UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES THE ROSE JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL JAMES R. OSGQOD AND COMPANY LATE TICKNOR & FIELDS, AND FIELDS, OSGOOD, & Co. 1878 146124 COPYRIGHT, 1877. JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO. PS 3tst of Illustrations ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY. " In his tower sat the poet " " On the rock the billow bursteth "... " Take, O sea ! the tender blossom " . . " Forth into the night he hurled it " . . " Foam and spray drive back to leeward " " Stands a maiden, on the morrow " . . " Touch not, sea, the blessed letters " . . " Brings a little rose, and throws it " . . " Full of bliss she takes the token "... " The ocean's fierce unrest " " In his tower sits the poet " " Up the beach the ocean slideth "... " Maiden lips, with love grown bolder " . Tail-Piece Vignette Rose C. S. REINHART. R. SWAIN GIFFORD. C. S. REINHART. A. V. S. ANTHONY. A. R. WAUD. MARY HALLOCK FOOTE. A. V. S. ANTHONY. C. S. REINHART. MARY HALLOCK FOOTE. R. SWAIN GIFFORD. C. S. REINHART. A. V. S. ANTHONY. C. S. REINHART. A. V. S. ANTHONY. F. T. MERRILL. THE ROSE A BALLAD. IN his tower sat the poet Gazing on the roaring sea, The Rose. " Take this rose," he sighed, " and throw it Where there 's none that loveth me. On the rock the billow bursteth And sinks back into the seas, The Rose. But in vain my spirit thirsteth So to burst and be at ease. Take, O sea! the tender blossom That hath lain against my breast; The Rose. On thy black and angry bosom It will find a surer rest. Life is vain, and love is hollow, Ugly death stands there behind, Hate and scorn and hunger follow Him that toileth for his kind." Forth into the night he hurled it, The Rose. And with bitter smile did mark How the surly tempest whirled it Swift into the hungry dark. Foam and spray drive back to leeward, And the gale, with dreary moan, Drifts the helpless blossom seaward, Through the breakers all alone. -. II. Stands a maiden, on the morrow, Musing by the wave-beat strand, The Rose. Half in hope and half in sorrow Tracing words upon the sand: " Shall I ever then behold him Who hath been my life so long, - Ever to this sick heart fold him, Be the spirit of his song ? Touch not, sea, the blessed letters I have traced upon thy shore, The Rose. Spare his name whose spirit fetters Mine with love forevermore ! " Swells the tide and overflows it, But, with omen pure and meet, Brings a little rose, and throws it Humbly at .the maiden's feet. The Rose. Full of bliss she takes the token, And, upon her snowy breast, The Rose. Soothes the ruffled petals broken With the ocean's fierce unrest. " Love is thine, O heart ! and surely Peace shall also be thine own, For the heart that trusteth purely Never long can pine alone." III. In his tower sits the poet, Blisses new and strange to him The Rose. Fill his heart and overflow it With a wonder sweet and dim. Up the beach the ocean slideth With a whisper of delight, And the moon in silence glideth Through the peaceful blue of night. Rippling o'er the poet's shoulder The Rose. Flows a maiden's golden hair, Maiden lips, with love grown bolder, Kiss his moonlit forehead bare. " Life is joy, and love is power, Death all fetters doth unbind, The Rose. Strength and wisdom only flower When we toil for all our kind. Hope is truth, the future giveth More than present takes away, And the soul forever liveth Nearer God from day to day." Not a word the maiden uttered, Fullest hearts are slow to speak, But a withered rose-leaf fluttered Down upon the poet's cheek. 146124 LIBRARY ie TTTT_ University of California Library Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. *io%2B?9l / 88 fti ADO n "7 Ofii < VL nrn u ^ ^m, j j .-/-. ',.''. s-.i? .- -- .-A- x ./. ,. : ..- - uNivERsrrc OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANQELES L 008 390 496 1