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Re: Gild the Lily

Posted by Lewis on May 21, 2004

In Reply to: Gild the Lily posted by Sax on May 21, 2004

: Hi! I have no idea what this means. Can you please help me figure it out (and maybe where it comes from?) Thank you - Sax

'To gild' is to apply gold to an object to make it shine. A lily is a flower that is very beautiful in its natural state, so to gild a lily is unnecessary and can actually detract from its natural beauty.

I think it has a Biblical origin - certainly lilies are referred to there asd examples of natural beauty.