THE FADING ROSE BUD.

I had a lovely Rose bud,Just opening beauteously,I placed it on my bosom,And fair it was to see;My heart was proudly swelling,When every passer-byAdmired my beauteous flower,That blossom’d but to die.Awhile it gaily flourish’d,Nursed by affection’s dew,And every passing hour,More beautiful it grew;Each tender leaf unfolding,A brilliant hue display’d;I thought a brighter flowerWas surely never made.One day I saw it drooping,It leaned upon my breast;With paleness and with trembling,I saw it sink to rest;I knew not it was dying,Though paler still it grew;I vainly strove to save it,By all that love could do.I ask’d each passing zephyrTo breathe upon my flower,And each reviving sunbeamTo try its sovereign power;I gave each fond endearment,I water’d it with tears,But every moment brought meMore agonizing fears.“O, must I lose my Rose bud,The only one I have?Is there no kind physician,My precious flower to save?”But vain was all my praying,A worm was at the core,And, leaning on my bosom,It withered more and more.At length I heard a whisper,“O, suffer it to comeTo me, the only Savior,And I will take it home;There, in my garden blooming,Are many buds like thine,In bright celestial beauty,Sweet flowers! how they shine!”I raised my tearful eyelids,And lo! a form of light,Just like the risen Savior,Then met my wond’ring sight;And while I strove to tell himThat he might take it home,Again I heard him saying,“O, suffer it to come.”The glory round him shiningSpread heavenly light afar,And in each hand extended,I saw the fatal scar;There too, I saw, with anguish,The wound upon his side;By these sad marks I knew him,’Twas He—the Crucified!With sad heartbreaking sorrow,I kiss’d my faded flower,A long farewell I gave it,That well remember’d hour;One dark and painful struggleNow rack’d my tortured mind,And then, with sighs and weeping,My Rose bud I resign’d.’Twas folded to his bosom,And, as he placed it there,I saw new life returningBeneath his fost’ring care;And though I felt so lonely,And throbb’d my heart with pain,I dared not, and I wish’d notTo call it back again.And then the tender SaviorCast such a look on me,And said to me so sweetly,“Fear not, I’ll comfort thee,”That I in calmness waitedTo see them take their flight,And, in a cloud of glory,They vanish’d from my sight!

I had a lovely Rose bud,

Just opening beauteously,

I placed it on my bosom,

And fair it was to see;

My heart was proudly swelling,

When every passer-by

Admired my beauteous flower,

That blossom’d but to die.

Awhile it gaily flourish’d,Nursed by affection’s dew,And every passing hour,More beautiful it grew;Each tender leaf unfolding,A brilliant hue display’d;I thought a brighter flowerWas surely never made.

Awhile it gaily flourish’d,

Nursed by affection’s dew,

And every passing hour,

More beautiful it grew;

Each tender leaf unfolding,

A brilliant hue display’d;

I thought a brighter flower

Was surely never made.

One day I saw it drooping,It leaned upon my breast;With paleness and with trembling,I saw it sink to rest;I knew not it was dying,Though paler still it grew;I vainly strove to save it,By all that love could do.

One day I saw it drooping,

It leaned upon my breast;

With paleness and with trembling,

I saw it sink to rest;

I knew not it was dying,

Though paler still it grew;

I vainly strove to save it,

By all that love could do.

I ask’d each passing zephyrTo breathe upon my flower,And each reviving sunbeamTo try its sovereign power;I gave each fond endearment,I water’d it with tears,But every moment brought meMore agonizing fears.

I ask’d each passing zephyr

To breathe upon my flower,

And each reviving sunbeam

To try its sovereign power;

I gave each fond endearment,

I water’d it with tears,

But every moment brought me

More agonizing fears.

“O, must I lose my Rose bud,The only one I have?Is there no kind physician,My precious flower to save?”But vain was all my praying,A worm was at the core,And, leaning on my bosom,It withered more and more.

“O, must I lose my Rose bud,

The only one I have?

Is there no kind physician,

My precious flower to save?”

But vain was all my praying,

A worm was at the core,

And, leaning on my bosom,

It withered more and more.

At length I heard a whisper,“O, suffer it to comeTo me, the only Savior,And I will take it home;There, in my garden blooming,Are many buds like thine,In bright celestial beauty,Sweet flowers! how they shine!”

At length I heard a whisper,

“O, suffer it to come

To me, the only Savior,

And I will take it home;

There, in my garden blooming,

Are many buds like thine,

In bright celestial beauty,

Sweet flowers! how they shine!”

I raised my tearful eyelids,And lo! a form of light,Just like the risen Savior,Then met my wond’ring sight;And while I strove to tell himThat he might take it home,Again I heard him saying,“O, suffer it to come.”

I raised my tearful eyelids,

And lo! a form of light,

Just like the risen Savior,

Then met my wond’ring sight;

And while I strove to tell him

That he might take it home,

Again I heard him saying,

“O, suffer it to come.”

The glory round him shiningSpread heavenly light afar,And in each hand extended,I saw the fatal scar;There too, I saw, with anguish,The wound upon his side;By these sad marks I knew him,’Twas He—the Crucified!

The glory round him shining

Spread heavenly light afar,

And in each hand extended,

I saw the fatal scar;

There too, I saw, with anguish,

The wound upon his side;

By these sad marks I knew him,

’Twas He—the Crucified!

With sad heartbreaking sorrow,I kiss’d my faded flower,A long farewell I gave it,That well remember’d hour;One dark and painful struggleNow rack’d my tortured mind,And then, with sighs and weeping,My Rose bud I resign’d.

With sad heartbreaking sorrow,

I kiss’d my faded flower,

A long farewell I gave it,

That well remember’d hour;

One dark and painful struggle

Now rack’d my tortured mind,

And then, with sighs and weeping,

My Rose bud I resign’d.

’Twas folded to his bosom,And, as he placed it there,I saw new life returningBeneath his fost’ring care;And though I felt so lonely,And throbb’d my heart with pain,I dared not, and I wish’d notTo call it back again.

’Twas folded to his bosom,

And, as he placed it there,

I saw new life returning

Beneath his fost’ring care;

And though I felt so lonely,

And throbb’d my heart with pain,

I dared not, and I wish’d not

To call it back again.

And then the tender SaviorCast such a look on me,And said to me so sweetly,“Fear not, I’ll comfort thee,”That I in calmness waitedTo see them take their flight,And, in a cloud of glory,They vanish’d from my sight!

And then the tender Savior

Cast such a look on me,

And said to me so sweetly,

“Fear not, I’ll comfort thee,”

That I in calmness waited

To see them take their flight,

And, in a cloud of glory,

They vanish’d from my sight!

Charleston,December 10, 1840.

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