Poetry
The Tomb and the Rose by Victor Hugo
The Tomb and the Rose (1877) was published in Littell’s Living Age, Volume 133, Issue 1719.
The tomb asked of the rose:
“What dost thou with the tears, which dawn
Sheds on thee every summer morn,
Thou sweetest flower that blows?”
The rose asked of the tomb:
“What dost thou with the treasures rare,
Thou hidest deep from light and air,
Until the day of doom?”
The rose said: “Home of night,
Deep in my bosom, I distil
Those pearly tears to scents, that fill
The senses with delight.”
The tomb said: “Flower of love,
I make of every treasure rare,
Hidden so deep from light and air,
A soul for heaven above!”