GARDENS OF THE EAST

Shannon News, 27 July 1928, Page 1

GARDENS OF THE EAST

Excepting the Garden of Eden, the most interesting gardens depicted ii the Old Testament are ■ indisputably those made by King Solomon. It is* not, surprising to find that this monarcl had every known type of Eastern gar den and no doubt so great a fiowci lover collected rarities from all part* of the known world. Wo have th( king's own word for it that he "re joiccd"'in the labour of making hi. gardens and orchards. (Eecles. 11. 4 '3, 6, 10). "Awake, O north wind; and eom< thou south; blow upon, my garden that the spices thereof may flow out' (Cant. IV 16). If the Song of Sbngtis the most beautiful and mystic gar den lyric, it is above all the lyric ol the scented garden. The garden lover of the ancient -East delighted hv Frag rancor whereas we look'mostly for col oiir: and' form... Much :M the old frag ranee of flowers has been lost and wit! it one of the most exquisite pleasure of a garden. For the sense of smc! is the most imaginative of the senses It is remarkable how much valuo i attached throughout the Bible tofra franco, and it is noteworthy that th> nearest approach to our generic won "flower" is the Hebrew bosero which means " scented plants.' "Blessed be Jehovah who gives us al things good, even pleasant smells fo our noses." . The Song of Songs .is ful of tho honeyed sweetness of richl. scented plants, the most poetic, per haps, being the reference to the ex quisitc scent of newly opened vine blossoms (Cant..ll 13). " We find that Solomon's herb garde) was a typical Eastern herb gardei that is, a garden consisting chiefly o sweet-scented shrubs—" camphire wit! spikenard and with saffron; cala mus and cinnamon, with all trees frankincense; myrrh and aloes, wit;; all the chief spices."'lt is quite por siblc that Solomon grew all these, fo in common with the luxury-loving nioh archs of Babylonia. Persia and Egyp! he doubtless sought far and wide f 6.. costly perfumes and scented plants . Camphire (L'aws'onia alba) is tho henn. of the Arabs, a • beautiful flowerin shrub with' fragrant white flowers. T this day. the., street-sellers in Cairo cr "O henna, henna, fragrance of th fifth paradise! "—Eleanour Sinclai Roh'dc, in "Garden-Craft in the Bib! and Oth'cr Essays."'