How pretty is the rosebud,
Oh! how beautiful this flower is,
And has even more worth
Because you are love’s offering.
Kind, smiling favored one
The rose looks like the color of Elvira;
She is pure as the bloom
And you like she is fair.
But, in spite of the resemblance,
There is always a difference
In what sets my love apart;
It’s that the rose has thorns,
While Elvira has a caring touch,
That turns ever more delightful.
——
Que lindo botão de rosa,
Oh! como é bella esta flôr,
E tens inda mais valor
Por seres offerta amoroza.
Gentil, risonha e mimoza
Elvira imitas na côr;
Ella é pura como a flôr
E tu como ella és formoza.
Mas, apesar da parecença,
Sempre existe uma differença
Em que te distingues d’ella;
É que a roza tem espinhos,
Elvira ternos carinhos,
Que a tornam inda mais bella.
——
Faustino da Fonseca (1871 – 1918) was a writer, journalist, politician, and director of the National Library of Lisbon.