台灣詩學‧吹鼓吹詩論壇

<玫瑰的告白> 曾美玲
(一)含苞
停下腳步吧
如果願意
請耐心聆聽
冰冷的外表裏
比火熾熱的心跳

(二)怒放
終於鼓起勇氣
將壓抑多時的
愛慕，瓣瓣吐露

當你驚訝地回頭
是否瞥見
盛開的容顏背後
千萬顆的相思?

(三)凋零
當掉落一地的嘆息
仍喚不回
風的腳步
我會擦乾悲傷與淚
含笑吐出
殷紅的祝福

<Confession of A Rose> by Mei Ling Tseng
（一） In bud
Would you please stop for a while?
If you were willing to listen
With great patience,
You would hear, inside my icy looks,
The heart beat more passionately than fire.

（二） In full bloom
I didn’t take the courage
To reveal my love which had been suppressed for so long
Until I was in full bloom.

When you looked back in surprise,
I wondered if you caught a glimpse of
Millions of heartsickness
Behind my blooming face?

（三） Wither
When the sighs scattered on the ground
Still failed to stop
The footsteps of the wind,
I would wipe off the sadness and tears,
And spit out ,with a smile,
Dark-red blessings.

This poem takes us through the life of a rose (notably, in one season) from beginning to end, from the time it buds and is born, to the time it dies and withers away. The author uses the life of the rose as an image of a love that never came to fulfillment, just as one senses, this rose was passed by and not really noticed. The person loved never really returned the love that was there, and, as the poem hints, the full love (beauty) of the rose was withheld until it was too late. The “beauty” of the rose went unseen, and the love went unfulfilled.

I believe the last verse is the most moving. The rose is shedding its petals on the ground, and like sadness (“sighs” of sorrow), the wind is blowing them away, just like the lover walked away. Yet, the rose is still trying to show its innermost beauty, and the love is still deep and coming out, though dying. Roses, especially red ones, turn very dark as they start to die off – a last blush of beauty, a last blush of love, before it is gone.

One might like the symbolism of this poem and its progression. The lesson it teaches is that no matter how ardent, how beautiful our love is, if it is never really noticed, never really
reciprocated, it will pass. That doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful, but somehow it is incomplete in its life. What a nice piece, and I like this – its imagery is outstanding.

Below FYI only.

Thanks for your kind posting. Hope to see you soon.
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Confession of a Rose by Mei Ling Tseng

（一）In bud

Would you please stop for a while?
If you were willing to listen 
With great patience,
You would hear, beneath my icy looks,
The heart that beats more passionately than fire.

（二）In full bloom

I didn’t have the courage
To reveal my love, suppressed for so long,
Until I was in full bloom.
When you looked back in surprise,
I wondered if you caught a glimpse of 

Millions of heartaches
Behind my blooming face?

（三）Withering 

When the sighs scattered on the ground
Still failed to stop 
The footsteps of the wind,
I would wipe off the sadness and tears,
And spit out ,with a smile,
Dark-red blessings.