I have been thinking
about living
like the lilies
that blow in the fields.
LILIES
Mary Oliver

it says nothing at all
but just stands there
with the patience of vegetables
and saints
until the whole earth
has turned around
and the silver moon
becomes the golden sun
as the lily absolutely
knew it would
which is itself, isn't it
the perfect prayer?
*

The white "Madonna Lily"
was yellow until Mary stooped
to pick it.

A Native American legend says
that the water lily was once a star
that fell from the sky and,
striking the water,
changed into a flower.

Roman legend has it that when Venus rose from the sea,
she saw a lily and became filled with
jealousy and envy,
seeing it as a rival to her own beauty.

Tradition has it that when Eve left
the Garden of Eden she shed
tears of remorse,
and from those remorseful tears
sprung up lilies.

And the stately lilies stand
fair in the silvery light,
like saintly vestals, pale in prayer;
their pure breath sanctifies the air,
as its fragrance fills the night.
Julia Dorr

For her, the lilies hang their heads and die
PASTORALS
Alexander Pope

She had three lilies in her hand,
And the stars in her hair were seven.
Dante Rossetti

The Fleur-de-lis,"flower of the lily", is actually an Iris--
sometimes known as the Florintine Lily.
*

Now my innocence begins to weigh me down
Jean Racine

The "lotus" depicted in tomb paintings of
ancient Egypt is also known as the "lily of the Nile."
It is not a true lotus, but a blue water lily
*

Lilies have been closely associated
with Satyrs and were considered
to be a phallic symbol by the Pagans of old.

Thou wert not, Solomon! in all thy glory
Array'd," the lilies cry, "in robes like ours;
How vain your grandeur! Ah, how transitory
Are human flowers!
HYMN TO THE FLOWERS
Horace Smith