RED ROSES
I gave you roses red, and you,
You thanked me in a true friend’s way.
And smiling, let their petals lay
Against your breast—you never knew!
I gave you roses red, and you,
When they were withered, let them go
To all the cruel winds that blow:
You thought them dead—you never knew!
I gave you roses red, and you,
You thought them proffered by a friend,
And wore them once; that was the end;
They cost me twelve! You never knew!
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1927.
The author died in 1944, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 75 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.