Speaking Flower, The

DESCRIPTION: "Our ship is ready to depart, Yet ere I go from thee, Some proof of love to cheer my heart, I pray thee grant to me." He asks at least for the flower in the girl's hand. She does not answer, but drops the flower
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1852 (Journal of the Minerva Smythe)
KEYWORDS: love sailor separation flowers
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
HuntingtonGam, p. 333, "The Speaking Flower" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #27530
NOTES [68 words]: Huntington says that this is "surely" an English version of "Une Fleur Pour Response," found in Laura Alexandrine Smith's collection of sailor's songs, "The Music of the Waters." However, the Smith book was published in 1888 (according to the title page of the version of the book on the Internet Archive), so even if the two songs are the same, the English version is in fact the earliest attested form. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: HGam333

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