The Rose Of May Poem by Mary Botham Howitt

The Rose Of May

Rating: 4.4


Ah! there's the lily, marble pale,
The bonny broom, the cistus frail;
The rich sweet pea, the iris blue,
The larkspur with its peacock hue;
All these are fair, yet hold I will
That the Rose of May is fairer still.

'Tis grand 'neath palace walls to grow,
To blaze where lords and ladies go;
To hang o'er marble founts, and shine
In modern gardens, trim and fine;
But the Rose of May is only seen
Where the great of other days have been.

The house is mouldering stone by stone,
The garden-walks are overgrown;
The flowers are low, the weeds are high,
The fountain-stream is choked and dry,
The dial-stone with moss is green,
Where'er the Rose of May is seen.

The Rose of May its pride displayed
Along the old stone balustrade;
And ancient ladies, quaintly dight,
In its pink blossoms took delight;
And on the steps would make a stand
To scent its fragrance - fan in hand.

Long have been dead those ladies gay;
Their very heirs have passed away;
And their old portraits, prim and tall,
Are mouldering in the mouldering hall;
The terrace and the balustrade
Lie broken, weedy and decayed.

But blithe and tall the Rose of May
Shoots upward through the ruin gray;
With scented flower, and leaf pale green,
Such rose as it hath never been,
Left, like a noble deed, to grace
The memory of an ancient race.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Ratnakar Mandlik 17 January 2016

Fantastically detailed narration of nature's bounty spread in motley colors of flowers and it's majesty are mind blowing. Enjoyed the superb poem. Thanks for sharing.

0 0 Reply
* Sunprincess * 17 January 2016

...........an exquisite poem with astonishingly beautiful imagery.... truly can't believe someone would rate this poem a 7... really it must have been a mistake ★

1 0 Reply
M Asim Nehal 17 January 2016

But blithe and tall the Rose of May Shoots upward through the ruin gray;

0 1 Reply
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