Chrysanthemum doll, mini book page, poems and Japanese legend

Chrysanthemum is Japanese,

She's a fine lady, if you please;

She comes to see us once a year,

About the time Thanksgivings's here.

       Assemble a mini doll sized book: Left, is the 's illustration and verse. Visitors can collect all the flower illustrations and verse from "Flower Children" to print and construct a small book of verse for their dolls. Simply drag each png. into a Word Document, print, cut out all of the images the same size and staple the pages together at the left edge. Squeeze out some white school glue along the stapled edge of the pages and attach a cardboard cover.

The Chrysanthemum (scientific name) are commonly called Mums in the United States. Read more about this flower here.

The Japanese Legend 

       NOW this is the story of how the chrysanthemum became ragged, as it was told by Kiku San the Cat With theYellow Eyes, as he sat before the fire in the night after the Great Disappointment. Thus spake Kiku San:"You must know," he said, "that there was a Beginning of all things. In the Beginning there was a Great Prince who lived in a most Beautiful Country, and he was the Son of the King. Now in this Beautiful Country there were all kinds of Flowers except only Golden Flowers, and in all the Land there was no Yellow Flower.

       "But the reason why there was no Yellow Flower in all the Most Beautiful Country was because He Who made the Most Beautiful Country in all the World wanted to teach a Great Lesson.

       "And this is the Lesson He taught. "When the Prince grew up and was to come to the throne he knew from his teachers that there was no Yellow Flower in all the Kingdom that was to be his. He said to them, There shall be a Yellow Flower, and the name of this Yellow Flower shall be Cheerfulness.'

       " 'But,' said his teachers, and they were very wise men, 'there is no Yellow Flower, and there is no Cheerfulness, no, nor Happiness, except you go far away to find it.'

"This flower, that gives so much of 
Cheerfulness when nearly all the 
others have with drawn their smiles,
is presented as the Emblem of this
Enviable Disposition." Phillips, 1825

       "So the Prince said, 'I will go in search of the Yellow Flower, which is Cheerfulness and Happiness.' And he went away into Far Countries. "Now it chanced that beside the door of the House of the Prince there had sprung up a little plant, and it grew and blossomed, and the blossom was a great golden blossom, all smooth and yellow, and there were only five petals-just as the blossom of the Cherry Tree is to this day.

       "And there came upon a day a Little Maid who loved the Prince, and she plucked the blossom, and said, 'I will keep it and wear it till My Prince comes home again.'

       "But the winds blew, and the North Wind broke the petals of the Yellow Flower, and the East Wind broke the petals, too, and then came the South Wind, and He breathed on the petals of the Yellow Flower and made them all round and smooth, till they looked soft and sweet and comforting. But the other winds, the North and the West and the East, they had broken the five petals till there were sixteen, or maybe more-though sixteen is the number there should be after the West Wind and the North Wind and

the East Wind had been all through with the breaking of the petals of the Yellow Flower.

       "And the Other Names of the Winds were Trouble and Disappointment and Waiting-all except the name of the South Wind, and that was Hope.

       "But always the Little Maid sat at the Gate of the Castle, and the Wind whose name was Hope breathed on the poor petals of the broken Yellow Flower, and she was very happy.

       "Still the Prince journeyed into far countries, even into farthest India, andall the lands which lie over against the West and the East and the North and the South, but nowhere could he find the Yellow Flower of Happiness and Cheerfulness.

       "Then, when the Prince was old, he came again to his own castle, there to die. And there on the door stone was seated the Little Maid, and in her hand she carried the Yellow Flower, ragged now, and torn.

       " 'What do ye here?' asked the Prince

       " 'I have found the Flower of Happiness,' said the Little Maid, 'and it was growing by your own hearth stone all the time.'

       "So the Prince knew that the Yellow Flower of Happiness and Cheerfulness was in his Own House always.

       "But it was not until afterward that the Little Maid told the Prince how the Yellow Flower became ragged."

       After the chrysanthemum is potted, leave it for a little time in the shade. Then give it all the sun that is possible.

How to Craft a Chrysanthemum Clothespin Dolly

Left, paint the wooden peg doll(s) green. Center, portrait of my chrysanthemum peg doll. Right,
pluck apart silk chrysanthemum flower petals to hot glue on top of the clothespin body.

See the flower doll based upon a chrysanthemum from three different angles. I also added
a variety of details: green embroidery floss, painted facial features, yarn hair etc...

The Chrysanthemum Girl

With your bright eyes fairly dancing,

Lady 'Mum,

You're a floral queen entrancing,

Lady 'Mum,

And your title, how in keeping

With a maiden who's been reaping

Flow'rs until her arms are heaping,

Lady 'Mum. 

There is sunshine in the flowers,

Lady Mum,

They have sipped the autumn showers,

Lady Mum,

And with your subtle art 

You may play your ragged part,

And you surely won my heart,

Lady 'Mum.

Back to the Flower Children Index.