Classic Poem

A WHITE rose, from her morning dream
Awakened by the amorous air,
Beheld her image in a stream,
And blushed to see herself so fair.

Then proudly tossed her regal head
And spread her bosom to the sky,
And, whispering to herself, she said:
“Behold how beautiful am I!”

And thus it was at day's eclipse,
A zephyr found her proud and vain;
Touched her bright petals with his lips,
And left thereon a burning stain.

The beauty felt the smart, and cried:
“Though thou hast kissed me to betray,
The dew will come at eventide
And wash the cruel stain away.”

But never dew nor summer rain
Could her lost purity restore;
And still she wears the fatal stain
That mars her beauty evermore.