The Bundahisn: exerpt on plants

	The Bundahisn: Exerpt on Plants The following is a fragment of ancient Iranian literature. It comes from Chapter xxvii of the Bundahisn (translated by E. W. West) and contains a disquisition on plants, which is characteristic of the treatment of this subject in ancient Persia: These are as many genera of plants as exist: trees and shrubs, fruit-trees, corn, flowers, aromatic herbs, salads, spices, grass, wild plants, medicinal plants, gum plants, and all producing oil, dyes, and clothing. I will mention them also a second time: all whose fruit is not welcome as food of men, and are perennial, as the cypress, the plane, the white poplar, the box, and others of this genus, they call trees and shrubs. The produce of everything welcome as food of men, that is perennial, as the date, the myrtle, the lote-plum (a thorny tree, allied to the jujube, which bears a small plum-like fruit), the grape, the quince, the apple, the citron, the pomegranate, the peach, the fig, the walnut, the almond, and others in this genus, they call fruit. Whatever requires labor with the spade, and is perennial, they call a shrub. Whatever requires that they take its crop through labor, and its root withers away, such as wheat, barley, grain, various kinds of pulse, vetches, and others of this genus, they call corn. Every plant with fragrant leaves, which is cultivated by the hand-labor of men, and is perennial, they call an aromatic herb. Whatever sweet-scented blossom arises at various seasons through the hand-labor of men, or has a perennial root and blossoms in its season with new shoots and sweet-scented blossoms, as the rose, the narcissus, the jasmine, the dog-rose, the tulip, the colocynth, the pandanus, the camba, the ox-eye, the crocus, the swallow-wort, the violet, the karda, and others of this genus, they call a flower. Everything whose sweet-scented fruit, or sweet-scented blossom, arises in its season, without the hand-labor of men, they call a wild plant. Whatever is welcome as food of cattle and beasts of burden they call grass. Whatever enters into cakes they call spices. Whatever is welcome in eating of bread, as torn shoots of the coriander, water-cress, the leek, and others of this genus, they call salad. Whatever is like spinning cotton, and others of this genus, they call clothing plants. Whatever lentil is greasy, as sesame, dusdan, hemp, vandak (perhaps 'olive'), and others of this genus, they call an oil-seed. Whatever one can dye clothing with, as saffron, sapan-wood, zacava, vaha, and others of this genus, they call a dye-plant. Whatever root, or gum, or wood is scented, as frankincense, varast, kust, sandalwood, cardamom, camphor, orange-scented mint, and others of this genus, they call a scent. Whatever stickiness comes out from plants they call gummy. The timber which proceeds from the trees, when it is either dry or wet, they call wood. Every one of all these plants which is so, they call medicinal. The principal fruits are of thirty kinds, and there are ten species the inside and outside of which are fit to eat, as the fig, the apple, the quince, the citron, the grape, the mulberry, the pear, and others of this kind. There are ten the outside of which is fit to eat, but not the inside, as the date, the peach, the white apricot, and others of this kind; those the inside of which is fit to eat, but not the outside, are the walnut, the almond, the pomegranate, the coconuts, the filbert, the chestnut, the pistachio nut, the vargan, and whatever else of this description are very remarkable. This, too, it says, that every single flower is appropriate to an angel, as the white jasmine (saman) is for Vohuman, the myrtle and jasmine are Auharmazd's own, the mouse-ear (or sweet marjoram) is Asavahist's own, the basil-royal is Satviro's own, the musk flower is Spendarmad's, the lily is Horvadad's, the camba is Amerodad's, Din-pavan-Ataro has the orange-scented mint, Ataro has the marigold, the water-lily is Avan's, the white marv is Xursed's, the ranges (probably 'laurel') is Mah's, the violet is Tir's, the meren is Gos's, the karda is Din-pavan Mitro's, all violets are Mitro's, the red chrysanthemum is Sros's, the dog-rose is Ragnu's, the cockscomb is Fravardin's, the sisebar is Vahram's, the yellow chrysanthemum is Ram's, the orange-scented mint is Vad's, the trigonella is Din-pavan-Din's, the hundred-petalled rose is Din's, all kinds of wild flowers are Ard's, Actad has all the white Hom, the bread-baker's basil is Asman's, Zamyad has the crocus, Maraspend has the flower of Ardasir, Aniran has this Hom of the angel Hom, of three kinds." (Note: These are the thirty archangels and angels whose names are applied to the thirty days of the Parsi month, in the order in which they are mentioned here, except that Auharmazd is the first day, and Vohdman is the second.) Return to the Asia page Last updated on June 4, 2001 by Lisa and Sylvia.

The Bundahisn: Exerpt on Plants

The following is a fragment of ancient Iranian literature. It comes from Chapter xxvii of the Bundahisn (translated by E. W. West) and contains a disquisition on plants, which is characteristic of the treatment of this subject in ancient Persia:

These are as many genera of plants as exist: trees and shrubs, fruit-trees, corn, flowers, aromatic herbs, salads, spices, grass, wild plants, medicinal plants, gum plants, and all producing oil, dyes, and clothing. I will mention them also a second time: all whose fruit is not welcome as food of men, and are perennial, as the cypress, the plane, the white poplar, the box, and others of this genus, they call trees and shrubs. The produce of everything welcome as food of men, that is perennial, as the date, the myrtle, the lote-plum (a thorny tree, allied to the jujube, which bears a small plum-like fruit), the grape, the quince, the apple, the citron, the pomegranate, the peach, the fig, the walnut, the almond, and others in this genus, they call fruit. Whatever requires labor with the spade, and is perennial, they call a shrub. Whatever requires that they take its crop through labor, and its root withers away, such as wheat, barley, grain, various kinds of pulse, vetches, and others of this genus, they call corn. Every plant with fragrant leaves, which is cultivated by the hand-labor of men, and is perennial, they call an aromatic herb. Whatever sweet-scented blossom arises at various seasons through the hand-labor of men, or has a perennial root and blossoms in its season with new shoots and sweet-scented blossoms, as the rose, the narcissus, the jasmine, the dog-rose, the tulip, the colocynth, the pandanus, the camba, the ox-eye, the crocus, the swallow-wort, the violet, the karda, and others of this genus, they call a flower. Everything whose sweet-scented fruit, or sweet-scented blossom, arises in its season, without the hand-labor of men, they call a wild plant. Whatever is welcome as food of cattle and beasts of burden they call grass. Whatever enters into cakes they call spices. Whatever is welcome in eating of bread, as torn shoots of the coriander, water-cress, the leek, and others of this genus, they call salad. Whatever is like spinning cotton, and others of this genus, they call clothing plants. Whatever lentil is greasy, as sesame, dusdan, hemp, vandak (perhaps 'olive'), and others of this genus, they call an oil-seed. Whatever one can dye clothing with, as saffron, sapan-wood, zacava, vaha, and others of this genus, they call a dye-plant. Whatever root, or gum, or wood is scented, as frankincense, varast, kust, sandalwood, cardamom, camphor, orange-scented mint, and others of this genus, they call a scent. Whatever stickiness comes out from plants they call gummy. The timber which proceeds from the trees, when it is either dry or wet, they call wood. Every one of all these plants which is so, they call medicinal.

The principal fruits are of thirty kinds, and there are ten species the inside and outside of which are fit to eat, as the fig, the apple, the quince, the citron, the grape, the mulberry, the pear, and others of this kind. There are ten the outside of which is fit to eat, but not the inside, as the date, the peach, the white apricot, and others of this kind; those the inside of which is fit to eat, but not the outside, are the walnut, the almond, the pomegranate, the coconuts, the filbert, the chestnut, the pistachio nut, the vargan, and whatever else of this description are very remarkable.

This, too, it says, that every single flower is appropriate to an angel, as the white jasmine (saman) is for Vohuman, the myrtle and jasmine are Auharmazd's own, the mouse-ear (or sweet marjoram) is Asavahist's own, the basil-royal is Satviro's own, the musk flower is Spendarmad's, the lily is Horvadad's, the camba is Amerodad's, Din-pavan-Ataro has the orange-scented mint, Ataro has the marigold, the water-lily is Avan's, the white marv is Xursed's, the ranges (probably 'laurel') is Mah's, the violet is Tir's, the meren is Gos's, the karda is Din-pavan Mitro's, all violets are Mitro's, the red chrysanthemum is Sros's, the dog-rose is Ragnu's, the cockscomb is Fravardin's, the sisebar is Vahram's, the yellow chrysanthemum is Ram's, the orange-scented mint is Vad's, the trigonella is Din-pavan-Din's, the hundred-petalled rose is Din's, all kinds of wild flowers are Ard's, Actad has all the white Hom, the bread-baker's basil is Asman's, Zamyad has the crocus, Maraspend has the flower of Ardasir, Aniran has this Hom of the angel Hom, of three kinds."

(Note: These are the thirty archangels and angels whose names are applied to the thirty days of the Parsi month, in the order in which they are mentioned here, except that Auharmazd is the first day, and Vohdman is the second.)

Return to the Asia page

Last updated on June 4, 2001 by Lisa and Sylvia.