I Know Why the Red Rose Weeps
A Ballad
I know why the red rose weeps,
Why she hides her tears in dew,
As the summer breezes sweep
From those seas of peaceful blue,
And then, like our dreams,
She fades with the morning dew.
I know why the red rose weeps
Through the dreamy months of June
As the golden breezes sweep
Over the ocean rocks, hewn
By Neptune’s tide
As he guards each sailor’s tomb.
And I know why the red rose weeps
While birds sing their matin lay
And a gentle breeze sweeps
Our cares somewhere far away,
To where the grasshopper leaps
And the happy children play.
I know why the red rose weeps
Throughout dreary September
As the autumnal wind keeps
Songs that are more sober
And sap slowly seeps
Into lonesome October.
And I know why the red rose weeps
Through the month of January
As the frigid breeze creeps
Into her sanctuary
And the summer’s cradle
Becomes her cemetery.
For when the rose parts with its petals
And the fragrance of its dying breath
Settles on the cooling breeze,
Seeing her beauty bereft
While the air carries the ocean brine
Makes life all the more sweet with Death.
I know why the red rose weeps
When her buds have yet to see the day,
When beauty still sleeps
Through flowery May,
And the early frost still keeps
Our nascent dreams at bay.
For as when one can almost hear
The afternoon-sun’s rays dancing
On the meandering rivers
And each new young frond spreading
As the delicate winds pass
And the skylarks sing,
So I know why the red rose weeps
Why she hides her tears in dew
As the golden breezes sweep
From those seas of peaceful blue,
And then like our dreams,
She fades with the morning dew.
By David B. Gosselin
Originally published by www.thechainedmuse.com
