| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | To an Autumn Rose | | By Charles Fenno Hoffman (1806–1884) |
| | | TELL her I love her,—love her for those eyes, | |
| Now soft with feeling, radiant now with mirth, | |
| Which, like a lake reflecting autumn skies, | |
| Reveal two heavens here to us on earth,— | |
| The one in which their soulful beauty lies, | 5 |
| And that wherein such soulfulness has birth. | |
| Go to my lady, ere the season flies, | |
| And the rude winter comes thy bloom to blast,— | |
| Go! and with all of eloquence thou hast, | |
| The burning story of my love discover; | 10 |
| And if the theme should fail, alas! to move her, | |
| Tell her when youth’s gay budding time is past, | |
| And summer’s gaudy flowering is over, | |
| Like thee, my love will blossom to the last! | | | | |
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