نرگس

The Greek myth of Narcissus, the beautiful youth who fell in love with his reflection, is sometimes mentioned in modern Iranian discussion of the flower, but the Persian tradition does not depend on the Greek story. The Persian poetic narcissus is not the self-loving youth. It is the watching eye of the beloved, with no self-regard at all. The two traditions share the flower-name through deep linguistic history but diverge sharply in what the flower means. Iranian narcissus festivals are held in southern provinces, especially around the city of Behbahan in winter, where wild narcissus blankets the hills.