Go, Lovely Rose
by Edmund Waller
Go, lovely rose,
Tell her that wastes her time and me,
That now she knows,
When I resemble her to thee,
How sweet and fair
She seems to be.
Tell her that's young,
And shuns to have her graces spied,
That hadst thou sprung
In deserts where no men abide,
Thou must have uncommended died.
Small is the worth
Of beauty from the light retired:
Bid her come forth,
Suffer herself to be desired,
And not blush
So to be admired.
Then die that she
The common fate of all things rare
May read in thee;
How small a part of time they share
That are so wonderous
Sweet and fair.
About a month too late. Mostly basking in the memory of the gorgeous setting by Halsey Stevens of these words sung by the Lafayette Chamber Singers nearer to the correct date. How could anyone say no to such wordcraft? It's certainly not your typical barroom "line."
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