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Basil
Basilic - حبق / ريحان
Description
This aromatic annual prized for its culinary appeal has green or purple leaves and flowers - grouped in spikes that are usually white. Its name derives from the Greek - basilikón - meaning ‘royal plant.’
The edible varieties of basil are widely used in Mediterranean cuisine and have a myriad of medicinal virtues: anti-oxidant, digestive, rich in vitamins and minerals, etc.
In India, basil is associated with the Hindu deities Vishnu and Krishna and is often planted in temples. In Lebanon, it is customary to have basil plants planted in metal cans (old olive oil cans for example) because basil seems to like metal. Perhaps more interestingly, according to mountain folklore, offering a sprig of basil to someone is a way to express your love …
Charles Corm reflects on this symbolic message in two of his poems (see below).
In the garden, basil has long been grown—primarily to be shared with friends as a gesture of kindness and warmth.
Poem
The Messenger Flower
In Lebanon’s bygone days,
Love kept the sweet habits of candour;
A heart worthy of love was a sanctuary
Consecrated by faith, honor, and modesty!
In the presence of a suitor, a young girl,
Feeling the ardour of her inclination
Lowered her eyelids, only imperceptibly unsettling
The mystery of what remained a very pure infatuation.
To express her feelings, where grace was awakened,
Each girl sowed in the corner of her terrace,
A basil plant, for which she tenderly cared for.
And for the chosen one whom luck had picked,
She very modestly plucked a sprig
Acting as a « Yes » for their first kiss!
Published in La Planète Éxaltée. Éditions de le Revue Phénicienne, 2004.
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A Basil Filled Engagement
On their terraced garden, the girls of Lebanon
Strive to care for their basil plants
For it translates – better than any jasmine or rose
Their hidden emotions.
When a young lover comes to their home
Yearning for a benevolent sign
Yet too shy to speak of marriage
The basil is there to inform him.
If he cannot expect the girl’s favors,
Then he must take his leave at once
Though his sorrow may be tempered by a final smile.
But if he is beyond reproach and has some luck,
The maiden treads modestly
And from the heart of the basil offers him a handsome sprig.
Published in La Planète Éxaltée. Éditions de le Revue Phénicienne, 2004.
