ABC Wednesday

Todays letter is i

i is for Iris

The Iris takes its name from the Greek word "Rainbow" and comes in a wide spectrum of colours

Meanings of Iris - faith, hope, wisdom, courage and admiration

I am Iris: I`m the daughter
Of the marshland and the water
Looking down, I see the gleam
Of the clear and peaceful stream,
Water lilies large and fair
With their leaves are floating there;
All the water-world I see,
And my own face smiles at me!
The Greek Goddess Iris was the messenger of the Gods, and in particular the Goddess Hera, she was the personification of the rainbow, and acted as the link between heaven and earth.
Purple iris`s were planted over the graves of woman to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey.
During the middle ages, the meaning of iris`s became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis evenually became the national symbol of France.
White Iris, how pure, how lovely, like a virgin
In her starched lawn fete dress
Iris, pallid blue, gold veined,
And as if coloured from dawn chills,
Or from the yellow-fingered touching
Of curious starlight
Purple Iris
Streaked with amethystine memories of the night,
Health-glossed and firm are those ripe wings
Of Oriental butterflies
So in my garden
Undulating ranks of Iris
Slimly holding their broad flat blooms,
(like tripods of incense)
Aloft towards the moist spearing
Of morning sunlight.
Michael Strange.

ABC Wednesday Mr Linky