John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892). The Poetical Works in Four Volumes. 1892.
Occasional PoemsWinter Roses
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Have perished from the leaf-strewn walks;
Their pale, fair sisters smile no more
Upon the sweet-brier stalks.
Spring’s violets, summer’s blooming pride,
And Nature’s winter and my own
Stand, flowerless, side by side.
To-day, in bleak December’s noon,
Come sweetest fragrance, shapes, and hues,
The rosy wealth of June!
And bless the hearts that prompted it;
If undeserved it comes, at least
It seems not all unfit.
Had gifts of forty stripes save one;
To-day as many roses crown
The gray head of their son.
The fresh-faced givers smiling come,
And nine and thirty happy girls
Make glad a lonely room.
The light and warmth of long ago
Are in my heart, and on my cheek
The airs of morning blow.
And fairer than the gift ye chose,
For you may years like leaves unfold
The heart of Sharon’s rose!