An old tale lies behind the flowers in Frank Oliver Call’s garden. A prince loved a geisha who wore a robe blue as pond water, but he was exiled to a distant island, and she never wore the blue again. The speaker looks at two irises and imagines they are the lovers’ souls returned: the purple iris with golden bands is the prince, and the slender blue one is the dancing-girl. Now, far from that old sorrow, they rest together in northern sunshine. The speaker’s tone is tender and quietly awed, as if the garden holds a private reunion. The mood is wistful but peaceful—loss is softened by the thought that love can outlast separation and bloom again.
Japanese Iris — Summary
A great prince of the ancient days Once loved a little geisha girl, Who wore a silken robe, Blue as the waters of the lily-pond. But the Great Prince was sent to a distant island, And the little geisha girl Never put on her robe of blue again.
And you, O purple iris with the golden bands, Are the soul of the Great Prince; And you, O slender one, Blue as lapis lazuli, Are the soul of the little dancing-girl; And you nestle at last Beside your stately purple Prince, Here in the sunshine of my northern garden.