Home › Glossary › Letter B

Bleeding Heart

Flora
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A perennial with heart-shaped pink or white flowers that appear to drip from the base.

Detailed Definition
Bleeding Heart embodies romantic sorrow, compassion, and vulnerable love in poetry. Its literalized heart imagery makes it a direct symbol of emotional pain and empathy. Often appearing in Victorian and confessional verse, it conveys the ache of unreturned affection or maternal tenderness.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bleeding Heart appears in Victorian poetry as heartbreak made visible: “Her garden held a bleeding heart—no metaphor, just truth”; In confessional verse, it mirrors emotional wounds: “I am a bleeding heart, split open by April”; Its paired pink petals inspire love duets: “Two hearts dangling, touching only at the tip”; Modern garden poems contrast its delicacy with resilience: “Bleeding Heart survives frost, scandal, neglect”; In mythic retellings, it springs from Psyche’s tears; Its seasonal fade evokes loss: “By June, only ghosts of hearts remain.”
Additional Notes
Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) features heart-shaped pink/white flowers that appear to “drip”; symbolizes romantic sorrow, unrequited love, or compassion; popular in Victorian floriography; its ephemeral spring bloom suits elegiac or confessional poetry; note its toxicity—adds layers of dangerous devotion.
Also Known As
Dicentra Lyre Flower Dutchman’s Breeches (related but distinct)
Skip to main content