献给母亲的康乃馨

 　　Fragrant¹ and beautiful, Carnation² flowers have become symbolic³ of mother' s love and also Mother' s Day. Mother' s Day and carnations⁴ have had an association for a very long time because according to a Christian⁵ legend, this is the plant that sprung up when Jesus Christ' s mother Mary shed tears of distress⁶ seeing her son enduring sufferings on the cross.

　　The tradition of gifting carnations to mothers on Mother' s Day was initiated⁷ by Miss Anna Jarvis and began on the first official Mother' s Day in America on May 10, 1908. Miss Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, in Grafton, West Virginia. The flowers were meant to be distributed amongst the mothers. Others present in the mass were also asked to wear flowers. White carnations were a favourite of Anna' s deceased mother. Anna explained the reason for her selection of the flower.

　　“The white carnation is preferred because I think it typifies some of the virtues⁸ of motherhood; ... whiteness stands for purity; its lasting⁹ quality, faithfulness; its fragrance¹⁰, love; its wide field of growth, charity; its form, beauty...”

　　Miss Anna Jarvis continued with the practice of sending carnations to the Andrews Church. She sent over 10,000 carnations in the subsequent years as a personal gift to the church on Mother' s Day. This gradually led to a custom of gifting carnations to mothers. Today carnations are worn or gifted worldwide on Mother' s Day and have become symbolic of purity, strength and endurance of motherhood. As a custom red carnations are worn to honor living mothers and white carnations for the deceased mothers.

　　芬芳美丽的康乃馨已成为母爱以及母亲节的象征，母亲节与康乃馨之间有着悠久的联系。根据基督教的一个传说，耶稣基督的母亲马利亚看到自己的儿子在十字架上受难时，流下了悲痛的眼泪，此时，康乃馨也绽放而出。

　　在母亲节给母亲送康乃馨的传统是安娜·贾维斯小姐开创的，始于1908年5月10日美国第一个正式的母亲节。那天，安娜给西弗吉尼亚格拉夫顿的安德鲁斯循道宗圣公会教堂送去500朵白色康乃馨。她打算将这些花分发给母亲们，后来也请在场做弥撒的其他人戴上了这种花。白色康乃馨是安娜已故的母亲最喜欢的花。安娜这样解释她为何选择这种花：

　　“选择白色康乃馨是因为我认为它象征着母亲的一些美德;……白色象征纯洁;持久象征忠贞;芳香象征爱;广袤的生长区域象征慈悲;花形象征美……”

　　此后，安娜·贾维斯小姐继续给安德鲁斯教堂送康乃馨。在后来的几年里，她给教堂送去了一万多朵康乃馨，作为她个人送给教堂的母亲节礼物。她的这一做法逐渐使人们形成了在母亲节给母亲送康乃馨的习俗。如今，全世界的人都在母亲节这天佩戴或赠送康乃馨，康乃馨已成为母亲纯洁、坚强和忍耐的象征。习惯上，人们佩戴红色康乃馨向健在的母亲表示敬意，佩戴白色康乃馨纪念已故的母亲。

1 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

2 carnation   

n.康乃馨（一种花）

参考例句：

• He had a white carnation in his buttonhole.他在纽扣孔上佩了朵白色康乃馨。
• He was wearing a carnation in his lapel.他的翻领里别着一枝康乃馨。

3 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

4 carnations   

n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should also include some carnations to emphasize your underlying meaning.\" 另外要配上石竹花来加重这涵意的力量。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Five men per ha. were required for rose production, 6 or 7 men for carnations. 种植玫瑰每公顷需5个男劳力，香石竹需6、7个男劳力。 来自辞典例句

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

7 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

8 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。