Easter Flowers

No bloom of spring had dared to lift

Its head ab­ove the froz­en ground

In snow-wrapped for­ests not a gift

For East­er beau­ty could be found.

No gold had I for li­lies white

To make Christ’s tem­ple sweet and fair

Nor ros­es whose rich per­fume might

Rise up in in­cense with my pray­er.

And as I sor­rowed that my love

For my dear Lord could not be shown

I slept and dreamed I bent ab­ove

The fair­est blos­soms ev­er known.

It was the gar­den of the King

Where an­gels ga­thered all the flow­ers

That were His East­er of­fer­ing

Upon this bless­èd earth of ours.

Alas

no gift of mine

I cried

Will bloom this year ab­ove the skies!

Then spoke an an­gel by my side

“Not in the flow­er the of­fer­ing lies.

“A ho­ly thought

a low­ly pray­er

Some sad heart cheered and com­fort­ed

Will live here as a li­ly fair

When all the earth­born flow­ers are dead.

The sweet­est blos­soms here were made

By deeds of self-for­get­ful love.

Go

give Christ’s needy child­ren aid

And East­er buds will bloom ab­ove.