Classic Poem

I Bathed me in the open sea,
A nightingale flew by,
Dropp'd a red-rose leaf over me,
And, singing, sought the sky.

I SEIZED it with a wondering thought,
And found — O bliss! O bliss! —
The little blushing rose-leaf brought
My maiden's virgin kiss.

A LAS ! fond dream! that maid is dead —
The gard'ner plucks a rose,
And pluck'd — it fades, it hangs its head,
And pale and paler grows.

I PLUCK'D a rose — that rose I plac'd
Upon my breast — the gem,
My eager breast a moment grac'd,
Then sunk upon its stem.