What could be nicer than to while away a summer's day in a garden of jasmine: 'a flower so appealing to the senses and eyes-...'a fragrance so sweet, beautiful..'
Jasmine covered wall of my stone house on Kotor Bay
Jasmine: from the Persian word 'yasameen', meaning 'a gift from God'; revered by ancient civilisations for its healing powers, its aphrodisiac qualities and prolific, star-like beauty.
In the garden at night she fills the balmy summer air with her exotic scent like an odalisque fills her boudoir with her seductive perfume.
That come hither scent which evokes exotic Persian nights and Tuscan gardens, and can conquer the hearts of even the most reluctant romantics at nightfall.
Throughout the years, jasmine's mystical healing powers and seductive beauty has spawned myths and legends that have spanned continents.
And so let us begin our journey in Italy with the tale of a gardener, his lover and a Grand Duke...
Marriage, Flowers and Fortunes
THE GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
In 1699, The Grand Duke of Tuscany was given a beautiful gift of Jasmine called Goa Jasione.
The beauty and fragrance of this rare variety was such that the Duke forbid his gardener to part with any cutting from the flower. However, the gardener was in love and cut some sprays of the Duke's jasmine to make a little posy for his lover.
The gardener's lover was so enamoured of the jasmine's perfume and beauty she planted a sprig from the posy in her garden. To her surprise the sprig grew into a plant.
Such was her success from raising a plant from this cutting that she was able to grow many more plants and sell them.This enabled her to marry her gardener.
And so the Tuscans thereafter said:
'She who is worthy to wear the jasmine wreath is worth a fortune to her husband'
Love, Sex and Sensuality
THE PERFUME OF LOVE
THE PERFUME OF LOVE
'Jasmine .....................the passionate seductress, gentle and charismatic,
bewitching all those who come into her presence.'
Valerie Worwood
A Girl Defending Herself against Eros, by William Adolphe Bouguereau
Kamadeva shooting his love-arrow at Shiva
Kama deva, Hindu god of love, riding his parrot chariot with jasmine tipped arrow
Jasmine covered pergola and gate in my garden on Kotor Bay.
Jasmine dripping from the pergola in my garden in May
Front wall of my home on Kotor Bay with Jasmine in full bloom
m
bewitching all those who come into her presence.'
Valerie Worwood
In India, the myth of Cupid and Eros is represented in the stories about Kama Deva, the Hindu god of love.
A youthful, handsome man, Kama is a often depicted on a chariot drawn by parrots or love birds carrying a bow and arrows. His bow is made of a sugar cane stalk.
A youthful, handsome man, Kama is a often depicted on a chariot drawn by parrots or love birds carrying a bow and arrows. His bow is made of a sugar cane stalk.
His arrows are tipped with a specific fragrant flower which causes the victim to be “lovestruck”. One of these arrows is tipped with jasmine.
Jasmine's erotic properties have long been understood and revered by Eastern and European cultures across the world. Used for centuries in the perfume industry it is often referred to as the King of Essences and forms the base of nearly all perfumes. Its relaxing properties and ability to melt emotional barriers has earned it its reputation as the essence that promotes intimacy. And in Hindu and Muslim traditions is revered as 'the perfume of love'.
My Garden of Jasmine
My garden on Kotor Bay
In early May, when the temperature rises, and the promise of summer is in the air, my jasmine opens its beautiful star-like flowers and fills the garden with heavenly scent.
Over my gate, along my front wall and dripping from my garden pergola, tiny, perfect white jasmine flowers glitter in the sunlight, and smother the garden in their fairytale whiteness.
m
In
a garden,
As
beautiful as heaven,
At
night Jasmine,
With
white silky lips,
Unfolded
its perfumed petals,
Blossoms
in ethereal beauty,
With
a creamy glow.
By
Salmabanu Hatim
from
his poem 'Jasmine and Rose'
All images and words © 2018 Flavia Brilli.
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