Clement, Ernest W.

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THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR.BY ERNEST W. CLEMENT, .M . A.VIII. THE LOTUS.THE lotus is prc-c'inincntly tlie ilowcr of lUiddhisni. ll is "saidto be the kini;- of flowers in India, and is conse([uentl_\' en-titled to precedence on the toko-no-uia. It is often called Ilofokcno liana, or the 'Flower of the Buddhist Spirits.' and on accountof its religious clvaracter is disliked for occasions of rejoicing'."It is the emblem of purity, because "it grows unsullied out of then.iud" : it "forms the resting-place of r)ud(lha" : and "the fortunateentrance to Paradise is seated" upon it. ^^'hen two lovers used tocommit suicide together their motto was as folU)\vs:^ ''Flasn noliana no nc iti oifc niakin." "( )n the lotus-blossoms of paradise theyshall rest together."The popular conceptions of the lotus are further illustrated bythe folk )wing quotations : -"Though growing in the foulest slime, the llower remainspure and undefiled. And the soul of him who remains ever purein the midst of temi:)tation is likened unto the lotus.- Therefore isthe lotus carven or painted ui)on the furniture of temples, there-fore also does it appear in all the rt'presentatious of our LordBuddha. In Paradise the blessed shall sit upon the cups of goldenlotus-flowers."In Tokyo the pond near U}eno is famous for its lotus: liutone of the largest and loveliest ponds in Japan is said to be atHikone on Lake P)iwa. This was visited by Mr. 11. T. Fiuck. authorof Lotus Time in Japan, in which, however, he attempts no de-'Hearn's GUinpscs of Unfauiiliar Japan"Like a lotus-tlower growing in the mud" i.^ a common Japanese pro-verb. Other .sayings refer to "a pure and beautiful woman in a haunt ofvice" and "a man of stainless honor in a wicked world."500 THE OPEN COURT.scription of the lotus. He says: "But how can any one be expectedto sketch this marvellous flower in words, when even a great paintercan give but a vague idea of its beauty?" He then quotes Mr.Alfred Parsons in the following confession : "The lotus is one ofthe most difficult plants which it has ever been my lot to try andpaint ; the flowers are at their best only in the early morning, andeach blossom, after it has opened, closes again before noon the firstday ; on the second day its petals drop. The leaves are so large andTHE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR. 5OISO full of modelling that it is impossible to generalize them as amass ; each one has to be carefully studied, and every breath ofwind disturbs their delicate balance and completely alters theirforms. Besides this,their glaucous surface, like that of a cabbageleaf, reflects every passing phase of the sky, and is constantlychanging in color as clouds pass over.""Children use the big [lotus] leaves for sunshades, the seedsfor marbles or to eat" ; and the people eat lotus roots without for-getting their native land ! Mr. Finck also states that the conun-drum, "When is a pond not a pond?" is answered by saying,"When it has no lotus in it."The lotus is, of course, a favorite subject of Japanese art:"its leaves are usually gemmed with dew-drops, and this effectthe artist seizes upon at once."^ In this connection Mr Huish alsoquotes the following poem:"Oh ! Lotus leaf, I dreamt that the whole earthHeld nought more pure than thee; held nought more true:Why, then, when on thee rolls a drop of dew,Pretend that 'tis a gem of priceless woith?"Heuzen, A. D. 836—856.'Huish's Japan and Its Art.

The Japanese Floral Calendar. VIII. The Lotus.

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The Japanese Floral Calendar. VIII. The Lotus.

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