Paroles de Glycyrrhiza

Along streaming water winding Rooted in earthy sand Within meadowed plains And forgotten battlefields Perennial stems reign Succulent Teutonic lineage Petiolate leaflets Bluntly alternate Cylindrical calyx Herbaceous branches Crowned in violet hue regal Astride peduncle axillary spikes Beneath, fusiform rhizomes spread From which black blood flows eternal Glycyrrhizin acid, treacle demulcent balm To quell fever, soothe wounds Lost on the battlefields of old