The Lily Has a Smooth Stalk Lyrics
Twelve lines that compare the lily's smooth stalk with the rose's thorny briar, and decide that the rose is queen of the garden. Apple trees give sweetness and corn gives profit, but the rose, once its petals open, "sets the world on fire". By Christina Rossetti.
The Lily Has a Smooth Stalk
The lily has a smooth stalk,
Will never hurt your hand;
But the rose upon her briar
Is lady of the land.
There's sweetness in an apple tree,
And profit in the corn;
But lady of all beauty
Is a rose upon a thorn.
When with moss and honey
She tips her bending briar,
And half unfolds her glowing heart,
She sets the world on fire.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-lily-has-a-smooth-stalk/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Even and a little proud, building up to the rose in the last verse
- Best for ages
- 5 to 10 years
What Does The Lily Has a Smooth Stalk Mean?
This is a contest between flowers, and the rose wins. The lily has a smooth stalk that "will never hurt your hand", while the rose has a briar, a thorny stem, and is "lady of the land". Calling a flower "lady of the land" gives it the rank of queen. A rose can scratch, and still the poet picks it.
The second verse is the pause. The apple tree has "sweetness", and the corn has "profit", which means something worth having from a crop, such as grain to sell or eat. But "lady of all beauty" is the rose on its thorn. The third verse describes it opening. With "moss and honey" it "tips her bending briar", and "half unfolds her glowing heart". Then comes "she sets the world on fire", a picture, not a real fire: a red rose looks so bright that it seems to light up the garden.
Three pairs of line-endings rhyme: hand and land, corn and thorn, briar and fire. That is what holds the verses together.
History and Origin
The poem is by Christina Rossetti (1830 to 1894) and comes from Sing-Song. It works as a lesson in comparing, and each plant stands for a quality: the lily is easy to hold, the apple tree is sweet and the corn is useful, while the rose is the most beautiful although it can hurt.
The poem has three verses, and they build: the first names the contest, the second widens it, and the third gives the rose its moment.
Learning Activities
- Flower hunt: look at a few real flowers and feel the stalks. Ask which are smooth and which have thorns, and keep fingers away from the thorns.
- Draw the winner: paint a red rose on a thorny stem, and a lily with a smooth stalk beside it.
- Pick your own queen: ask each child which flower they would choose as lady of the land and why.
- Rhyme hunt: find the three pairs that rhyme: hand and land, corn and thorn, briar and fire.