Three Poems by K. R.
Authorized Translation by Constance Purdy.
The author of these poems is the late Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich, who wrote under the pseudonym of K. R.—Ed.
ROSES.
In bygone days of youthful hope—
Those golden days of cloudless azure—
Untouched by grief we drank Life's measure,
And storms came not within our scope.
For us the fragrance of the flowers—
The moonlight shone for us alone,
For us, at night, her plaintive moan
The nightingale trilled through the bowers.
And in that year of memories blest
What reckoned we of Life's dull proses . . .
How lovely then they were,
How fresh, how sweet the roses!
That radiant time is long since past.
We tasted deep of care and sadness,
Sorrows we mingled with our gladness.
But, friend, depression should not last:
See now, how fair God's world we live in;
How vast and clear is Heaven's dome,
How green the garden of our home,
And warm and mild the day He's given.
The breeze floats through the open door,
Each flower a tear of dew discloses . . .
How lovely are they now,
How fresh, how sweet the roses!
For all which we have undergone,
A hundredfold shall be amassed us.
The days will one by one slip past us,
And once the gloomy winter gone,
Anew through blossoming meadow winging
Glad Spring will take her happy flight.
The quiet moon will shine at night,
