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The Last Rose of Summer

10/19/2017

4 Comments

 
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I have a little notebook where I copy favorite passages from books I've read, poems, verses, famous quotes, etc. I've kept it up for 7 years now, so it has become a rather varied collection, but of course, many of them have to do with flowers and gardens! My last rose of summer is "The Fairy". I cut it and brought it inside after taking these pictures, because I was afraid it would freeze overnight. There are still some buds on the bush, but I doubt they will have time to open now. I suppose almost everyone is familiar with this beautiful poem by Thomas Moore...

​'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rosebud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them.
Thus kindly I scatter,
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love's shining circle
The gems drop away.
When true hearts lie withered,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?


And then there is Ebenezer Elliott's "On a Rose in December"...

Stay yet, pale flower, though coming storms will tear thee,
​My soul grows darker, and I cannot spare thee.
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4 Comments
Eliza link
10/19/2017 07:56:33 pm

The last flowers of the year are always bittersweet. It feels so long until we will see them again!

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Joanna link
10/20/2017 01:22:53 pm

Yes indeed! They are like friends that visit once a year!

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Jason link
10/21/2017 05:50:14 pm

Poignant but lovely, both the flower and the poems.

Reply
Joanna link
10/23/2017 07:42:41 am

Glad you liked them both!

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    ​I am a passionate gardener and seed-saver, who also enjoys playing the violin and accordion, running, spending time with my 4 golden retrievers, keeping chickens, photography, and reading. ​
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