University of Virginia Library

THE PURPLE FLOWER.

There is a flower that blooms for ill or good
Within the grove of Life. Its stalk is frail
Yet strong, and bends to every passing gale,
That breathes or blusters through the solitude.
Some call it “Doubt-and-Dream,” and “red as blood”
Its bloom; and others, when their efforts fail,
Name it “Despair-and-Die,” and call it pale:
For unto each 'tis differently imbued.

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And yet the flower, fashioned like a star,
Is neither white nor crimson, but deep blue;
Its name is “Hope and Wait.” The color-blind
But see it otherwise, and, seeing, mar
Its attributes, from which it takes its hue
According to man's attitude of mind.