"The Lotus" by Toru Dutt is a beautiful example of a Petrarchan sonnet. In the opening lines, we see a conflict between the rose and the lily flower. The mythological goddess of Love, Aphrodite, has come to Flora, asking for a creation that would be seen as the new "undisputed queen" of all flowers:

Love came to Flora asking for a flower
That would of flowers be undisputed queen . . .

Both the rose and the lily use their "bards of power" to attempt to win this title. The rose will "never tower like the pale lily," but in the next line the author wonders if this truly makes the lily a lovelier flower.

In the final six lines of the poem, we find a solution to crowning an undisputed queen. The Goddess Flora creates a brand new flower, the lotus, which is both "rose red" and "lily white" and has characteristics of both flowers.

Interestingly, while the title of the poem is "The Lotus," the flower itself is not mentioned until the final lines of the poem. The lotus flower is a well known symbol of India as well as of the Hindu faith. We can see the author showcasing her pride in her own religion and culture as she presents the idea that the lotus is the most beautiful of all flowers.

In Toru Dutt's poem, the speaker describes "Love" coming to "Flora" to hear her choice of which flower she thought should be named the "undisputed queen" of flowers. It seems that the rose and the lily had held that high regard for a long time. The "Bards of power/ Had sung their claims./ "The rose can never tower/ Like the pale lily with her Juno mien." As they discuss, the two "flower-factions" couldn't get away from the rose and the lily. They each decided that the "undisputed queen" must be "rose-red" and "lily-white." In the end, Flora gives the lotus, "rose-red" dyed,/ And "lily-white" — the queenliest flower that blows." The lotus flower is pink; the two sides have made a compromise.