by EDGAR FAWCETT
Oh, the queen of all the roses, it can never be denied,
Is the heavy crimson rose of velvet leaf!
There is such a gracious royalty about her vivid bloom,
That among all charming kindred she is chief!
Then the fainter-shaded roses, in their balmy damask pride,
Group like satellites about one's central star,―
Royal princesses, of whom we can discover at a glance
What aristocrats the dainty creatures are!
They are gentle maids of honor, I am told;
But the pompous yellow roses, these are sneered at, it is said,
For so showing off the color of their gold!
And the roses that are powerless to boast of any time,
Unsullied as the snow itself in hue,
These are pious nuns, I fancy, who perhaps may murmur prayers
Very softly upon rosaries of dew!
But the delicate pink roses that one meets in quiet lanes,
Gleaming pale upon a background of clear green,
Why, these are only peasant girls, who never go to court,
But are loyal little subjects of their queen!
Late 19th century (Victorian) children's poem of roses by Edgar Fawcett. You can find a printable copy of the poem as a high-res 6” x 5” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here. Vintage painting by Marija Auersperg Attems (1816–1880) is called “Roses (Flowers with a Beetle)” and can be downloaded as a 12” x 15” @ 300 ppi JPEG here.
Poem is from my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required. Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
that makes your rose so important.
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
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