A Summer Wish

Live all thy sweet life thro',

Sweet Rose, dew-sprent,

Drop down thine evening dew

To gather it anew

When day is bright:

I fancy thou wast meant

Chiefly to give delight.

Sing in the silent sky,

Glad soaring bird;

Sing out thy notes on high 10

To sunbeam straying by

Or passing cloud;

Heedless if thou art heard

Sing thy full song aloud.

Oh that it were with me

As with the flower;

Blooming on its own tree

For butterfly and bee

Its summer morns:

That I might bloom mine hour 20

A rose in spite of thorns.

Oh that my work were done

As birds' that soar

Rejoicing in the sun:

That when my time is run

And daylight too,

I so might rest once more

Cool with refreshing dew.

Poetry of Christina Rossetti - Complete Text

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