The Road of Roses
The Sun of Childhood tender
Illumes the long white way
With touch of rosy splendor,
All in the dawn of day.
And ever as he passes,
And through the forest runs,
He lights on leaves and grasses,
A thousand little suns.
And, like a gleaming river
That to the sea descends,
The long white road runs ever
To where the Rainbow ends
The bee his small wings closes,
And makes his sweet abode,
Within the hearts of roses
That bloom beside the road.
And Spring’s wise little lady,
The Primrose, opes her eyne,
And keeps in places shady
Her golden lamps ashine.
The birds, with sunlight sheening
Their throats, sing all a-row,
A song whose mystic meaning
Only the children know.
It tells of strange lands under
The Sunset, strange and fair,
And of the World of Wonder
Above the Rainbow Stair.
It tells of how To-Morrow
Will bring a shining sheaf
Of joys without a sorrow,
Of hours without a grief.
So, with clear voices ringing,
And posies in their hands,
The children journey singing
Unto the Wonder Lands.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
- published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
- anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
- government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse