A White Rose (John Boyle O’Reilly, 1844-1890)



The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

Vocabulary: 
falcon: a bird that kills and eats other animals and can be trained to hunt.