The Flower Duet

The Flower Duet

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May (1909), John William Waterhouse

One of the most beautiful passages in classical music, the “Flower Duet” comes from the opera Lakmé by the French composer Léo Delibes. Set in colonial India, the opera weaves together themes of forbidden love, religion, longing, and fragility, as Lakmé and her attendant Mallika make their way toward a sacred stream.