LOVE'S EMBLEM
Reading edition
Go rose, my Chloe's bosom grace: How happy should I prove, Could I supply that envied place With never-fading love.
Accept, dear maid, now Summer glows, This pure, unsullied gem, Love's emblem in a full-blown rose, Just broken from the stem.
Accept it as a favourite flower For thy soft breast to wear; 'Twill blossom there its transient hour, A favourite of the fair.
Upon thy cheek its blossom glows, As from a mirror clear, Making thyself a living rose, In blossom all the year.
It is a sweet and favourite flower To grace a maiden's brow, Emblem of love without its power— A sweeter rose art thou.
The rose, like hues of insect wing, May perish in an hour; 'T is but at best a fading thing, But thou'rt a living flower.
The roses steeped in morning dews Would every eye enthrall, But woman, she alone subdues; Her beauty conquers all.