Love came to Flora asking for a flower That would of flowers be undisputed queen, The lily and the rose, long, long had been Rivals for that high honour. Bards of power Had sung their claims. "The rose can never tower Like the pale lily with her Juno mien"— "But is the lily lovelier?" Thus between Flower factions rang the strife in Psyche's bower.

"Give me a flower delicious as the rose And stately as the lily in her pride"— "But of what colour?" — "Rose-red," Love first chose, Then prayed, — "No, lily-white, — or, both provide;" And Flora gave the lotus, "rose-red" dyed, And "lily-white", — the queenliest flower that blows

What kind of flower did Love want?

Question

Love came to Flora asking for a flower That would of flowers be undisputed queen, The lily and the rose, long, long had been Rivals for that high honour. Bards of power Had sung their claims. "The rose can never tower Like the pale lily with her Juno mien"— "But is the lily lovelier?" Thus between Flower factions rang the strife in Psyche's bower.

"Give me a flower delicious as the rose And stately as the lily in her pride"— "But of what colour?" — "Rose-red," Love first chose, Then prayed, — "No, lily-white, — or, both provide;" And Flora gave the lotus, "rose-red" dyed, And "lily-white", — the queenliest flower that blows

What kind of flower did Love want?

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3: red as a rose and white as a lily.

This question requires a close reading of the provided excerpt from Toru Dutt's poem, "The Lotus," which describes a mythological contest for the "queen" of flowers. Love approaches Flora, the goddess of flowers, seeking a single flower that would resolve the long-standing rivalry between the rose and the lily. Love’s initial description of the desired flower focuses on its attributes, asking for one "delicious as the rose" (referring to its perfume/beauty) and "stately as the lily in her pride" (referring to its form/stature).

However, the definitive information about the *kind* of flower Love ultimately desired—specifically its color, which combines the characteristics of the rivals—is found in the subsequent lines. When Flora asks, "But of what colour?", Love initially chooses "Rose-red," but then immediately corrects the request, or rather, expands it: "Then prayed, — 'No, lily-white, — or, both provide;'" This line is crucial, as it shows Love's final request is for a flower that embodies the defining color characteristics of both contenders. Love recognizes that to create a flower that is truly an "undisputed queen" (as mentioned in the opening lines), it must possess the best qualities of both the rose (rose-red color) and the lily (lily-white color). By asking Flora to "both provide," Love is requesting a combination of the two colors, which Flora delivers by creating the Lotus, which is described as being "rose-red" dyed, and "lily-white." Therefore, the kind of flower Love wanted was one that possessed both the red color of the rose and the white color of the lily.

The incorrect option is 1: red as a rose.
While "Rose-red" was Love's first impulse regarding the color, this choice was immediately modified and superseded by the subsequent request. The context clearly shows that Love did not settle on just red, but revised the request to include the characteristics of both rival flowers. Choosing only "red as a rose" ignores the poet's definitive resolution that led to the creation of the queenly lotus.

The incorrect option is 2: white as a lily.
Similar to Option 1, Love considers "lily-white" after rejecting the singular choice of "rose-red." However, the final, culminating request is "or, both provide," signifying that white alone was also insufficient to satisfy the need for a universally acclaimed flower queen. This option only captures half of the final desired characteristic.

The incorrect option is 4: delicious as a rose.
This option describes a *quality* Love wanted the flower to possess—its fragrance and charm—but it does not describe the *kind* of flower in terms of its ultimate appearance or defining characteristic (color). Furthermore, Love also wanted the flower to be "stately as the lily," meaning the description is incomplete even if we consider qualities instead of color. The question asks what *kind* of flower Love wanted, and the color combination is the physical representation of the synthesis Love sought.