I'm sorry madam the white roses
are not doing well.
It may be that the fertilizer
was too rich.
Or maybe there was too much
salt and sand in the water.
I am trying to get them back in shape.
I want to give you a
bouquet of white roses
as soon as possible.
No greater gift could I give you.
I will make the growing
of these white roses my life work.
They are the flower of St. Joan,
my patron saint.
Oh, the red roses have thrived.
They are more red than ever.
The dew drops on the pedals
are rubies of the finest cut.
They will last well as cut flowers,
opening wider each day.
Red roses seem to like
the salt and sand.
For today,
I give you a big bunch of red roses.
They celebrate my feelings for you.
They are the flower of Eden
colored for the fruit of the garden.
Of course, the yellow roses are
especially nice again this year.
They seem to prosper
when grown in difficulty.
And these have
a touch of red on the yellow.
They are the longest
lasting of the roses
and the most hearty.
When all other roses fail,
the yellows will be there.
Yellow roses are
the flower of the library bench.
They go with oak and book leather.
They are better this year than the whites.
If I could but grow white roses
to match the reds and yellows.
With the help of Saint Joan,
I will have a banner crop
another time soon.
I'm sorry that this has been
a bad year for whites.