“A red rose for my helmet,
And a word before we part!
The rose shall be my oriflamme
The word shall fill my heart.”
_Heart, Heart, Heart of my heart–
Just a look, just a word and a look!
A look or a sign that my love shall divine
And a word for my hungering heart_!
She toyed with his love and her roses;
Was it mischief or mischance?–
She dropped him a rose–’twas a white one,
And he lifted it on his lance.
_Heart, Heart, Heart of my heart!
Is it thus–is it thus we part?
With never a look, and never a sign,
Nor a word for my hungering heart_!
She sought him among the dying,
She found him among the dead;
And the rose was still in his helmet.
But his life had stained it red.
_Heart, Heart, Heart of my heart!
Now my heart within me is dead.
And alack for the look!
And alas for the sign!
And the word that was left unsaid_!
(John Oxenham)
More Poetry from John Oxenham:
John Oxenham Poems based on Topics: Love, Death & Dying, Sign & Symbol- Kapiolani (John Oxenham Poems)
- A Little Te Deum Of The Commonplace (John Oxenham Poems)
- Policeman X (John Oxenham Poems)
- The Ballad of Lost Souls (John Oxenham Poems)
- The Gate (John Oxenham Poems)
- Processionals (John Oxenham Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Death & Dying Poems, Sign & Symbol PoemsBased on Keywords: rose-, toyed, oriflamme