The rose
22 03 2008
Once upon a time a man visited a woman in her new home and brought her the first rosebud from his garden.
That day he told her he wanted her.
The red rosebud opened and bloomed during the first week of their relationship. The petals were tipped with red, but opened to reveal a yellow core. Ten days later, the rose died, and so did the relationship. Yellow roses, it turns out, mean the end of an affair.
The man and woman stayed friends but things had changed between them.
Then, soon after, the man gave the woman a beautiful rose bush for her garden. It was another variety that grew in his garden – a beautifully scented deep red rose.
She planted that rose bush where she could see it from the window. Soon it produced its first pale pink rose. The man and the woman continued to meet as friends.
A while later, it produced two further blooms – dark pink this time.
Then the summer heat set in and the man went away overseas. The woman continued tending that rose bush but it bloomed no more and the leaves shrivelled and died.
All that long, hot summer the woman nurtured the rose bush. During that long, hot summer she didn’t hear from the man at all.
Then, one day, months later, the rose bush started to grow new leaves – tentative at first.
After many months of silence, the man then contacted the woman again. The rose bush began to thrive with lots of new growth and new leaves.
But still no new flowers – yet.
Some say love it is a river
that drowns the tender reed
Some say love it is a razer
that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love it is a hunger
an endless aching need
I say love it is a flower
and you its only seed
It’s the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live
When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been too long
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed
that with the sun’s love
in the spring
becomes the rose
(with thanks to the Divine Miss M who says it perfectly)
I was going through some profound relationship difficulties when both the movie The Rose and the title song were popular around 1980. I often played this song and it would inevitably bring me to tears. It’s one of the most beautiful songs of all time!
Stpaulgrrl, I agree entirely - it is one of the most beautiful songs of all time. I have always loved it. I’m glad you worked through your relationship difficulties with Bette to help you
What a beautifully written piece - I felt every word and emotion. I love how The Rose seems to be an out expression of something happening on a more ‘unseen’ level in your life!
This is one of my alltime favorite songs as well…still can’t listen to it after all these years, without crying. The Divine Ms. M is a wonder!
Happy Easter Weekend and thank you for stopping by!
Grace, thankyou. There are many things happening in my life on different levels - not all can be objectively seen or explained. That is just how I like it
The Rose is also a symbol for our Soul and I think there is much symbolism in roses.
Thankyou for your return visit. I like your blog very much indeed.
It seems all is as it should be. All is connected by delicate threads… or in this case roots, Zen… keep tending to the flowers. It may never bloom, it may only reflect and feed off your strength. Blessings to you
Enreal, it is quite amazing that it has lots of leafy growth but no new flowers. It really does symbolise where we have got to I think - the connection is still there with me and P, but the love (rose) is not the same!