A Rose for Ecclesiastes

"A Rose for Ecclesiastes" is a science fiction short story by American author Roger Zelazny, first published in the November 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with a special wraparound cover painting by Hannes Bok. It was nominated for the 1964 Hugo Award for Short Fiction. In "A Rose for Ecclesiastes," readers are transported to a distant future where a human linguist attempts to understand the complex culture of Martians, leading to profound insights about love, language, and existence.