Literature, Poetry and Mythology
The Greek physician Dioscorides (c.40-90 CE) recommended the herb. The two "fathers" of herbalism, Gerard and Culpeper, also recommended the herb.
The poet John Clare had a more positive opinion of the plant, as revealed in this poem of 1831:
- Ragwort thou humble flower with tattered leaves
- I love to see thee come & litter gold...
- Thy waste of shining blossoms richly shields
- The sun tanned sward in splendid hues that burn
- So bright & glaring that the very light
- Of the rich sunshine doth to paleness turn
- & seems but very shadows in thy sight.
Josephine Kermode (1852–1937) wrote the following poem about the Cushag.
"The Cushag"
- Now, the Cushag, we know,
- Must never grow,
- Where the farmer's work is done.
- But along the rills,
- In the heart of the hills,
- The Cushag may shine like the sun.
- Where the golden flowers,
- Have fairy powers,
- To gladden our hearts with their grace.
- And in Vannin Veg Veen,
- In the valleys green,
- The Cushags have still a place.
(Vannin Veg Veen is Manx for dear little Isle of Man)
Donald Macalastair of Druim-a-ghinnir on the Isle of Arran told a story of the fairies journeying to Ireland. The ragwort was their transport and every one of them picked a plant, sat astride and arrived in Ireland in an instant.
Read more about this topic: Jacobaea Vulgaris
Famous quotes containing the words poetry and/or mythology:
“For me, poetry is always a search for order.”
—Elizabeth Jennings (b. 1926)
“This is the frost coming out of the ground; this is Spring. It precedes the green and flowery spring, as mythology precedes regular poetry. I know of nothing more purgative of winter fumes and indigestions. It convinces me that Earth is still in her swaddling-clothes, and stretches forth baby fingers on every side.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)