A scientific name for this flower is Narcissus poeticus, from Greek “narkao” — to delude, to disorient, probably due to its poisonous bulbs, or its flowers’ befuddling odor. The second word — poeticus, is rather self-explanatory: it has been widely poetized throughout history. Cyrus I, the King of Persia, being also the most prominent Iranian gardener called narcissus “a creation of beauty, an eternal delight”.

            Ornamental bulbous plants with fragrant white flowers and golden cores, elegant but a bit wilted, they look sorrowful and sad. Many ages ago a nymph named Echo fell in love with a handsome young man called Narcissus, but due to the cruel joke of gods the only thing he was capable of loving was his own reflection in the lake. Beautiful Echo couldn’t bear the pain so she left the Earth leaving only her voice behind — an echo. Narcissus in turn died, captivated by his own image in the water, having forgotten to eat or drink. A flower has grown on that spot and it was as attractive and dolorous as the boy himself. It was called after Narcissus and became a symbol of an unrequited love: amazingly beautiful, but sad.