In literature, "lilac" functions as a vibrant motif that enriches both the visual tapestry and the emotional undercurrents of a scene. Authors frequently employ the term to evoke delicate imagery—from a cap adorned with lilac ribbons that announces a character’s entrance ([1]) to the soft hue of a dress or the gentle sway of lilac blooms in a languid breeze ([2], [3]). At times, lilac serves as a subtle marker of transition or beauty in nature, setting the stage for reflective or transformative moments, as when characters find solace under lilac bushes or in avenues lined with them ([4], [5], [6]). Even lyrical works use it to summon a nostalgic sweetness, intertwining memory and the fleeting nature of spring ([7], [8]). Overall, the word "lilac" is imbued with layers of sensory detail and symbolism, inviting readers to see beyond the mere literal and into realms of emotion and metaphor ([9], [10], [11]).
- In the drawing-room there was no one; at the sound of his steps there came out of her boudoir the midwife in a cap with lilac ribbons.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
- " The wind shook some blossoms from the trees, and the heavy lilac-blooms, with their clustering stars, moved to and fro in the languid air.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- The spray of lilac fell from his hand upon the gravel.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Then you carried him, and laid him for some time under a lilac bush.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
- Late in the evening, that is to say, about eleven o’clock, I went for a walk in the lilac avenue of the boulevard.
— from A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov
- "And that," said Mary with solemn delight, pointing under a big lilac bush, "is where he perched on the little heap of earth and showed me the key."
— from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Yet the lilac with mastering odor holds me.
— from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- H2 anchor Warble for Lilac-Time Warble me now for joy of lilac-time, (returning in reminiscence,)
— from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- Happily the sunshine fell more warmly than usual on the lilac tufts the morning that Eppie was married, for her dress was a very light one.
— from Silas Marner by George Eliot
- The sun went to bed wrapped in cloth of gold and purple, and long clouds, red and lilac, stretched across the sky, guarded its slumbers.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
- Kitty had been seeing Anna every day; she adored her, and had pictured her invariably in lilac.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy