The summer rose the sun has flushed With crimson glory may be sweet; 'Tis sweeter when its leaves are crushed Beneath the wind's and tempest's feet. The rose that waves upon its tree, In life sheds perfume all around; More sweet the perfume floats to me Of roses trampled on the ground. The waving rose with every breath Scents carelessly the summer air; The wounded rose bleeds forth in death A sweetness far more rich and rare. It is a truth beyond our ken -- And yet a truth that all may read -- It is with roses as with men, The sweetest hearts are those that bleed. The flower which Bethlehem saw bloom Out of a heart all full of grace, Gave never forth its full perfume Until the cross became its vase. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NEARER by ROBERT MALISE BOWYER NICHOLS SENTINEL SONGS: 1 by ABRAM JOSEPH RYAN TWELVE SONNETS: 1. THY SWEETNESS by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) PINE BRANCH by BERENICE BRIGHAM THE RUBY THROAT by RUTH BUTLER BROWN THE WANDERER: 5. IN HOLLAND: THE CANTICLE OF LOVE by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON |