Proud in the pride of her virtue meek,
She veiled the blush on her modest cheek.
Dazed with the glare of her gaudy bloom,
Drunk with the breath of her rich perfume,
I tended the one with ceaseless care;
I marked the growth of each beauty rare,
And dreamed that all on some future day
Would own the power of her peerless sway.
At length my flower, that I loved the best,
I sought to take and wear on my breast,