| 词源 |
damask rose. Brought to England as a present for Henry VIII by his physician in about 1540, the famous damask rose is named for the Syrian city of Damascus. Long used in making attar of roses, Rosa damascena was then only pink in color, which led poets to write of fair ladies with damask complex- ions. See rose. It is generally thought that Damascus is the old- est city in the world, dating back more than 2,000 years before Christ. It was while traveling to Damascus that Saul (St. Paul) became a convert to Christianity, giving us the expression the road to Damascus for any sudden personal conversion. |