Three Flowers
I made a little song about the roseAnd sang it for the rose to hear,Nor ever marked until the music's closeA lily that was listening near.
The red red rose flushed redder with delight,And like a queen her head she raised.The white white lily blanched a paler white,For anger that she was not praised.
Turning I left the rose unto her pride,The lily to her enviousness,And soon upon the grassy ground espiedA daisy all companionless.
Doubtless no flattered flower is this, I deemed;And not so graciously it grewAs rose or lily: but methought it seemedMore thankful for the sun and dew.
Dear love, my sweet small flower that grew'st amongThe grass, from all the flowers apart,--Forgive me that I gave the rose my song,Ere thou, the daisy, hadst my heart!
Words in this poem
- companionless a.
- Without a companion.
- doubtless a.
- Free from fear or suspicion.
- graciously adv.
- In a gracious manner; courteously; benignantly.
- thankful a.
- Obtaining or deserving thanks; thankworthy. [AS. Þancfull.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Three Flowers is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of William Watson, Project Gutenberg ebook #13179; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Watson, Three Flowers, in The Poems of William Watson (1892–1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13179, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/watson-poems/three-flowers.html, id L11369.
Form and metre
Three Flowers is 20 lines in 5 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 4 of its 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.2 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 30% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 roseA · hearB · closeA · nearB
- 2 ABAB delightA · raisedB · whiteA · praisedB
- 3 ABAB prideA · enviousnessB · espiedA · companionlessB
- 4 ABAB deemedA · grewB · seemedA · dewB
- 5 -A-A among · apartA · song · heartA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I made a little song about the rose | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And sang it for the rose to hear, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor ever marked until the music's close | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| A lily that was listening near. | 9 | ·/˘··/˘˘· |
| The red red rose flushed redder with delight, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| And like a queen her head she raised. | 9 | ········˘ |
| The white white lily blanched a paler white, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For anger that she was not praised. | 9 | ·/˘·····˘ |
| Turning I left the rose unto her pride, | 10 | /˘········ |
| The lily to her enviousness, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And soon upon the grassy ground espied | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A daisy all companionless. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Doubtless no flattered flower is this, I deemed; | 10 | /˘·/˘/···· |
| And not so graciously it grew | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| As rose or lily: but methought it seemed | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| More thankful for the sun and dew. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Dear love, my sweet small flower that grew'st among | 10 | ·····/···· |
| The grass, from all the flowers apart,-- | 9 | ·····/˘˘/ |
| Forgive me that I gave the rose my song, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Ere thou, the daisy, hadst my heart! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.