Classic Poem

I STAY with thee to-day, my love,
To-morrow too, my dear;
But when the third day comes, my dove,
I must be gone from here.

But when wilt thou come back again,
Thou dearest heart of mine;
And pluck the red, red rose again,
And drink the cooling wine?

Oh, when it snows red roses,
And when it rains cool wine;
Then, then will I come back again,
Thou dearest heart of mine!

She went, in her father's garden,
And slept beneath the vine,
And there she dreamed, and, oh, it seemed
As if it rained cool wine.

And then when she woke up again,
Lo, there was nothing there;
But the roses bloomed, and, oh, they perfumed
The pleasant summer air.

And she built her a house of clover,
Green clover, and down below
She waited for her lover,
And she watched for the rosy snow.

With yellow wax, all over,
And yellow lilies fine
She covered it, that there she might sit
And hide when it rained cool wine.

And when the house was builded
She drank the Lord God's wine,
And, with a rose-wreath in her hand
Did there to sleep recline.

The boy comes back from his journey,
‘And where is that darling of mine?’
He brings a wreath of roses
And a goblet of cooling wine.

He stumbles over the grave mound,
He falls—and lo! the sign!
There comes a snow of roses,
And a shower of cooling wine.