Poetry

There Must Be Lilacs

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There Must Be Lilacs

By Claire S. Boyer

There must be lilacs in the garden yet,
Though plots of ground be planned with eager skill;
A triangle of tulips edged about
With shamrock, piquant rows of daffodil,
Tall cannas as the corner sentinels,
A bed of roses, asters in their place.
The formal garden, set efficiently
Must still have lilacs to given garden-grace.

There must be lilacs in the mart of trade,
In offices where robots tap and turn
Efficient hands that figure and propel
And able minds that parrot all they learn;
There must be one heart fragrant as love’s dawn,
To touch with magic man’s most doubtful schemes,
A smile that quickens, words of inward grace.
There must be lilacs to recall old dreams.

(1935)

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2 thoughts on “There Must Be Lilacs”

  2. Very early—the word was coined in 1920 for a play that premiered in 1921, and was translated into English in 1923. The play (Rossum’s Universal Robots) was a successful play, and I do know that there were WPA-sponsored performances in the 1930s, though I don’t know how many (if any) there were in the Mormon Dominance Area.

    12 years is quick for a lexical item to spread from initial coinage to widespread use—not unheard of, but quite quick, really.

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