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.

Gild the Lily, rose petals and rocket-propelled grenades Bruce Kahl 21/May/04
- Gild the Lily, rose petals and rocket-propelled grenades platypus 21/May/04
- More disagreement Rube 21/May/04
  - More disagreement Rassum Frassum Camel 21/May/04
    - More disagreement Rube 21/May/04
      - Play Nice, Ok? Bruce Kahl 21/May/04
      - More disagreement Word camel 21/May/04
- Gild the Lily, rose petals and rocket-propelled grenades Brian from Shawnee 21/May/04
  - Gild the Lily. Smokey Stover 21/May/04
    - Gild refined gold, paint the lily ESC 21/May/04