I will not have the mad Clytie,
Whose head is turn'd by the sun ;
The tulip is a courtly queen,
Whom, therefore I will shun ;
The cowslip is a country wench,
The violet is a nun ;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
The queen of everyone.
The pea is but a wanton witch,
In too much haste to wed,
And clasps her rings on every hand ;
The wolfsbane I should dread ;
Nor will I dreary rosemarye,
That always mourns the dead ;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
With her cheeks of tender red.
The lilt is all in white, like a saint,
And so is no mate for me,
And the daisy's cheep is tipp'd with a blush,
She is of such low degree ;
Jasmine is sweet, and has many loves,
And the brooms betroth'd to the bee ;
But I will plight with the dainty rose,
For fairest of all is she.
Thomas Hood
A Victorian Anthology 1837 - 1895
Wolfsbane or Aconitum belongs to the buttercup family and has sharp edges like teeth and spiralling petals.
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