The poem explores the theme of seasonal change and its impact on nature. The speaker asks their mother what roses and lilies do after summer and June have passed, respectively. The answers describe the flowers' dormant state, dreaming of the sun and moon. The final question poses the speaker's own longing for something new and untried, symbolized by an unborn rose and a fleeting lily.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1913 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Adventure