To some Dahlias by Ruth Collie

"To Some Dahlias" by Ruth Collie is a short lyric poem in which the speaker reflects on having witnessed beauty repeatedly throughout life—in clouds, stars, rain-washed trees, and dancing sunbeams—before declaring that dahlias surpass all these as objects of affection. The speaker addresses the flowers directly, treating each one as a cherished friend and marveling at the zest and vitality with which they seem to live. Particular attention is paid to their vivid coloring: white, pink, red, and saffron blooms whose hues are compared to glowing flames. The speaker admits a small, affectionate failing—passing the dahlias daily and nodding in greeting, yet being unable to keep track of all their individual names. The poem then turns to a brief narrative anecdote that gives the flowers' beauty a human consequence. The speaker recalls seeing a young girl, someone too young to be burdened by grief, walking past with her head bowed low, and likens her in that moment to a wind-tossed leaf—fragile, driven by sorrow rather than her own will. As she passes, the dahlias seem to respond, flashing a smile that catches her attention. The girl stops, stands still, and gazes at the flowers for a long while, drinking in their beauty. The poem suggests this small encounter had a quiet but real effect: that same night, the girl discovered that life was not as gray as her sorrow had made it seem, because she had carried the memory of the bright dahlias back to her room with her, and their brightness lingered with her in spirit. Thematically, the poem is a meditation on beauty as consolation—the idea that ordinary, everyday beauty (here embodied in a garden flower rather than anything grand or rare) has the power to interrupt grief and restore a sense of hope or vitality, even briefly. The dahlias are personified throughout, treated as friends with personalities and the capacity to "flash a smile," which reinforces the poem's gentle, affectionate tone. The structure moves from general reflection (beauty in nature broadly, then dahlias specifically) to a single concrete, illustrative moment (the grieving girl), giving the poem's abstract claims about beauty's power a grounded, emotionally resonant example. The final image—of dahlias remembered and metaphorically carried into the girl's room—closes the poem on a note of quiet uplift, suggesting that beauty, once truly seen, can be carried inward and continue to comfort after the moment of encounter has passed.

By Ruth Collie · First published 1929 · Genre: Poetry, Nature Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 241 words

First lines

I have seen Beauty time again; in clouds by day, in stars by night, / in trees refreshed by gentle rain, in sunbeams dancing with delight. / But you, gay Dahlias, I love best. I count each one a precious / friend. You seem to live with such a zest. And oh! your colours, / how they blend! White, pink, and red, and saffron, too, and vibrant / hues that glow like flames. Each day I pass, I nod to you. I can't / remember all your names! One day (now this should make you proud) I / saw a girl, too young for grief, walk down the path with head / low-bowed; she's like, thought I, a wind-tossed leaf. Then suddenly / you flashed a smile. I watched her stop and stand so still and gaze / at you for quite a while, and of your Beauty drink her fill. I think / the girl, that very night, discovered Life was not so grey -- for in / her room were Dahlias bright that memory had brought away!

• Open reader

Genres

• Poetry — The work is fundamentally structured as a poem with verse form, rhyming couplets, and rhythmic language patterns.
• Nature Poetry — The primary subject is dahlias and natural beauty, with detailed observations of flowers and their colors (white, pink, red, saffron) serving as the central focus.
• Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses personal emotional responses and contemplative observations about beauty, characteristic of lyrical verse that emphasizes feeling over narrative.
• Inspirational Poetry — Contains a redemptive narrative where the beauty of flowers lifts a grief-stricken girl's spirits and restores her hope, offering an uplifting message about resilience.

Tags

poetry · lyrical · nature · flowers · gardens · New Zealand · twentieth-century · literary · reflective · pastoral · imagery · seasonal

What this Textopian page supports

To some Dahlias is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ruth Collie, dated 1929 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Poem
• Author: Ruth Collie
• Date: 1929 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Poetry, Nature Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Inspirational Poetry, Descriptive Poetry
• Length: 241 words
• Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for To some Dahlias by Ruth Collie
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Ruth Collie

• The Old Sampler (1927)
• Everyday Religion (1927)
• The Thoroughbred Mongrel (1927)
• The Week Round (1927)
• Her Troublesome Husband (1927)
• The String Bag (1927)
• Life Grows Fairer (1927)
• To the First-Born (1927)
• All works by Ruth Collie