THE TWO ROSES.
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I bring earth's glittering jewels upFrom the hidden cave below, And I make the fountain's granite cupWith a crystal gush o'erflow.
I blow the bellows, I forge the steel, In all the shops of trade;I hammer the ore, and turn the wheel, Where my arms of strength are made;I manage the furnace, the mill, the mint; I carry, I spin, I weave;And all my doings I put into print On every Saturday eve.
I've no muscle to weary, no breast to decay, No bones to be "laid on the shelf,"And soon I intend you "may go and play," While I manage the world by myself.But harness me down with your iron bands, Be sure of your curb and rein,For I scorn the strength of your puny hands As the tempest scorns a chain.
The Two Roses.
From the Italian.
My Lilla gave me yester-mornA rose, methinks in Eden born,And as she gave it, little elf,Blushed like another rose herself.Then said I, full of tenderness, "Since this sweet rose I owe to you,Dear girl, why may I not possess The lovelier rose that gave it, too?"
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