Here’s the song of Lords-and-Ladies
(in the damp and shade he grows):
I have neither bells nor petals,
like the foxglove or the rose.
Through the length and breadth of England,
many flowers you may see—
Petals, bells, and cups in plenty—
but there’s no one else like me.
In the hot-house dwells my kinsman,
Arum-lily, white and fine;
I am not so tall and stately,
but the quaintest hood is mine;
And my glossy leaves are handsome;
I’ve a spike to make you stare;
And my berries are a glory in September. (BUT BEWARE!)
(The Wild Arum has other names beside Lords-and-Ladies, such as Cuckoo-Pint and Jack-in-the-Pulpit.)