Poetry: The Virtues of the Violet: Gen

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Title: The Virtue of the Violets
Rating: Gen
Length: 90
Poetic Form: Quatern
Author's Note: The Language of Flowers gives faithfulness as the meaning of blue violets, watchfulness for the dame violet, and rustic happiness for the yellow violet. The stanzas refer  to the Violets in BRUC, SOLI, COPP, and ILLU, respectively. For the monthly prompt.


The virtue of the violet is
faithfulness. Words spoken with
pride, in defense of honor true,
when love is silent, buried, slain.

Sweet like birdsong, spring morn’s dew,
the virtue of the violet is
the joy of rustic happiness,
pedaling down the country lane.

A catching eye, a straining ear,
a care-placed step in noon-day dark,
the virtue of the violet is
watchfulness, vigilance well-masked.

Faith in treachery, joy in ease,
blindness to danger, these burdens
rest on she who will not know what
the virtue of the violet is.

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

This is truly lovely. I do like the way you've paired each attribute with one of the ladies, until the last fails to live up to her name.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

A splendid literary bouquet! (And there's always one sagging, wilted flower in every bunch.)

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was stuck for a bit trying to make them fit and she didn't really have any of the virtues, so I went with that. And the others seemed to fit so neatly. Thank you!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And yes the fourth kind of violet is sweet violet meaning modesty and the other ones fit so neatly, but, yeah, not her.

[debriswoman]

Beautifully put:-)

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

A great idea and beautifully done. I particularly like when love is silent, buried, slain and a care-placed step in noon-day dark.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, those were the plum lines. My interest in noir is bleeding through with the noon-day dark business.

[mafief.livejournal.com]

Nice. I like the SOLI one the best.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It does have the most mention of plants :)

[mafief.livejournal.com]

Lol, I am quite transparent in my likes. ;)
The wonderful illusions to pastoral settings are quite appealing.