THE PATHOS OF THE ROSE IN POETRY 359 



Deh ! mira, egli canto, spuntar la rosa 

 Dal verde suo modesta e verginella, 

 Che mezzo aperta ancora e mezzo ascosa 

 Quanto si mostra men tanto phi bella. 

 Ecco poi nudo il sen gi& baldanzosa 

 Dispiega ; ecco poi langue e non par quella ; 

 Quella non par, che desiata avanti 

 Fu da mille donzelle e mille amanti. 



Cosl trapassa al trapassar d' un giorno 

 Delia vita mortale il fiore e il verde : 

 N6 perch faccia indietro april ritorno, 

 Si rinfiora ella mai ne si rinverde. 

 Cogliam la rosa in sul mattino adorno 

 Di questo di, che tosto il seren perde ; 

 Cogliam d' amor la rosa ; amiamo or quando 

 Esser si puote riamato amando. 



A translation made by Thomas Bayley from these stanzas 

 shall be given, instead of any other, because it has been 

 chosen by Mrs. Boyle in her book : l 



Mark ye (he sings) in modest maiden guise 

 The red rose peeping from her leafy nest ; 

 Half opening, now half closed, the jewel lies, 

 More bright her beauty seems the more represt. 



But lo ! with bosom bared, the vaunting flower 

 Now droops, now dies, alas 1 how changed the while, 

 From that sweet rose that wooed, in happier hour, 

 The young man's homage and the maiden's smile. 



Thus, in the passing of a day, the flower, 

 The freshness of man's little life is o'er, 

 Though April skies return with sun and shower, 

 The flower may bloom not, life return no more. 



Cull, then, the rose, for night is coming ; haste 

 While o'er its leaves the matin dew is poured ; 

 Cull, then, the rose of love while yet thou mayest 

 Living be loved adoring be adored. 



Notwithstanding many pretty and ingenious turns, this 

 version is obviously imperfect through not following the 



1 Ros Rosarum, p. 68. 



