The Tea-Rose
Most beautiful of all the rosesIs this half-open bud, whose bare,Unpetalled heart a dream disclosesOf carmine very faint and fair.
I wonder, was it once a white rose,Till butterfly too ardent spokeA language soft, and in the light roseA shyer, warmer tint awoke?
Its delicate fabric hath the colourOf lovely and velutinous skin.Its perfect freshness maketh dullerEnvironing hues incarnadine.
For as some rare patrician featuresEclipse the brows of ruddier gleam,So masquerade as rustic creaturesGay sisters of this rose supreme.
But, dear one, if your hand caress it,And raise it for its sweet perfume,Ere yet your velvet cheek shall press it,'T will fade before a fairer bloom.
No rose in all the world so tender,That gloweth in the springtime fleet,But shall its every charm surrenderUnto your seventeen years, my sweet.
A face hath more than petal's power:A pure heart's blood that blushing flowsO'er youth's nobility, is flowerHigh sovereign over every rose.
Words in this poem
- carmine n.
- A rich red or crimson color with a shade of purple. [F. carmin (cf. Sp. carmin, It. carminio), contr. from LL. carmesinus purple color. See Crimson.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- velutinous a.
- Having the surface covered with a fine and dense silky pubescence; velvety; as, a velutinous leaf. [It. velluto velvet. See Velvet.]
- duller n.
- One who, or that which, dulls.
- incarnadine a.
- Flesh-colored; of a carnation or pale red color. [F. incarnadin, It. incarnatino; L. pref. in- in + caro, carnis, flesh. Cf. Carnation, Incarnate.]
- patrician a.
- Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (fathers) or senators, or patricians. [L. patricius, fr. patres fathers or senators, pl. of pater: cf. F. patricien. See Paternal.]
- caress n.
- An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- springtime n.
- The season of spring; springtide.
- seventeen a.
- One more than sixteen; ten and seven added; as, seventeen years. [OE. seventene, AS. seofontyne, i. e., seven- ten. Cf. Seventy.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Tea-Rose is in the public domain. This text is taken from Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #29521, the Agnes Lee translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Théophile Gautier, The Tea-Rose, in Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #29521, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gautier-enamels-cameos/the-tea-rose.html, id L27019.
Form and metre
The Tea-Rose is 28 lines in 7 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABAB rosesA · bareB · disclosesA · fairB
- 2 ABAB roseA · spokeB · roseA · awokeB
- 3 ABAB colourA · skinB · dullerA · incarnadineB
- 4 ABAB featuresA · gleamB · creaturesA · supremeB
- 5 ABAB itA · perfumeB · itA · bloomB
- 6 ABAB tenderA · fleetB · surrenderA · sweetB
- 7 ABAB powerA · flowsB · flowerA · roseB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Most beautiful of all the roses | 9 | ·/˘˘···/˘ |
| Is this half-open bud, whose bare, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Unpetalled heart a dream discloses | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Of carmine very faint and fair. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| I wonder, was it once a white rose, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Till butterfly too ardent spoke | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A language soft, and in the light rose | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| A shyer, warmer tint awoke? | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Its delicate fabric hath the colour | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Of lovely and velutinous skin. | 9 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘· |
| Its perfect freshness maketh duller | 9 | ·/·/˘··/˘ |
| Environing hues incarnadine. | 9 | ·····˘/˘˘ |
| For as some rare patrician features | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| Eclipse the brows of ruddier gleam, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| So masquerade as rustic creatures | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Gay sisters of this rose supreme. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| But, dear one, if your hand caress it, | 9 | ······˘/· |
| And raise it for its sweet perfume, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Ere yet your velvet cheek shall press it, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| 'T will fade before a fairer bloom. | 9 | ······/˘· |
| No rose in all the world so tender, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| That gloweth in the springtime fleet, | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| But shall its every charm surrender | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Unto your seventeen years, my sweet. | 9 | ···/˘/··· |
| A face hath more than petal's power: | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| A pure heart's blood that blushing flows | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| O'er youth's nobility, is flower | 9 | ··˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| High sovereign over every rose. | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
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