Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
I was a priest.One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!
"For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate."
--Chaucer--
"Each little bird this tide
Doth chose her beloved peer,
Which constantly abide
In wedlock all the year."
--Drayton--
"Oft have I heard both youth and virgin say
Birds choose their mates, and couples too, this day;
But by their flight I never can divine,
When I shall couple with my Valentine."
--Herrick--
Thus, February 14 eventually became regarded as a day especially consecrated to lovers and deemed a proper occasion for the writing of romantic letters and the sending of love tokens. The literature of both France and England in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries commonly contain references to such practices, with the earliest probably found in the 34th and 35th Ballades, a work written in French by the bilingual poet named John Gower (1327/30-1408), an English poet who may also have been in the merchant trade.
The rose, undoubtedly the most popular flower in the world, speaks of love and has been the traditional choice of sweethearts during every century. Precisely how it came to be the universal symbol of love and beauty is unclear. However, the rose was a sacred flower of Venus, Roman Goddess of Love, and the color red is associated with strong emotions. The rose is symbolic of both peace and war...both love and forgiveness. Interestingly, the letters of "rose" when rearranged, form the word "Eros"...God of Love. In terms of the sentiments expressed by the different colors of the rose, the commonly accepted meanings are:
Coral -- Desire
Lavender -- Enchantment and Uniqueness
Orange -- Fascination
Peach -- Modesty, Gratitude, Admiration and Sympathy
Pink (Pale) -- Grace, Joy and Happiness
Pink (Dark) -- Thankfulness, Friendship and Admiration
Red -- Love, Respect and Courage
Deep Red -- Beauty and Passion
White -- Innocence, Purity, Secrecy, Silence, Reverence, Humility and (according to some sources) True Love
Yellow -- Joy, Friendship, Jealousy, Hope and Freedom
Black -- FarewellRed/White -- Unity or Engagement
Yellow/Orange -- Passionate Thoughts
Yellow/Red -- Congratulations
Rosebud -- Beauty, Youth and a Heart Innocent of Love
Red Rosebud -- Purity and Loveliness
White Rosebud -- Girlhood
Single Red Rose in Full Bloom -- "I Love You"
One Dozen Red Roses -- "I Love You"
Tea Roses -- "I'll Remember Always"
Another flower particularly associated with Valentine's Day is the violet, which has a special connotation since legend states that violets grew outside the window of the jail where Saint Valentine was imprisoned. In the language of flowers, the violet is symbolic of faithfulness while a violet stone...the amethyst...is also considered lucky for sweethearts.
Love Is Composed Of A Single Soul Inhabiting Two Bodies
Lao Tzu
Being Deeply Loved By Someone Gives You Strength
While Loving Someone Deeply Gives You Courage
Helen Keller
The Best And Most Beautiful Things In The World
Cannot Be Seen Or Even Touched
They Must Be Felt With The Heart
Alice Walker
I Have Learned Not To Worry About Love
But To Honor Its Coming With All My Heart
Leo Tolstoy
Love Is Life
All, Everything That I Understand
I Understand Only Because I Love
Everything Is Everything Exists
Only Because I Love
Pablo Neruda, "Love Sonnet XVII"
I Love You Without Knowing How
Or When Or From Where
I Love You Straightforwardly
Without Complexities Or Pride
So I Love You Because I Know No Other Way
Than This Where I Does Not Exist Nor You
So Close That Your Hand On My Chest Is My Hand
So Close That Your Eyes Close As I Fall Asleep
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Love Has No Desire But To Fulfill Itself
But If You Love And Must Needs Have Desires
Let These Be Your Desires
To Melt And Be Like A Running Brook
That Sings Its Melody To The Night
To Know The Pain Of Too Much Tenderness
To Be Wounded By Your Own Understanding Of Love And
To Bleed Willingly And Joyfully
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Love Does Not Dominate It Cultivates
Young Love Is A Frame Very Pretty
Often Very Hot And Fierce But
Still Only Light And Flickering
The Love Of The Older And
Disciplined Heart Is As Coals
Deep-Burning Unquenchable
Anais Nin
Age Does Not Protect You From Love
But Love To Some Extent Protects You From Age
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Life Has Taught Us That Love Does Not
Consist In Gazing At Each Other
But In Looking Outward In The Same Direction
Zora Neale Hurston
Love Makes Your Soul Crawl Out
From Its Hiding Place
Dorothy Parker
Love Is Like Quicksilver In The Hand
Leave The Fingers Open And It Stays
Clutch It And It Darts Away
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
My Bounty Is As Boundless As The Sea
My Love As Deep
The More I Give To Thee
The More I Have For Both Are Infinite
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How Do I Love Thee?
Let Me Count The Ways
