“Roses are red” is possibly one of the most well known nursery rhymes and poems.
It is also one of the oldest ones as it first was published by the English poet Edmund Spenser in 1590:
She bath’d her brest
the boyling heat t’allay;
She bath’d with roses red
and violets blew.
By 1784 a version that resembles the current version of the poem was published in Gammer Gurton’s Garland:
The rose is red
the violet’s blue
The honey’s sweet
and so are you.
Thou are my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine
“Roses are Red” Lyrics
Modern Version
Today although there are plenty of variations of this very popular nursery rhyme and poem (including many spoof versions) the most popular rhyme is:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
And so are you.