":["Category: British Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Poetry","Children's Verse","Fairy poetry, English","Flowers -- Juvenile poetry","Gardens, English -- Juvenile poetry","Horticulture"],"text":"A FLORAL FANTASY IN AN OLD ENGLISH GARDEN\n\nBY WALTER CRANE\n\nNEW YORK & LONDON HARPER AND BROTHERS\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nA FLORAL FANTASY IN AN OLD ENGLISH GARDEN\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n  SET FORTH IN\n  VERSES & COLOURED\n  DESIGNS\n  BY\n  WALTER CRANE\n\n  LONDON: AT THE\n  HOUSE OF HARPER\n  AND BROTHERS:\n  1899\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD ENGLISH GARDEN\n\nA FLORAL PHANTASY\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  In an old world garden dreaming,\n  Where the flowers had human names,\n  Methought, in fantastic seeming,\n  They disported as squires and dames.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Of old in Rosamond's Bower,\n  With it's peacock hedges of yew,\n  One could never find the flower\n  Unless one was given the clue;\n  So take the key of the wicket,\n  Who would follow my fancy free,\n  By formal knot and clipt thicket,\n  And smooth greensward so fair to see\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  And while Time his scythe is whetting,\n  Ere the dew from the grass has gone,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The Four Seasons' flight forgetting,\n  As they dance round the dial stone;\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  With a leaf from an old English book,\n  A Jonquil will serve for a pen.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Let us note from the green arbour's nook,\n  Flowers masking like women and men.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  FIRST in VENUS'S LOOKING GLASS,\n  You may see where LOVE LIES BLEEDING,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  While PRETTY MAIDS all of them pass\n  With careless hearts quite unheeding.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Next, a knight with his flaming targe\n  See the DENT-DE-LION so bold\n  With his feathery crest at large,\n  On a field of the cloth of gold.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Simple honesty shows in vain\n  A fashion few seek to robe in,\n  While the poor SHEPHERD'S-PURSE is ta'en\n  By rascally RAGGED-ROBIN.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  COLTSFOOT\n  and\n  LARKSPUR\n\n  SPEEDWELL\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  In the race of the flowers that's run due,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  As the HARTSTONGUE pants at the well\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  And the HOUNDSTONGUE laps the SUNDEW.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Here's VENUS'-COMBE for MAIDENHAIR:\n  While KING-CUPS drink BELLA-DONNA,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Glad in purple and gold so fair,\n  Though the DEADLY NIGHTSHADE'S upon her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Behold LONDON PRIDE robed & crowned,\n  Ushered in by the GOLDEN ROD,\n  While a floral crowd press around,\n  Just to win from her crest a nod.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The FOXGLOVES are already on.\n  Not only in pairs but dozens;\n  They've come out to see all the fun,\n  With sisters and aunts and cousins.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The STITCHWORK looked up with a sigh\n  At BATCHELOR'S BUTTONS unsewn:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Single Daisies were not in her eye,\n  For the grass was just newly mown.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The HORSE-TAIL, 'scaped from WOLFE'S CLAW,\n  Rides off with a LADIES' LAGES.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The FRIAR'S-COWL hides a doctor of law,\n  And the BISHOP'S-WEED covers his grace's\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  The SNAPDRAGON opened his jaw,\n  But, at sight of Scotch THISTLE, turned pale:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  He'd too many points of the law\n  For a dragon without a scale.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Little JENNY-CREEPER lay low,\n  Till happy thoughts made her gladder;\n  How to rise in the world she'd know,\n  So she climbed up JACOB'S LADDER\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  SWEET WILLIAM with MARYGOLD\n  Seek HEARTSEASE in the close box-border.\n  Where, starched in their ruff's stiff fold,\n  DUTCH DAHLIAS prim, keep order.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  NARCISSUS bends over the brook,\n  Intent upon DAFFA-DOWN-DILLY:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  While EYEBRIGHT observes from her nook,\n  And wonders he could be so silly.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  A LANCE FOR A LAD 'gainst KING'S SPEAR.\n  When the BUGLE sounds for the play\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  A LADIES MANTLE flaunting there\n  Is the banner that leads the fray.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  KNIGHT'S SPUR to the LADIES BOWER\n  To seek for the LADIES SLIPPER.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  'Twas lost in the wood in a summer shower\n  When the CLOWN'S WORT tried to trip her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  TOAD-FLAX is spun for BUTTER-AND-EGGS\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  On a LADIES' CUSHION sits THRIFT\n  She never wastes, or steals, or begs,\n  But she can't give poor RAGWORT a lift.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  QUEEN OF THE MEADS is MEADOWSWEET,\n  In the realm of grasses wide:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  But not in all her court you meet\n  The turbaned TURK'S HEAD in his pride.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Fair BETHLEHEM' STAR shineth bright,\n  In a lowly place, as of old,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  And through the green gloom glows the light\n  Of ST. JOHN'S-WORT--a nimbus of gold.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  But the hours of the sun swift glide,\n  And the flowers with them are speeding.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  Though LOVE-IN-A-MIST may hide.\n  When Time's in the garden weeding.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  There's TRAVELLER'S JOY\n  To entwine,\n  At our journey's end for greeting,\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  We can talk over SOPS-IN-WINE,\n  And drink to our next merry meeting.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  PRINTED\n  BY\n  EDMUND\n  EVANS\n\n  BOUND\n  BY\n  LEIGHTON\n  SON &\n  HODGE\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: A FLORAL FANTASY]","title":"A floral fantasy in an old English garden","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":739}