Literary notes about blossom (AI summary)
The word "blossom" is richly layered in literature, serving both as a vivid image of natural renewal and as a metaphor for human beauty, growth, and transformation. Authors use it to describe literal bursts of floral beauty—a moor suddenly coming to life with blooming reeds ([1]) or white cherry trees transforming an entire village ([2])—while also using it to capture tender moments and memories, such as when a young girl parts with a cherished elder-blossom ([3]) or when a character’s innocence is encapsulated in the gentle reference to a "tender little blossom" ([4]). Furthermore, the term transcends natural description by symbolizing inner vitality and the ephemeral quality of life, as seen in reflections on first love and personal blossoming ([5], [6]). Whether in poetic imagery or in the delicate gestures of characters, blossom unites diverse texts in evoking themes of flourishing, impermanence, and the beauty of both nature and the human spirit ([7], [8]).
- She swung the censer, and a wonderful fragrance of incense arose from it; so powerful, that the reeds and rushes of the moor burst forth into blossom.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - In spring the whole village was buried in white cherry-blossom, and in the summer they sold cherries at three kopecks a pail.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - But at parting the little girl took an elder-blossom from her breast and gave it to him as a keepsake.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - ‘But Little Blossom is a very tender little blossom, and the wind must be gentle with her.’
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - And looking at them with compassion, not contempt, girls in their bloom should remember that they too may miss the blossom time.
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Though other things grow fair against the sun, Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - He seemeth to have moisture before the sun cometh; and at his rising, his blossom shall shoot forth. 8:17.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
— from Memories: A Story of German Love by F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller