Sonnet CCXII:
Cast on the lily’s cheek the rose’s glow,
And while the world with morning dew is wet,
Inhale the fragrance of the violet,
And breathe it in the lily’s throat of snow;
Around her feet let all the flowers that blow,
Weeded of every blemish they may get
From careless nature, in array be set,
As foils to make her beauties clearer show;
Add golden sunshine and a blessed air,
That makes the dullest pulse of being start,
And life a fervent triumph everywhere;
And this supremest lily may impart,
To sluggish minds, what fairer flower I bear
Within the happy garden of my heart.
