Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895.
Thomas Hood 17991845Flowers
Hood-ThoI
Whose head is turn’d by the sun;
The tulip is a courtly quean,
Whom, therefore I will shun;
The cowslip is a country wench,
The violet is a nun;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
The queen of every one.
In too much haste to wed,
And clasps her rings on every hand;
The wolfsbane I should dread;
Nor will I dreary rosemarye,
That always mourns the dead;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
With her cheeks of tender red.
And so is no mate for me,
And the daisy’s cheek is tipp’d with a blush,
She is of such low degree;
Jasmine is sweet, and has many loves,
And the broom’s betroth’d to the bee;
But I will plight with the dainty rose,
For fairest of all is she.