
This collection of epigrams, greetings, and inscriptions explores the contrast between thorns and roses as metaphors for life's difficulties and joys. It delves into the human experience, examining the complexities of love, loss, and relationships through witty and poignant observations. The work navigates the tension between the beauty and pain that often coexist in life, offering a nuanced perspective on the human condition.
By Henry Van Dyke · First published 1905 · Genre: Poetry, Epigram, Philosophical · 81 words
Far richer than a thornless rose / Whose branch with beauty never glows, / Is that which every June adorns / With perfect bloom among its thorns.
Merely to live without a pain / Is little gladness, little gain, / Ah, welcome joy tho' mixt with grief, -- / The thorn-set flower that crowns the leaf.
June 20, 1914.
Thorn and Rose (Epigrams, Greetings, and Inscriptions) is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Van Dyke, dated 1905 CE.
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Poetry · Epigrams · Greetings · Inscriptions · Literary Collection · Anthology · Verse · Prose · Philosophy · Wisdom · Humor · Satire