Poems (Rice)/Lake Cottage, Melrose
LAKE COTTAGE, MELROSE.
FEBRUARY 22, 1854.
DEAR M———, I wish that you could see This blooming, blushing rose, And feel the same delightful thrill That through my frame-work glows. I'm sure it came from paradise— 'Twas fashioned by His hand; He told some of the angel ones To strew them o'er the land.
Each petal bears a mystery— A magnet in its heart; For I am drawn unconsciously, And tears, unbidden, start; I ne'er could ask a richer gift To cheer my winter-wearied eyes,—The gems of ice and snowy drift Contrasting with its crimson dyes.
It burst from out the dark green leaves, That deck my flower-stand, And lifts its queenly head above The pink and lily bland. I thought 'twould ope a week ago, And placed it in the sun; But then I found it would not blow Till the birth of Washington.
Then when I'm sad and sick at heart, O bring to me a rose; Sweet consolation it imparts, And rich perfume bestows. Thrice welcome are you, beauteous flower, To cheer our home on this great day; So emblematic of our power— Bud, blossom, then decay.