Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Last Rose of Summer


I wandered out to the garden today, and found a few roses still blooming. A couple of the miniatures are valiantly putting on a last show before the expected frost of next week.

As a small child I had a toy clarinet and I learned to play, "The Last Rose of Summer"... I still remember that old refrain:

Sir John Stevenson, 1761-1833 'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming all alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go sleep thou with them;
'Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow
When friendships decay,
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered
And fond ones are flown
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

4 comments:

Kim said...

Wow, what a great post and a great piece. Thank you!

~*~Pearl~*~ said...

Oh this is lovely!

Precious Quilts said...

Rose, that was a lovely post, such a lovely poem and the photo of the rose is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

What a great way to start my day with that lovely
poem and the photo of the rose. Thank you !