THE LILY

Lilium: from the Greek word 'leirion'. Tall, elegant, this regal lady gloriously and assuredly rises from the soil in summer.

Singularly sensual, elegant and beautiful: She has no competitors.With her beauty she commands your eye; with her fragrance she commands your senses.

Sweet White Lily

I give you my sweet white Lily
My petals a treasure from heaven above.

  Soft and plush like that of crushed velvet.  Tender and pink do they lay beneath. My scent so gloriously enticing.
A most divine essence to behold. Petal upon sweet petal for you to unfold.  Detailed and like braille do you then trace.

 For my bud there under will you bequeath. At it's core, sticky and sweet does it reside. For you alone, the gift of my sweet white Lily

by Pandora

Calla Lily~a true sculptural beauty; it beguiles me every year. Soon as it appears in my garden, I am reminded of the great photographer Mapplethorpe whose beautiful photos of this flower are iconic. Photo by Flavia Brilli

Mythology

A symbol of purity. According to ancient Greek mythology, the lily flower was created from the breast milk of Hera, the Greek Goddess of Love and Marriage and the wife of Zeus.  However, Roman legend has it that when goddess of love, Venus, rose from the sea and saw the lily flower she was so consumed with jealousy of its beauty and purity that she caused an ugly pistil to grow from the flower's center. 

Below, the first picture of a lily which appeared in Crete around 1580 BC.

The minoan "fresco of the Lilies", found in Amnisos. Now exhibited in the Heraklion Archaelogical Museum.

All images and words © 2018 Flavia Brilli.

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