The Last Rose of Summer
‘Tis the last rose of summer left blooming alone,
All her lovely companions, are faded and gone
No flow’r of her kindred, no rose bud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes, or give sigh for sigh
I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one to pine on the stem
Since the lovely are sleeping , Go sleep thou with them
Thus kindly I scatter, Thy leaves o’er thy bed
Where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead
So soon may I follow, when friendships decay,
And from love’s shining circle the gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered, and fond ones are flown,
Oh, who would inhabit, this bleak world alone?
This song was written by Thomas Moore in the early 1800s. The song pays homage to the rose’s almost sacred beauty and draws a parallel between the last rose of summer and the loneliness and nostalgia that follows the death of loved ones and friends.
