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Friday, 21 September 2012

Love Came to Flora Asking for a Flower - Toru Dutt

Love came to Flora asking for a flower
    That would of flowers be undisputed queen,
    The lily and the rose, long, long had been
Rivals for that high honor. Bards of power
Had sung their claims. "The rose can never tower
    Like the pale lily with her Juno mien" —
    "But is the lily lovelier?" Thus between
Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche's bower.
"Give me a flower delicious as the rose
    And stately as the lily in her pride" —
But of what color?" — "Rose-red," Love first chose,
    Then prayed — "No, lily-white — or, both provide;"
    And Flora gave the lotus, "rose-red" dyed,
And "lily-white" — the queenliest flower that blows.
Toru Dutt (1856 - 1877) India
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1 comment:

  1. Christy B21 September 2012 at 22:26

    So many questions in this poem and a write so lovely!

    ReplyDelete

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