The Tomb And The Rose (After Victor Hugo.)
The Tomb said to the Rose :
O Flower of Love, where goes
Each tear which Dawn upon thy cheeks doth
shed?
The Rose said to the Tomb :
What makest in thy gloom
Impenetrable of the countless dead?
Said the Rose : O Tomb, of all these tears,
In my recesses ere the sun appears,
I make a perfume which the gods will prize.
Said the Tomb : O plaintive Flower,
Of every mortal I devour
An angel do I make for Paradise.
From Myrtle and Myrrh (The Gorham Press, 1905) by Ameen Rihani. This poem is in the public domain.
Ameen Rihani
Ameen Fares Rihani, who is regarded as a founder of Arab American literature and a major figure in the Mahjar movement, was born in Freike, Lebanon, then part of the Ottoman Empire, on November 24, 1876. Rihani was one of six children and the eldest son born to a Lebanese Christian (Maronite) silk manufacturer. Rihani moved to New York City with one of his brothers in 1888 and began to learn English. Three years later, Rihani became an American citizen.