The Legend Of Pepita's Poinsetta Poem by Loyd C Taylor Sr
The Legend Of Pepita's Poinsetta
Thank you much, my pretty friend,
For the beauty you display;
Those colors of green and red
That enhance our Christmas day.
Great is your reputation-
You're like the Christmas Star,
For you are highly regarded,
No matter where you are.
You are called Poinsettia,
Part of the spurge family.
It was Joel Roberts Poinsett
Who named you so fittingly.
He introduced you to us
Back in eighteen twenty-five.
From that time, and still today,
Your colors make things alive.
Even though you are mostly seen
Adorned in dark green and red,
You also grow cream, or white,
Pink, or bright orange instead.
You don't have flower petals;
It's your leaves that make the hue;
But no matter your color,
The world's in love with you.
Now, as to your native home,
You derived from Mexico
And were used for Aztec dye
Such a long, long time ago.
It was there you first were named
And are still known as such this hour.
You helped celebrate Christ's birth
As the 'Christmas Eve Flower.'
Then, in Egypt, you were named
As, 'The Consul's Daughter';
And called 'Crown of the Andes'
By a Chilean potter.
In Spain, you are known as the
'Easter Flower, ' so I've learned,
Celebrating Easter morn,
A place of honor earned.
*****
But listen closely to me,
For a legend I will tell,
About the Poinsettia,
This plant we know so well.
In the sixteenth century,
As Christmas bells did ring,
A poor girl named Pepita
Had no gift for Christ to bring.
Then lo, God's angel appeared
To the sad young girl that day,
And told her to pick some weeds
To, on the church's altar, lay.
She did as the angel said,
Her faith amazingly strong,
The people dared not scold her,
Though Pepita's gift seemed wrong.
So, there upon the altar,
Those ugly weeds she laid;
Then, kneeling with broken heart,
In confident faith she prayed.
Dear Jesus, I am so sorry
That weeds were all I could bring.
I know You deserve much more;
You are our Heavenly King!
Such tender loving teardrops
Fell from sweet Pepita's eyes,
Then a sunbeam touched the weeds
As God heard the young girl's cries
Next, a miracle happened,
Which caused the people dismay:
The ugly weeds were changed to
A Poinsettia that day.
Crimson leaves did blossom,
Shading over deep green leaves,
Symbolic of Christ's own blood,
Covering whoever believes.
The leaves are star-shaped as well.
Look closely, and you will see:
They so symbolize His Star
Of Bethlehem's Nativity.
Ugly weeds were changed into
A beautiful plant indeed,
As many souls that God changed
When they acknowledged their need.
So, now you've heard the legend
From a long, long time ago,
About Pepita's miracle
And the plant that we love so.
© 2015 Loyd C Taylor, Sr.
NOTES: These are only partial notes for more information see, 'Poinsettia in Wikepedia.'
The poinsettia is a culturally and commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family that is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, [3] the first United States Minister to Mexico, [4] who introduced the plant into the United States in 1825.
The colored bracts—which are most often flaming red but can be orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled—are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves.
The Aztecs used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication.[10] In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning 'flower that grows in residues.'[10] Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as Flor de Noche Buena, meaning Christmas Eve Flower.[10] In Spain it is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Easter flower.[10] In Chile and Peru, the plant became known as Crown of the Andes.[10] In Turkey, it is called Atatürk's flower because Atatürk, the founder of the Republic, liked this flower and made a significant contribution to its cultivation in Turkey.
The poinsettia has also been cultivated in Egypt since the 1860s, when it was brought from Mexico during the Egyptian campaign. It is called Bent El Consul, 'the consul's daughter', referring to the U.S. ambassador Joel Poinsett.[8]
The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday and was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.[11] From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.[12] The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus.[13] Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations[3] in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/21/2024 4:23:57 PM # 1.0.0.1119
I have read many versions of this legend but I like this one best I would like to put it in my Christmas letter but see it is copyrighted : (