Egoism (Alice MacDonald Fleming, 1884)
I wished a flower from a leafless tree,
And said—"Tho' Spring be coming slow,
"The warm South wind will melt the snow
"And bring a flower for me."
I wished a flower from a leafy tree,
And said: "Tho' Spring be almost past,
"Is not the summer coming fast?
"There will be no flowers for me."
I wished a flower from a fading tree,
And said: "Tho' Summer's pride be gone
"Yet warm and bright is Autumn's sun—
"A flower will bloom for me."
I wished a flower from a frozen tree,
But my heart said: "Too late! Too late!
"O wretched one, and desolate
"There are no flowers for thee!"