The Rose

The Rose

I hail the glad Spring,

With its sunshine and showers,

With its warb'ling brooks,

Gay birds, and bright flowers,

For it brings the sweet rose,

The queen of the lawn,

Whose radiant hues

Greet the blushes of dawn.

The bright, blushing rose!

'Tis an emblem of worth

That fades not away,

Like blossoms of earth,

But sheds perfumes around

When its gay tints have fled,

Like the mem'ry that lingers

Of friends who are dead;

Or like sumbeam that plays,

When the orb sinks to rest,

On the lakelet's bright waters,

And kisses the crest

Of tree-tops and mountains

That bask in its light,

Ere it fades from the earth,

Making way for the night.

And the lessons it teaches

Are lessons of love—

A love that is cherish'd

By the angels above—

And a promise of hope

For that soul-cheering day,

When dark clouds of distrust

From the heart roll away.

Then cease not to cherish

This fairest of flowers,

Let its blossoms unfold

In the early Spring hours:

Let its sweetest perfumes

Lade the breezes of morn,

And the brows of earth's fairest

Its garlands adorn.

Let it bloom in gay gardens,

And bask in sun-light—

Let the dew kiss its leaflets

When day changes to night;

Let it scatter its fragrance

Through the gardens of life,

And crown with its blossoms

The end of our strife.

Zelotes R. Bennett

1:43, p. 1

5.12.1860