How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts · Chapter
Cross Bill; Sweet William explained
The chapter humorously addresses the absurdity of confusing Sweet William with Cross Bill, while exploring other plants that express emotions through their names, such as mad-wort, weeping willows, sigh-press, passion-flower, gladiolus, and
What happens
The chapter humorously addresses the absurdity of confusing Sweet William with Cross Bill, while exploring other plants that express emotions through their names, such as mad-wort, weeping willows, sigh-press, passion-flower, gladiolus, and smile-ax.
Themes in this chapter
Wordplay and Homophones
The chapter plays on the names of plants and their emotional or humorous connotations, such as 'mad-wort,' 'weeping willows,' and 'sigh-press,' highlighting linguistic creativity.
Humor and Absurdity
The opening line declares that only an imbecile would mistake Sweet William for Cross Bill, setting a tone of playful absurdity that continues with the personification of plants.
Key passages
“Nobody but an imbecile Mistakes Sweet William for Cross Bill”
Only a fool would confuse Sweet William with Cross Bill.
Establishes the chapter's theme of mistaken identity and the absurdity of such confusion.
“You’ve seen the mad‑wort plant I guess, And weeping willows and sigh‑press, The passion‑flower, at its climax, The glad‑iolus and the smile‑ax.”
You have likely encountered plants like mad-wort, weeping willows, sigh-press, passion-flower, gladiolus, and smile-ax, all of which express emotions through their names.
Lists plants with names that suggest human emotions, reinforcing the wordplay theme.