The Loves of the Plants 1789

by Erasmus Darwin, Jonathan Wordsworth (Introduction)

Published in the series (Revolution and Romanticism 1789-1834) chosen by Jonathan Wordsworth. Written by the grandfather of Charles Darwin, who personified and humanized the sexual life of plants, for which he was parodied and reviled.

Epic poetic tribute to the lives, loves, and reproductive capacity of plants by the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Darwin's Botanic Garden is important for the five plates in part I which are engraved by William Blake: 'The Fertilization of Egypt,' engraved after the painting by Henry Fuseli, and four engravings of the Portland Vase. "The chief source of Erasmus Darwin's literary fame during his lifetime, The Botanic Garden contains a great deal of important and frequently advanced scientific information in the nearly 300 footnotes and the 115 pages of appendices to its verses." -The Encyclopedia Britannica

A titillating portrayal of the lives and loves of plants in vividly sexual terms in a poem titled The Loves of the Plants. A vegetable passion, he argued, was visible in a wide variety of erotic behaviors in plants, from the chaste intercourse of a romantic plant pair, to female plant parts entertaining multiple male suitors, to even wilder orgiastic fare. The personal lives of his plants charmed contemporary sensibility, which appreciated “something a little naughty,” and his poem benefitted enormously from the fact that botanical study was all the rage among the genteel classes at the time.

Genres: Poetry, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Plants, Classics, Biology

222 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2004

About the author

Erasmus Darwin was an English physiologist and poet. He was educated at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. He practiced medicine most of his life. His chief poetic work was The Botanic Garden (1789 - 1792), a long poem, stilted in expression but showing enthusiasm for science and nature. His prose work Zoonomia (1794 - 1796) anticipated some of the evolutionary theories of the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck but was intuitive and unscientific. Darwin was the grandfather of the British scientists Charles Darwin and Sir Francis Galton.

Reviews

[Meg Merriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some not-so-subtle flower sex poetry brought to you by Charles Darwin's perverted grandpa. Who would have thought botany could be so raunchy? (This is prime third date material, kids.)

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now you too can read about Charles Darwin's grandpa's plant fetifh.

Of courfe, he wraps it up in a lot of metaphors about various gods and goddefses, and has some very nice imagery, but really, moft of it if about plants having fex with themfelves.

Alfo, if you couldn't tell, the verfion I read was, I believe, a tranfcription of the original text, which means that moft of the "s" letters were written as "f." An added layer of ftress for the modern reader. I might have liked it more if it didn't. Oh well, too late now.

[Matthew Murawski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant to read but it's no Paradise Lost.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The grandfather of Charles Darwin writes a book of plant erotic poetry, purportedly “for science.” (To be sure, there are inklings of his grandson’s later theory of evolution discernible here: “Perhaps all the productions of nature are in their progress to greater perfection?”).

Yes, it may contain some science (though I would point out that the non-sexual parts of the plants, like the stems and leaves, are barely addressed, but the number, size, shape, length, and girth of their sexual organs are absolutely discussed to death), but it contains even more dirty, dirty plant smut (and honestly, it's kind of cringe smut poetry too)- supposedly included to make it relevant to his audience.

Sure, that could be true. Or, Erasmus Darwin has dirty dirty thoughts about plants. You be the judge.

How the young Rose in beauty’s damask pride
Drinks the warm blushes of his bashful bride;
With honey’d lips enamour’d woodbines meet,
clasp with fond arms, and mix their kisses sweet.

How laugh the Pleasures in a blossom’s bell;
How insect Loves arise on cobweb wings,
Aim their light shafts, and point their little stings.
First the tall Canna lifts his curled brow
Erect to heaven, and plights his nuptial vow.

This is about plants, remember.

Fierce on the fair he fix’d his ardent gaze,
Dropp’d on one knee, his frantic arms outspread,
And stole a guilty glance toward the bed;
Then breath’d from qyhivering lips a whisper’d vow,
And bent on heaven his pale repentant brow;
“Thus, thus!” he cried, and plung’d the furious dart,
And life and love gush’d mingled from his heart.

This is EDUCATIONAL, God damn it!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book alternates strange allegorical poetry that’s vaguely tied to botanical reproduction with prose passages that describe specific plants more scientifically, along with some of Darwin’s occasional theories about the plants or something tangentially related to them. Also, there are “interludes” aping an interview between a writer and a bookseller exploring the philosophical and artistic differences between poetry and prose. The poetry itself isn’t anything I found terribly memorable or moving, and the plant descriptions can be a bit dry. However, combined with each other, they make for a fun idea and a readable book. Darwin also has some interesting ideas and gives shoutouts to a lot of other scientists and artists, even women(!)which makes him seem like a pretty decent scientist and guy.