Rose of Sharon is a common name that has been applied to several different species of flowering plants that are valued in different parts of the world. It is also a biblical expression, though the identity of the plant referred to is unclear and is disputed among biblical scholars. In neither case does it refer to actual roses, although one of the species it refers to in modern usage is a member of Rosaceae. The name's colloquial application has been used as an example of the lack of precision of common names, which can potentially cause confusion. "Rose of Sharon" has become a frequently used catch phrase in poetry and lyrics.
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Biblical origins
The name "rose of Sharon" first appears in English in 1611 in the King James Version of the Bible. In the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon 2:1, the speaker (the beloved) says "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley". The Hebrew phrase ????? ????? (???a??ele? hasharon) was translated by the KJV editors as "rose of Sharon"; however previous translations had rendered it simply as "the flower of the field" (Septuagint "??? ????? ??? ??????", Vulgate "ego flos campi",Wiclif "a flower of the field"). Contrariwise the Hebrew word ???a??ele? occurs two times in the scriptures: in the Song, and Isaiah 35:1, which reads, "the desert shall bloom like the rose." The word is translated "rose" in KJV, but is rendered variously as "lily" (Septuagint "??????", Vulgate "lilium", Wiclif "lily"), "jonquil" (Jerusalem Bible) and "crocus" (RSV).
Varying scholars have suggested that the biblical "rose of Sharon" may be one of the following plants:
- A crocus: "a kind of crocus growing as a lily among the brambles" ("Sharon", Harper's Bible Dictionary) or a crocus that grows in the coastal plain of Sharon (New Oxford Annotated Bible);
- A tulip: "a bright red tulip-like flower ... today prolific in the hills of Sharon" ("rose", Harper's Bible Dictionary);
- Tulipa agenensis, the Sharon tulip, a species of tulip suggested by a few botanists
- A lily: Lilium candidum, more commonly known as the Madonna lily, a species of lily suggested by some botanists, though likely in reference to the lilies of the valley mentioned in the second part of Song of Solomon 2:1.
- Narcissus ("rose", Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature)
According to an annotation of Song of Solomon 2:1 by the translation committee of the New Revised Standard Version, "Rose of Sharon" is a mistranslation of a more general Hebrew word for crocus.
Etymologists have tentatively linked the biblical ????? to the words ??? be?el, meaning 'bulb', and ??? ??ma?, which is understood as meaning either 'pungent' or 'splendid' (The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon).
A possible interpretation for the Biblical reference is Pancratium maritimum, which blooms in the late summer just above the high-tide mark. The Modern Hebrew name for this flower is ????? or ????? ???? (???a??ele?, or habasselet ha-khof, coastal lily). Some identify the beach lily with the "rose of Sharon" mentioned in the Song of Songs, but not all scholars accept this.
Recently, some scholars have translated ???a??ele? as "a budding bulb" in consideration of the genealogical research of multilingual versions and lexicons.
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Modern usage
The name "Rose of Sharon" is also commonly applied to several different plants, all originating outside the Levant and not likely to have been the plant from the Bible:
- Hypericum calycinum, an evergreen flowering shrub native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia
- Hibiscus syriacus, a deciduous flowering shrub native to east Asia
- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Var. "Vulcan")
And varieties of Iris, Malus domestica and Paeonia lactiflora
National flower of Korea
Mugunghwa (???) (Hibiscus syriacus) is the national flower of South Korea. The mugunghwa first became the national flower of Korea during the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945) when it was overwhelmingly selected by the people as the floral symbol of their nation. The actual term mugunghwa was first employed during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). During the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty eras (1392-1910), it was common practice for kings to reward those who successfully passed the civil service examinations with paper made mugunghwa. Many Koreans attempted to counter colonial Japan's racial assimilation policy by planting mugunghwa nationwide symbolizing independence for Korea. The mugunghwa which regularly returns a day after seemingly having faded away became a symbol of a desire for a Korea independent of Japan.
The first record of the Rose of Sharon grown in Korea is mentioned in an article produced 1,400 years ago. A mythological fiction, Xuanzhongji (Hanja:???), written in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (Hanja:??) of China, mentions "The Land of Wisemen is spread for 1,000 li where mugungwha flowers bloom plentifully"(????,????,?????). The name mugungwha was first used by the poet Lee Gyu-bo (???,1168 - 1241) of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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