The Golden Rose
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The Golden Rose
an Elizabethan sonnet
Within an onyx labyrinth I woke, Not knowing where my feet had gone before, When it appeared, like Helios invoked- Like saffron silk about an amber core- Like citrine set about with liquid gold- A rose that shone from deep within its heart With grace unending, lovely to behold. I wondered what divinely crafted art Could to one blossom so much splendor give. And even as it led me from the maze I wondered if on earth its equal lived. I’ve found not yet, though I’ve searched all my days Through forests, fortresses, verses, and prose, A greater beauty than the golden rose.