To Miss Aggie Molineux, Brooklyn, N.Y.
"A Valentine" (1876)
Ballad
Words by L. E. R. (From St. Nicolas For Feb. 1876)
Music by J. A. van Kuren

Oh! little loveliest lady mine,
What shall I send for your valentine?
Summer and flowers are far away;
Gloomy old Winter is King today,
Buds will not blow, and Sun will not shine;
What shall I do for a valentine?

Prithee, Saint Valentine, tell me here,
Why do you come at this time o' year?
Plenty of days when lillies are white,
Plenty of days when sunbeams are bright.
But now when ev'ry thing's dark and drear,
Why do you come, Saint Valentine dear?

I've searched the gardens all thro' and thro'
for a bud to tell of my love so true,
But buds were asleep, and blossoms were dead,
and the falling snow came down on my head.
So, little loveliest lady mine,
Here is my heart for your valentine!