Living
Rose and Root
From An American Anthology, 1787-1900, ed. E. C. Stedman (1900)
Living
The Rose aloft in sunny air,
Beloved alike by bird and bee,
Takes for the dark Root little care
That toils below it ceaselessly.
I put my question to the flower:
"Pride of the Summer, garden queen,
Why livest thou thy little hour?"
And the Rose answered, "I am seen."
I put my question to the Root.
"I mine the earth content," it said,
"A hidden miner underfoot:
I know a Rose is overhead."
Cite this poem
MLA
Piatt, John James. “Rose and Root.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/piatt/3/.
Chicago
Piatt, John James. “Rose and Root.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/piatt/3/.
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