An emerald is as green as grass;
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world's desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
I first heard it in grade school in the 70s, and I was also surprised. It may not be as well known today. I think it conveys the sensibilities of its time (Victorian era, industrial revolution) . It is a thought that an engineer like me might enjoy more than a poet. I was just looking up this reference, since I had forgotten the poet. Rossetti also wrote Goblin Market, a very different poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
This is such a simple yet powerful poem. It's useful for teaching similes. Also, the theme is an important one: The undervalued or 'ugly' thing may be the most powerful and useful, more so than the attractive ones. Value all things like in 'Fable' by Ralph Waldo Emerson.