How Sweet are the Roses

1. How sweet, How sweet are the roses And how we watch their bloom; We gather them in their glory And scatter them over the tomb. But weeds unheeded lift their heads, And in their stillness wave Like better friends in silent hours Beside the lonely grave. 2. How fair, how fair are the lilies; How dear to the heart and the eye; And how we wait for their beauty And gather them 'ere they die; But weeds, Alas, how sad it seems To pass them coldly by, For they have buds and blossoms too, And flower 'ere they die. 3. Alas, alas how they perish And pass with summer away; The Rose, the Weed and the Lily Beside each other decay; But weeds must bud and blossom too, And flower 'ere they die, Then pluck them not in cold disgust And [cast?] them from the eye.