人类有史以来就钟情于玫瑰。听说，克娄巴特拉的宫殿的空中就铺满了柔嫩的玫瑰花瓣，博学的孔子有600册藏书专门报告怎样培养玫瑰。
People have been passionate about roses since thebeginning of time. In fact, it is said that the floors of Cleopatra’s palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600-book library specifically on how to care for roses.
玫瑰自身就是一个传说。在罗马帝国时期，有一个名叫罗丹斯的漂亮绝伦的少女。她的丽姿引来了有数狂热的求婚者坚持不懈地寻求她。罗丹斯真实招架不住了，不能不到冤家狄安娜的神庙里规避她的求婚者。不幸的是，狄安娜发生了妒忌之心。当求婚者冲进了神庙的大门，要靠近他们所爱恋着的罗丹斯时，狄安娜一怒之下将罗丹斯酿成了一枝玫瑰花，将她的求婚者酿成了花刺。
The rose is a legend on its own. The story goes that during the Roman Empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, shebecame angry turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.
在希腊传说中，玫瑰是希腊花神克罗斯发明的。现在玫瑰只是林中一个仙女的还没有性命的一粒种子。一天，花神克罗斯偶尔在丛林的一块旷地上发明了它。克罗斯恳求爱神阿佛洛狄特付与了它漂亮的面貌；让酒神狄俄尼索斯浇洒了神酒，使它具有了芳香的气息。又有美惠三女神将魅力、聪慧和欢欣赐赉了它。随后，西风之神吹散了云朵，太阳神阿波罗得以照射它并使它着花。玫瑰就如此降生了，并立刻被封为花中之王后。
In Greek legend, the rose was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers. It was just a lifeless seed of a nymph that Chloris found one day in a clearing in the woods. She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty Dionysus, the god of wine, added nectar to give her a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine and made this flower bloom. And so the Rose was born and was immediately crowned the Queen of Flowers.
欧洲见到的第一枝真正的原色红玫瑰叫做“斯莱特中国深红”，于1792年从中国引进。事先，它不断发育在中国山区的野地里。玫瑰培养者立时开端用它持续杂交栽种。今后，追求完满的红玫瑰不断是玫瑰种植者所寻求的幻想。这类玫瑰应具备芬芳的气息、抵挡疾病的才能、耐久的花期、细长的花茎、重复着花的身手、美丽的身形和不退色的纯鲜红色彩。但是，相对的完满却一直未到达，固然也永久没法到达！
The first true primary red rose seen in Europe was “Slater’s Crimson China” introduced in 1792 from China, where it had been growing wild in the mountains. Immediately, rose breeders began using it to hybridize red roses for cultivation. Ever since, the quest for the perfect red rose has been the Holy Grail of rosarians: a fragrant, disease-resistant, long-lasting, long-stemmed, reblooming, perfectly formed rose with a clear non-fading vivid red color. Absolute perfection still hasn’t been attained, and of course never will!
人们创造了一种非凡的玫瑰言语，作为不被答应地下示爱的情侣间机密交换的方法。18世纪中期，英国驻君士坦丁堡大使的夫人在信中对此做了描绘。这些函件在她死后出书，激起了许许多多说起花卉言语书本的问世，每本书都对每种花所潜藏的信息持续了描绘。一朵红玫瑰花蕾代表萌生中的情欲；一枝怒放的白玫瑰则是在探询：“你会爱我吗？”一枝绽放的红玫瑰的寄义是：“我对你满怀着爱意和盼望”，而一枝开放的黄玫瑰则是在讯问：“你是否是不再爱我了？
There is a special rose language invented as a secret means of communication between lovers who were not allowed to express their love for one another openly. In the mid 18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this in her letters, which were published after her death. These letters inspired many books on the language of flowers, each describing the secret message hidden in each flower. A red rose bud stands for budding desire, an open white rose asks “Will you love me?”, an open red rose means “I’m full of love and desire”, while an open yellow rose asks “Don’t you love me any more?”
