THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES AUTUMNAL LEAVES; OR, TINTS OF MEMORY AND IMAGINATION. AUTUMNAL LEAVES OR, Cmtg of JUflfinon) antf imagination. BY HENRIETTA F. VALLE. Delightful visions of my lonely hours ! Charm of my life, and solace of my care ! O ! would the Muse but lend proportion'd powers, And give me language, equal to declare The wonders which she bids my fancy share ! Mrs. Tighe'9 Psyche. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., CORN HILL, BOOKSELLERS TO THEIR MAJESTIES. 1837. LONDON : PRINTED BY STEWART AND CO. OLD BAILEY. 5703 TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE COUNTESS OF MUNSTER, THESE "LEAVES" ARE, WITH KIND PERMISSION, INSCRIBED BY HENRIETTA F. VALLE. lJUUUv PREFACE. Change is the soul of life ; how far this may apply to literature, I leave others to determine : Of varie- ties this volume is formed, and as I have no given ground on which to raise the foundation of my pre- face, I have merely to observe, en passant, that it differs only from the first edition, so far as regards the introduction of new poems, and the omission of others written under earlier impressions, which must ever appear frivolous when placed in juxtaposition with the rationality of maturer judgment. H. F. V. Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square. ERRATA. Page 32. in the fourth line of the first verse, for bafd read bards. 103. in the first line of the fourth verse, for style read stile. CONTENTS. To Hope . The Clematis ; or, Traveller's-joy The Narcissus The Parent of Song The Lily and the Rose Stanzas — • Oh ! cease those notes The Peasant and the Bard To a Sleeping Child Thoughts at Prayer To the Evening Primrose To a Shepherd Lauretta's Grave . Lines on the death of Emma, the infant daughter of R , Esq. of Wells, Norfolk A Farewell to Summer . To , ' Why am I blest when thou art near' Page. . 1 . 3 . 4 . 6 8 . 11 . 13 . 14 . 17 . 18 . 20 . 22 Robert 25 26 28 A 111 CONTENTS. Page. The Absent . . . . . . .50 Ode to tbe Seasons . . . . . .32 Stanzas — ' No more tbe darksome clouds of absence lower' . 34 Lines on seeing a Lily of tbe Valley blooming among tbe ruins of Tintern . . . . . . .36 Hope . . . . . . . .39 Stanzas . . . . . . .40 When Summer fades . . . . . .42 Tbe Soldier's last Farewell . . . . .44 Tbe Lament of Justine . . . . . .46 To be alone . . . . . . .48 The Rose . . . . . . .50 To the Author of ' Recollections of my Earlier Days,' on reading bis Farewell to the Muses . . . .52 1 mourn the Past . . . . . .54 Stanzas — ' Take back the flower' . . . .56 Lines written after a Dream . . . . .58 Lines addressed to a celebrated Poetess . . .60 Lines written during illness . . . . .62 A Simile . ... . . . . .65 Written in a well remembered spot after absence . . 66 The Nun of Glendower . . . . . .68 To ' That strain so loved in former hours' . . 70 To a Neglected Lyre . . . . .72 Goodrich Ruin on the Banks of the River Wye . . .74 The Myrtle . . . . . . .77 CONTENTS. IX Page. The Wanderer's Return . . . . . .78 Lines on returning to the Country . . . .81 Lines on receiving a Portrait . • . . .82 Reflections in a Hermitage . . . . .84 The Visionary's Midnight Thought . . . .86 Where first we met . . . . . .88 Lines inscribed on paper round the stem of a flower . . 90 Evening Reflections . . . . . .92 Lines engraved on a tablet to the memory of Mrs. Eliza V*lle, formerly of Barham Lodge, in the county of Herts . . 95 The Minstrel . . . . . . .96 The Dreamer . . . . . . .98 A Grecian Tale ....... 100 Oswald and Rosalie ...... 106 A Fragment . . . . . . .112 Lines addressed to a Friend the day after his birth-day . .11-1 On leaving the Scenes of my Childhood for Foreign Residence . 116 Selimnus and Argyra . . . . . .118 MOTTO SEALS, AND OTHER POEMS. ' Le temps passe mais l'amitie reste' 4 Brighter hours will come' . ' Where are they 1 Echo answers, "where '" 123 124 126 CONTENTS. Page. ' Je reponds a qui me touche' . 129 ' Abi Memoria' — Alas Memory . 130 ' Qu'il veille sur vous' . 132 ' Recordati di me ' . . 134 ' Rien sans vous' . 136 ' C'est ainsi que vous etes ' . . 138 'Quid tu, si pereo' . . . 140 ' Je ne change qu'en mourant' . 142 ' Ancor non m' abbandona' . . 144 ' Telle est la vie' . 146 Lines to the memory of my beloved sister . 147 To an Unknown : No. 1. .... . 148 No. 2. .... . 150 No. 3. .... . 152 The Silent Wood .... . 154 Lays of the Sea : No. 1. .... . 156 No. 2. .... . 158 Lines written on the last night of the yea r, 1834 . 160 POETICAL LETTERS, &c. 1 . To a confidential Friend . 2. To a confidential Friend . 3. To cousin Claude, Brighton 165 168 170 CONTENTS. XI 4. To Isabel ..... 5. To Anthony Popgun, Esq., in the Island of Feathers 6. To an Exquisite .... 7. To Paulina Pry, of Wildfire Cottage 8. To Miss Jemima Goth, of Woodbine-hall 9. To Ina ..... The General Meeting — or the Meeting of the Generals The Echo . . . The Ladder of Fame The Stars in the West . The Dandy to his Looking-Glass A Terrible Bore . A Nonsensical Epistle A Chapter of Some s Page. . 173 . 175 . 178 . 180 . 182 . 184 . 186 . 189 . 192 . 194 . 196 . 198 . 200 . 303 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO HOPE. Come, fairy Hope ! sweet playmate of my youth, Whose beams my childhood's eyes so oft have greeted ; For thee I'd throw aside the garb of truth, Happy, could I again by thee be cheated. A thoughtless child, beside the crystal fountain, Thou first descried me, void of care and strife ; And waving thy bright wand to some far mountain Bade me believe that sunny isle was Life. B AUTUMNAL LEAVES. • My eager mind was tempted to embark ; My shells and flowers I cast upon the moor ; And trusted to thy gently gliding bark To bear me safely to that smiling shore. Thou didst not tell me it was all delusion, — A vision, that in grasping ceas'd to be ; But rested till the waves rose in confusion, Then left me on a dark and stormy sea. Where are the flowers, I once so fondly cherish'd ? Where are the shells that form'd my grot of truth ? Tune answers — " all thy flowers of hope have perish 'd, Thy grot has moulder'd in the fall of youth." AUTUMNAL LI'. AVI 3 THE CLEMATIS; Or, Traveller's-Joy. When Time the early flowers of Spring- has faded, And stolen away the Summer's later wreath, Thou fair Clematis, oft my bower hast shaded, And whisper'd blessings with thy perfumed breath. Stay, gladd'ning sunbeam, why so soon retreating? Why speed'st thou on, to leave yon azure sky ? Soon will the chilly northern winds be beating, And then, ah ! then, my graceful flower must die. Yet no, 'twill only droop, when fades the season, Leaving the purer portion of its charms,* Like to the pious Soul upheld by reason, Which neither death, or winter's frown disarms. * The Clematis twines gracefully upon every adjacent support, and tokens aspiration after a better state, excellence and mental beauty. * U 2 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE NARCISSUS.* Ah ! wherefore weeps yon melancholy flower, In beauty not the least of nature's train ? Does it revert to that delightful hour, When, sauntering on Bceotia's once lov'd plain, He viewed reflected in the glassy stream, His own fair image on its surface play, And fancied 'twas the Idol of his dream, That oft in youth had led his thoughts astray ? Ah ! pensive Beauty ! thou whose pallid mien, Array'd in silken leaves, portrays remorse ; Think what a different fate thine might have been, Had vanity not early stayed thy course ; * There lived formerly in Boeotia a beautiful youth, known by the name of Narcissus.— It is said, when seated on the brim of a fountain, he beheld his image reflected in its stream, and became unconsciously enamoured of his own person ; but his frequent attempts to approach the shadow proving ineffectual, he killed himself in a fit of despon- dency.— The nymphs of Thespis raised a funeral pile, but when they sought his body they found only a beautiful flower. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. O The golden cup that lovely breast enfolds, Filled with thy tears,* had not been treasured there; Or the dark picture which thine emblem holds, f Had never dared infest a spot so fair ; Tis thus self-love through friendship's circle darts, And blights the balm that sweetens life's decline ; And ever, thus are the unsocial hearts, Left in the shade of solitude to pine. * The cup in the centre of the flower is said to contain the tears of Narcissus. t Narcissus is the emblem of Self-love. 6 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE PARENT OF SONG. His lyre has repos'd, the wild forest is still, E'en the Parent of Song has deserted his shed ; And the moon, clad in weeds, mourns her loss on the hill, For her lover, the Spirit of Poesy, 's fled. No more will the streamlet reflect his pale shade, Nor the echo at evening repeat his soft strain ; And the print that his footstep so lately has made, Will, ere sunset, be rudely erased from the plain. He was loved, for his soul was by nature inspir'd ; They will weep, when they learn that his spirit has flown ; For they felt, by his song, all their hopes warmly fired, While they knew not the damp which it cast o'er his own. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. / Near scenes of ambition his fancy ne'er hover'd ; His wild notes were silent in life's cheerful throng ; He retir'd to the woods, where too late he discover'd That sorrow is ever the Parent of Song. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE LILY AND THE ROSE. " Tell me" — the modest Lily cried, As she, in tones of wounded pride, Address'd the stars above ; "Oh ! tell me why at evenings close The night-bird to the shutting Rose Tunes his soft notes of love. " Last night as fair Castalia flew To bid her love a last adieu Beneath these sylvan shades ; A Rose she gather'd from the tree, ' Wear this,' she said, « and think of me ; 'Twill bloom when beauty fades.' ' AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 9 Just then a zephyr wafted by ; The wind-flower* raised its head on high, And thus with pride address'd : — " Remain contented with thy fate ; Thou ne'er hast known a better state, Or been by gods caress'd. " In me, t/he God of Beauty view ; Oil Libanus the rose-bud grew, Where erst, in happier years, My silv'ry- footed goddess stept There Niobe her sorrows wept, And bathed the world in tears. * Adonis was a shepherd, beloved by Venus ; which circumstance creating the envy of Mars, he destroyed him on Mount Libanus. Venus lamenting his loss, changed his blood into the flower called anemone or wind-flower. B 5 10 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. " Alas ! to save my life she bled, Which chang'd the flower from white to red, And gave its crimson glow ; Then wonder not in beauty's bower The Hose should be the fav'rite flower, Since Venus # made it so." * It is to Venus that we are indebted for the origin of the Red-rose, since which time it has ever been consecrated to love and beauty. Distracted at hearing the dying voice of her much loved Adonis, she hastened to his assistance, and in ascending the mountain her foot came in contact with a thorn, which causing the blood to flow, fell upon the flower and changed it from white to red. Hence, it is con- sidered the Queen of Flowers, the favourite of the world. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 11 STANZAS. Oh ! cease those notes ; they but recal to mind The hours when love, and friendship were entwin'd : Dispel that smile, nor look thus kindly now : Thou canst not make me break a sacred vow. For I have steel'd my heart 'gainst ev'ry snare, And taught it with contempt thy smiles to bear j But when I hear thy voice in plaintive strain, 1 dare not listen, lest I love again. There was a time, when with delight I heard That voice, and dwelt with rapture on each word ; Each look — each smile — my heart so prized before, Its power hath lost, and now can charm no more. 12 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE PEASANT AND THE BARD. When the Sun first appears from his home in the East, And the morning-star smiles o'er the plain ; The poor cottager leaves her glad pillow of rest, To return to her labours again ; For she knows no dark clouds can o'ershadow the scene Of a pathway so calm and serene. But see ! that lone man leaning over the gate, With eye fixed, dejected and mild ; Does he envy the poor humble cottager's fate, Or her home on the mountainous wild ? Ah no ! 'tis the Bard of Ambition alone, Who loves every life but his own. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 13 On her cheek is the rose-bud of health's early glow, And her hand for to-day plies the loom ; Disappointment and sorrow sit deep on his brow, And his hopes rest on ages to come : Oh ! how soon are the joys of existence unfurl'd, When they're sought from the smiles of the world. How near are they drawn ; — though in thought far apart, As the Star from its mirror the Wave — She but thinks of the heaven enshrin'd in her heart, He the flow'rs that will bloom o'er his grave. Ah ! well may his days be with sorrow alloy'd, With a future so cheerless and void. 1-1 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO A SLEEPING CHILD. Sleep on sweet child ! no cares disturb thy rest, No sigh yet breaks upon thy soft repose : Peace dwells secure within thy gentle breast, While innocence its calm around thee throws. Thy thoughts are heav'nly, as thy smiles are sweet ; Life's fears and fancied joys alike unknown ; Enough for thee the dawn of day to greet, To think the flow 'rets bloom for thee alone. No worldly cares thy peaceful dreams molest ; No absent friends thy waking thoughts shall mourn ; Nor unkind memory, ling'ring in the breast, Recal past joys that never can return. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 16 With sad delight I saw thee wildly gaze Upon the sun, which through yon lattice shone : Unconscious that its bright resplendent rays Must guide thee through a world as yet unknown A world, where Envy reigns with tyrant sway, And Virtue* sinks beneath the weight of pride ; Ambition strews with flowers the thorny way, And oft is Vice with luxury supplied. Many an eye, that once with pleasure smiled, The tear of sympathy has learned to shed ; And sunny locks as bright as thine, sweet child, By Sorrow have been changed ere youth has fled. * There were fourteen principal Deities among the Romans, being the fourteen Virtues. Marcellus erected two temples, one to Virtue and the other to Honour. They were built in such a manner, that to see the Temple of Honour it was necessary to pass through that of Virtue. 16 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Oh ! I have dwelt too long upon this theme ; Ye gloomy visions, from my brain depart : For now ye tell of young affection's dream, And touch the chord that vibrates on my heart. Away ! the morning breaks o'er land and sea, And thou must soon from thy sweet slumber wake : Oh ! may thy life for ever peaceful be As the calm breeze that lightly fans the lake ! AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 17 THOUGHTS AT PRAYER. " Our Father which art in Heaven." When I repeat these sacred words at Even, How many dear reflections bless my mind, Of those who join'd with me in prayer to Heaven; Ere time had left its ruthless track behind. I think of those belov'd in earlier hours, Nurtured beneath the same protecting care, Of him who strewed religion's path with flowers, And her who first inspired my soul with prayer. Pardon, oh Lord ! if, when thus humbly bending, My wandering thoughts one moment stray from Thee ! If, when my lonesome prayer to heaven I'm sending, It should reflect ought but that heaven to me ; But many an uprais'd eye, once purely beaming, Has pass'd to worlds unvisited by care, Whose Angel-smiles delude my pious dreaming, Whose lov'd ideas disturb my midnight prayer. 18 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO THE EVENING PRIMROSE.* How many court the smiles of day, And shun thy peaceful shades, sweet flower, Who deck'st with charms thy slender spray, When memory gilds the silent hour ! When night's dim taper gleams afar, And hush'd is day's tumultuous strife, Thou turn'st unto the ev'ning star To smile, but in the shades of life. On thee I gaze, when wand'ring free, And moon-beams on thy petals shine, I pity woes unknown to thee ; For much thy life resembles mine. * The Evening Primrose opens at the setting of the sun, and closes on the approach of morning. • AUTUMNAL LEAVES. But, no ! thou'st ever lived alone In shade — a hermit, free from fear ; While I, alas ! too well have known, In life some sunny spots appear. Till Night once more unfolds her gates, Farewell, thou simple, happy flower ! For Morn, her envious rival, waits To close the lattice of thy bower. 19 20 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO A SHEPHERD. ' Alas, poor Shepherd ! searching of thy wound, I have, by hard adventure, found my own." As you like it. — Act II. Scene 4. Come, Shepherd ! leave thy mossy bed,* The lamp of day is fast consuming ; For thee the daisy rears its head, For thee the early flowers are blooming ; And Nature shuts out noise and strife, To bless the Shepherd's peaceful life. * Endymion was a Shepherd of Heraclea, who attended his flock daily on Mount Latmus ; but being told of the great admira- tion Jupiter had for his perseverance in pastoral pursuits, and dread- ing lest the effects of time should make him less favoured in the eyes of the God, he prayed him to grant that he might be always young. Jupiter, enraged at the vanity of the request, condemned him to sleep for a period of thirty years. It is said, as he was sleeping on the mountain, Diana was so struck with his beauty, that she came down every night from Heaven to gaze on him. By some he was called the Astronomer of Caria, from the supposition that Diana, or the moon, from her nightly visitations, possessed a power over his dreaming senses, and had inspired him with the science of Astronomy. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 21 Why are those eyes for ever roving, In search of some far distant place ? That sigh in thee deserves reproving ; That tear thy calling will disgrace: Contentment ever is the lot, That floats around the Shepherd's cot. Alas ! those flowers that lightly flourish, To all and each their charms impart ; The flowers we never more can nourish, Are those that wither round the heart : Shepherd, if such thy sorrows be. My sympathies I'll share with thee. »V AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LAURETTA'S GRAVE. No roses breathe their sweet perfume, No mournful willows wave, Hut wild flow 'rs shed their early bloom On poor Lauretta's grave. I saw her first, a playful child, Beside her mountain home, With laughing eyes and ringlets wild, Nor dreamt of ills to come. Her garden bloom'd, her linnet sung, Her fav'rite dove was true, And oft her own sweet notes have rung Her native valleys through. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 23 Since that, I've roamed through pleasure's maze, Sought fashion's giddy whirl ; Yet none have ever pleas 'd my gaze Like that dear mountain girl. I sought her rustic cot once more, Her youthful heart to win ; But ivy clust'ring round the door, Told misery dwelt within. Misguided love had joy effac'd, And left but wounded pride : — Her blooming Garden ran to waste, Her Dove neglected died. And the sad Linnet, as he flies, In plaintive accents tells His sorrows to the star-lit skies, For there his mistress dwells. 24 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. No roses breathe their sweet perfume, No mournful willows wave, But early wild-flowers* love to bloom On poor Lauretta's grave. * There is nothing prettier than the wild-flowers of our own native country ; every little daisy that blossoms in the meadow ap- pears to claim a place in our affections : while their freshness enhances the pleasures of the Young, in idea they recal the Aged back to the summer of youth. These neglected children of nature, like those of science, bless us by their seclusion, making more bright and beautiful the shady walks of life. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 25 LINES Written on the death of Emma, the infant daughter of Robert R Esq. of Wells, Norfolk. Mourn not, dear friend ! 'tis time to cease thy weeping, Nor thus consume thy feelings in despair : Thy darling child now safe in Heaven is sleeping, And angels tend her with a parent's care. 'Twas He, who guards in life's distressful hour, Recall'd her spirit to those realms of bliss ; He thought thy babe by far too sweet a flow'r To waste its freshness in a world like this. Yes ! the sweet smile she faintly shed in dying Still ling'ring beams o'er life's tumultuous sea ; And the soft breeze at eventide is sighing, In heav'nly whisperings from thy child to thee. c 26 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. A FAREWELL TO SUMMER. Farewell to thee, Summer! thy beauties, declining, Now languishing droop o'er the verge of the grave ; And thy sun, that of late in its glory was shining, Emits a last ray on the breast of the wave. Soon shall Winter envelop in white robes the mountain Which bends its dark brow o'er the desolate moor, And fetters of JVost-work enslave the glad fountain, Like the springs of a lone heart whose sunshine is o'er. Thou hast been to me, Summer, a shadow just dawning; In thine infancy first did my hopes learn to grow ; Thou hast pass'd like a vision from life's gentle morning, And Winter returns but to smile on my woe. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 27 The bowers, that of late in thy presence were shining, Deserted by thee, strive to blossom in vain : For only a season those charms are declining, To shine in their zenith of splendour again. Farewell ! ne'er again shall we meet, for in sorrow Thy form, cheerful Summer, can ne'er be array'd ; Thou shaft smile, — but this heart no reflection can borrow ; With its mem'ry in sunshine, its prospects in shade. c 2 28 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO ***»» **»*» Ubi amor, ibi fides. Why am I blest when thou art near, In lonely cave or silent cot ? Or, wherefore flows the parting tear, If, as thou say'st, I love thee not ? If in this secret heart of mine, Affection fails its sweets to prove, Oh ! let some spirit pure as thine, Descend, and teach me how to love ! I cannot sing of moonlight bowers, For there thou ne'er hast rov'd with me ; Or can I weep o'er faded flowers, Whose fragrance never breath'd of thee. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 29 The playful Zephyrs, as they dance, May fan the hectic flush of youth ; But sweet 's the blossom of romance, That early ripens into truth. Think not that love so pure as mine, By vain regrets can be o'ercast ; I would not lose one smile of thine, For ev'ry youthful dream that 's past. 30 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE ABSENT. Thou art gone : but ah ! whither we know not! Are the dreams of thy childhood all o'er? Like the daisy's pale hue, * Thou art fled from our view, And wilt grace the gay circle no more. Thou art gone : but ah ! whither we know not ! An exile, an alien from home, Like the vesper at night, Thou art fled from our sight, And hast left me in darkness to roam. * The modest little Daisy is well deserving of the name which Leyton applied to it, when he called it the flower of faithful love. The beautiful Queen Alceste, who nobly sacrificed her own life to save that of her husband, was for this admirable virtue changed into a AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 31 Thou art gone where the orange-tree blooms not, Where the shadows of night ne'er appal, In the land of the blest, Thou art pillow'd at rest, And I would not thy spirit recal. Daisy, which gave rise to the ancient custom of Knights and Ladies at tournaments being crowned with " Fiore di primavera" or spring-tide flowers. The Daisy unfolds its leaves at sunrise, and closes at the vesper hour. 32 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. ODE TO THE SEASONS. Seasons vary, but the true heart remains the same. See yonder snow-drop, early blowing;, Herald of my favorite Spring ! Around its stem no praise is flowing ; No bard its modest beauties sing : Such is the lovely time of youth, Ere fancy's charm dissolves in truth. See busy Nature kindly wreathing Blooming flowers to deck the vale ; While yonder lovely rose is breathing- Fragrance to the evening gale ; — Thus by the breeze of Summer fann'd, Does young affection's bloom expand. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 33 Oh ! mourn not that the leaves are falling ;* Time, angry Time, bids all decay : They but attend to Nature's calling, And we must pass like them away : When hope's bright sun has set in tears, What ray can beam on after-years ? See cold-browed Winter on the mountain, His snowy mantle round him thrown ; And frost has seal'd the playful fountain By Summer's flowers so late o'ergrown. Thus mem'ry dwells on life's past dream, As shadows in the fabled stream .-f- * I love Autumn and all its associates, for I consider it to be the very centre of our existence. Like Spring and Summer, youth has its pleasures ; like Winter, age has its infirmities ; but the most trying season is that, wherein we remember the one and anticipate the other. t Lethe, a river of forgetfulness, from whose purifying fount the blessed inhabitants of the Elysian fields were wont to partake, that they might forget alike the happiness and misery of a former life, when after a certain number of years they returned into the world to live again in other bodies. Plutarch has gone so far as to tell us the Elysian fields are situated in the IMoon. c5 34 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. STANZAS. No more the darksome clouds of absence lower, Again thy feet impress their native shore ; Once more at eve we seek the self-same bower, And meet, — but not as we have met before. In other days thus cool had been our meeting, The tears I've wasted ne'er had learn 'd to flow ; Oh Happiness ! thy blissful reign is fleeting, But long and wearisome the hours of woe. Say, did'st thou not, while tearing from thy bosom The wreath Affection had so fondly twin'd, Think, while thy wav'ring heart refused to loose them, Upon the thorns those flow'rs must leave behind ? AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 35 Th' unconscious blush, that first on love was dawning, Betray'd no heart that knew a wish to rove : 'Twas but the happy glow of childhood's morning, Which thy warm heart soon cherish'd into love. But like some early tree, the blight has perish'd, Ere nature could its leafless branches cover ; Thus hast thou sear'd the hopes I fondly cherish'd, Thy heart and hand bestow'd upon another. 36 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES, On seeing a Lily of the Valley blooming among the Ruins of Tintern.* Immured within thy lone retreat, Sweet, innocent, retiring flower, No smiles thine op'ning beauties greet, No tears bedew thy closing hour. * Tintern Abbey is a most magnificent ruin, if such a term may be applied to desolation. It is situated on the Banks of the River Wye, the scenery of which I fear is too little known to be duly appreciated. The woods .and valleys that succeed each other alternately appeared to me deserted by all, save the rich luxuriance of Nature. You may glide down the beautiful river many miles undisturbed, except at intervals when the rushing of the waters proclaim the approaching rapids. A melancholy reflection arises from contemplating the ruins of so many ancient castles, that fringe the borders of the winding stream, and to remem- ber all their former glories. Beneath the Saxon window of the Abbey, which still retains traces of its former grandeur with additional solem- nity, bloomed the delicate little flower, the subject of the above poem. It must ever awaken mental reflection to see beauty blossoming among AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 37 Thy drooping bells, so white and pale, Are virtue's shield around thy form ; Thy damask leaves the friendly veil, To guard thee 'gainst th' impending storm. Sweet miniature of former years, Thou stay 'st to tell of moments fled, — Of throbbing hearts, — of silent tears, Within these holy cloisters shed. Oft has the midnight vesper bell Echoed these mould'ring piles among ; Here did the heart with pity swell, As Anthems o'er the dead were sung. decay, and I dreaded lest some heartless intruder should trample it to earth, while to me it appeared sacrilege to touch its leaves. It is only amid scenes like these that the heart can hold communion with itself, where every object is fraught with some powerful image of the Divine works of Providence. Would that for me some flowers of memory blossomed round this spot, or that I could associate with its beauties, the remembrance of early friendships and parental love ! 38 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Farewell, sweet flower, — the Abbey's pride, Last relic of departed years, Haply some Vestal's grief long tried, Nurtur'd this spot with holy tears. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 39 HOPE. Fair child ! dost thou see in thy smiling days, A brilliant and beautiful light, A Star, that by shedding its golden rays, Makes the paths of the future seem bright ? 'T will misguide thy heart like a fairy tale ; 'T will encourage thy growing desires ; T is only a meteor, in life's dark vale ; A shade, that in grasping expires. 'T is not the beacon, that rais'd on high, Sheds its light on the waters so clear, Nor a star ; for when one flits the sky, Soon another as bright will appear : But Hope, the gay vision that now shines so fair, Once lost, will return to thee never ; Consumed like a taper, if fann'd by despair, It leaves thee in darkness for ever. -JO AUTUMNAL LEAVES. STANZAS. There is a thought within my breast, Nor time nor change can sever ; It tells of hours that once were bless'd, Of days now pass'd for ever ; Of happiness and thee! There is an hour when pleasure's beam Darts across my pensive mind ; There is a time, when sorrow's dream Leaves no ray of hope behind ; Yet still beloved by me. There is a charm, at eve, to hear The nightingale's sweet warbling lays Her plaintive note, so soft and clear, Wakens thoughts of earlier days, And breathes of love and thee ! AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 41 There is a link in mem'ry's chain, Of sorrows, care, and deep regret ; That form I ne'er must see again, Ne'er can I that smile forget, Though beam'd no more on me. 42 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. WHEN SUMMER FADES. When Summer fades, nor leaves one trace behind, What gloomy visions float before the mind, Of absent friends whom fate has doomed to sever ! Of pleasure vanish'd from our sight for ever ! Yet soon will Nature chase these weary hours, And Summer smile again 'midst roseate bow'rs ; The spreading boughs will lose their leafless hue, And sip the moisture of the ev'ning dew ; The noontide wand'rers from the sunny glade Once more shall seek the cool sequester'd shade : The wind's tempestuous raging then shall cease, And balmy Zephyrs * breathe soft notes of peace, * Zephyrus was a youth of exceeding beauty, and presided chiefly over the Summer winds ; he is said to have produced the most beautiful fruits and flowers by the sweetness of his breath. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. But grief can no such equal changes show : Its course for ever unrestrain'd will flow ; And the lone heart, that once has lov'd in vain, Must linger on through years of endless pain. 43 44 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE SOLDIER'S LAST FAREWELL. He has sigh'd his farewell, he has shed the last tear, On the land where his infancy flourish'd ; He gazed for the last time on all that was dear, — On all that his fond hopes had nourish'd : Yet he did not regret the lost pleasures of youth, — Cherish'd hopes that so early were blighted ; For well he remember'd, in the semblance of truth, Had been all that his fancy delighted. He has gone ; but ah ! not to that feverish clime, Where the sun's scorching rays shall molest him ; Where, as often he listen'd, the loud pealing chime, With remembrance of home had depress'd him. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 45 Never more shall his breast by the night-breeze be fann'd, Nor with transports of ecstacy burn ; He has hasten'd away to that far-distant land, To the bourne whence he'll never return. Ne'er again shall he roam a sad pilgrim on earth, Nor undauntedly brave the rude billow ; But calmly he rests, in the land of his birth, O'ershadowed by cypress and willow. How oft has he falteringly whisper'd farewell, When the tempests of fate bade us sever ! But 'tis past, — he has gone, — 'twas the last parting- knell, And now he has sighed it for ever ! 46 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE LAMENT OF JUSTINE. The darksome pines that wave above the waters un- conscious of the cause. The wind that shakes the ver- dant foliage of the trees — the echo of iny footsteps as I tread : I like them all, for they are like my fate, mysterious. There is a Power beyond the world's dominion, Which rules the land where all my kindred sleep ; There is a Spirit on night's dusky pinion, That bids my lonely bosom cease to weep. He bade the flowers bloom forth in pride and beauty, The sun to shine by day, the moon by night,* And lo! the earth, submissive to its duty, Became one ray of grand ethereal light. * " God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night." Genesis i. 16. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 47 Shall I then murmur, when these gifts surround me, — The lofty mountain crown'd with Alpine snows, When busy nature softly breathes around me, A calm, the servile worldling never knows ? Thus sang Justine — then touch 'd her olden lyre, But ah ! its chords would not vibrate the same, Neglect had cast its damp across the wire, And discontent had fann'd the once bright flame. 4S AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO BE ALONE. Tis not in solitude's sequestered shade, Where winds the earth by ill-shap'd trees o'ergrown ; In nightly wanderings through the lonely glade, Where most we feel what 'tis to be alone. Not while the rose, the healthful cheek adorning, When friendship quells the sigh scarce heard to rise : But friends of youth are like a Summer's morning, When one dark cloud obscures, the prospect dies. When age steals on, — sad parent of affliction ; And fortune low'rs, and flatt'ring friends have flown ; Oh ! then we feel too truly this conviction ; And sorrowing know what 'tis to be alone. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 49 Oft when I think how time speeds on uncherish'd, And what will be my Fate in after years ; When the fond hopes that youth inspir'd have perish'd ; The smile that pleasure lit, dissolves in tears : — When mem'ry beams on joys it cannot waken, Like some cleft branch on which the sun has shone;* When wand'ring* through this unkind world forsaken ; Then shall I feel what 't is to be alone. * I have watched the sun shining on a broken branch as though de- riding all its former beauties, and marvelled at the vanity of all things ; for well I knew the severed bough was dying. Ah ! such, thought I, is the transient sun-beam that memory sheds over blighted Affection. . 50 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE ROSE. I ask'd the Rose, why dost thou weep, When all around is gladness 1 * Oh, why thy snowy bosom steep In pearly gems of sadness ? When other flowers uphold their heads To bless the morning's brightness, E'en the Violets from their beds, Look up in smiles of lightness. * The Rose has been frequently observed to retain the dew longer than any other flower. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 51 To which the modest flow'r replied ; O'er them let smiles impend ; To me let tears be ne'er denied, For mine from heaven descend.* Last night, as o'er my leaves you wept, And knew 't was not from sorrow, I learn'd that smiles in pleasure slept, And grief from joy could borrow. I whisper'd soft, and from that hour A mystic spell has bound us; And tears flow from each kindred flower, When Nature smiles around us. * I have seen at early dawn the dew of Heaven upon the rose's folded leaves, and it reminded me of the pearly tear that gems the cheek of innocence. D 2 52 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES To the Author of " Recollections of my Earlier Days," on reading his Farewell to the Muses. Thy words spoke farewell which was never intended ; From the heart's frozen springs they incautiously came : Recal the rash vow, lest Apollo, offended, Should destroy thy renown in the temple of Fame. Thy lyre 'neath the willow, neglected, is sleeping, 'Till awaken'd again by a spirit like thine : On Parnassus* the nine lovely sisters are weeping The loss of a votary, thus fled from their shrine. * Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, sacred to the Muses : it is said to be the highest in Europe, and may be distinctly seen from the Citadel of Corinth, though at the distance of nearly one hundred miles. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 53 In the Arts thou mayst shine, all others excelling, But the image of Nature thou 'It leave far behind : Oh ! let the fair rivals inhabit one dwelling, And how graceful a wreath will thy fancy have twined ! For, know, to the minstrel of nature is giv'n A radiance of light, to diffuse o'er the whole : Though the artist may give the expression of heav'n, 'Tis the poet can give to the picture a soul. Thy lyre for awhile is consign'd to its slumbers, Till thine own tuneful spirit again bids it flow ; And sweeter than ever will then be its numbers, Since absence but kindles the heart's warmest slow. 54 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. I MOURN THE PAST. I mourn the past, — not for the joys it lent me, For few, indeed, of those, are worth regret; Though bless'd with memory, it ne'er hath sent me, One thought I 'd fain remember or forget. I mourn it as I would some Hall forsaken, Where cheerful mirth its nightly vigils kept : Now mute those dulcet strains, whose sounds could waken Hearts which long since beneath its walls have slept, I mourn it as I would some favourite flower, Which scatters fragrance though its bloom has fled : For even there does memory hold its power, Useless as tapers — burning round the dead. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 55 But for the past, there's cause enough to sorrow, On time mispent, and hours escaped in vain, To know, though future time some joy may borrow, We never can retrace those paths again. Thus, when the morning star * of life was shining, I trusted to the noon-tide's bright'ning ray ; But, while the wreath of pleasure I was twining, The flowers all droop'd their heads, and died away. * Hesperus, the morning star, being the brightest in the heavens, may, with great propriety, be compared to the season of youth : like childhood, it disappears but to give place to a more dazzling lu- minary ; and as the serenity of the morning vanishes with the morn- ing star, so with the transition of youth fades the greatest blessing of life. 56 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. •TAKE BACK THE FLOWER. Take back the flower : 'twas never doom'd To fade upon a breast like mine ; And, but for thee, it still had bloom'd Where pleasure's Sun alone can shine. How like the harbingers of grief The drops adown its bosom stray ! Yet one short hour will bring relief, And chase those pearly tears away. With flowers the early graves are drest, And fade, like all that once was fair ; But those that wither on the breast, Must leave the thorns of conscience there. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 57 Too cruel gift ! and is my heart Still bound to thoughts 'twould fain forget 1 Shall mem'ry never more depart, But stay, to kindle vain regret ? I'll seek no more the failing bliss, Which trusts but to a summer sky ; Many a lovely flower like this Is early doom'd to fade and die. d 5 58 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. WRITTEN AFTER A DREAM. Yon vision, o'er my cheated fancy stealing, Hath gently fann'd me back to former years ; But wakeful memory envious truth revealing, Still shows a wand'rer in a land of tears. Oh, yes ! it told of hours when life was dawning, Ere yet our hearts a single pang had known : Now thou art gone to endless realms of morning, And I must tread life's thorny paths alone. Once more with joy we sought the orange bowers, As we were wont, ere nature bade us sever : Ah ! why does memory gild my sleeping hours, That I should wake, to know thou'rt fled for ever '. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 59 Oh! from that peaceful world where now thou'rt sleeping, Could spirits wander back to those they love, Thou'dst find affection still its vigils keeping ; Still holding commune with thy shade above. Farewell ! though from my sight they far have borne thee, Thy memory still my Guide and Friend shall be : I would not that the giddy world should mourn thee, Or bid me lose one dream or thought of thee. 60 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES Addressed to a celebrated Poetess. Forgive the vanity, that would display Its simple praises on a mind like thine ; Nor deem it strange,* that I presume to lay This humble ofPring at thy polished shrine. Oh thou ! whose never-fading fancy paints, In glowing colours, scenes of life so true : Oft hath thy lay consoled my weary plaints, And waked the former joys of life anew. * The above Poem was written previous to an interview with the lady whose works 1 had so frequently admired. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 61 No half-felt passion do thy words portray ; True feeling — nature — breathes in ev'ry line : What graceful genius does thy mind display ! What ease and elegance thy thoughts combine ! Long may the muse, untired, its course pursue, To add fresh lustre to thy honour 'd name ; And round the tablet of thy memory strew The flow'rs that^rs* composed thy wreath of fame. 62 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. WRITTEN DURING ILLNESS. When I'm gone, shall I be, Quite forgotten by thee ? Will no voice ever call me to mind ? Can no sigh I now heave, In thy bosom still leave One lingering remembrance behind ? When another's soft smile All thy hours shall beguile, And shall bid thee no longer to mourn ; Wilt thou quiet the sigh, And each feeling deny, Nor remember the hours that are gone ? AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 63 But when pleasure is flown, And thou'rt wand 'ring alone, Should thy pathway lie over ray head ; — Say, if passing so near, Wilt thou not shed a tear, And thus hallow mv cold narrow bed ? Should those tendrils I rear'd, By thy touch be endear'd Let them mock not my dark bed of clay For I planted those flowers In far happier hours, And they'll blossom when I shall decay. With sad Cypress* and Yew, Freshly moisten'd with dew ; * We find the Cypress and Yew ever devoted to mournful thoughts and sad solemnities. I have often pondered over the origin of the Cypress, and wondered why it should be associated with so many painful reflections, particularly those of death, when it has been known to stand the test of many years. In one instance the gates of 64 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Let the grave of thy lov'd one deplore ; And when Pansies shall bloom, Though they shed no perfume, Wear this Emblem for her when no more. Saint Peter's Church at Rome, were made of the Cypress-wood, which lasted eleven hundred years, during which time they suffered no decay. In our English Pere la Chaise at Kensal Green, they have formed a walk of Cypress Trees, and scarcely a grave there but will in time be shaded by this mournful monitor. The lofty Cypress bows not as the willow weeping over the bodily remains ; but rather by its elevation appears placed there to direct our thoughts to the Spiritual abode, while as an evergreen it emblems the Immortality of the Soul. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 65 A SIMILE How beautiful appears yon distant wave, Tipp'd with the lustre of the Sun's bright ray ! But, ere it nears the foot of this lone cave, Twill break, and flow to difPrent parts away. How beautiful is Hope ! — the glittering star, Which lights the traveller through this world of care ; Yet, like the Wave that glitters from afar, When reach'd the port, its spray is lost in air. Still, on the surface of the silv'ry stream, The waves shall rise and murmur as before ; But fleeting Hope, which lives in mem'ry's dream, In \tsjirst dazzling form can rise no more. 66 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. VERSES WRITTEN IN A WELL REMEMBERED SPOT AFTER ABSENCE. To these dear scenes when last I bade farewell, I thought to view their flowery banks no more ; But still my memory round this spot would dwell, When far away, on Afric's desert shore : For, oh ! the happiest hours my life e'er knew, Were pass'd within this peaceful, lone retreat ; But now, what difT 'rent aspect meets my view ! Where is the charm that made my joy complete ? For ever fled ; or does one trace remain Of hope, to cheer or guide my lonely way : Too well I know that I have loved in vain ; For mine 's a heart that never learn'd to stray, AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 67 What power can raise the sad and drooping mind, When all its happier feelings are subdued ? Life's fleeting joys for ever are consign'd To the drear bosom of lone solitude. Within these peaceful shades I wait the storm, 'Till Fate at length consumes this dying flame : In vain my ling'ring eyes shall seek thy form ; My latest sigh shall breathe thy much-lov'd name. Wilt thou again revisit this dear spot, When I have safe escaped life's stormy sea; When all my cares and sorrows are forgot, And I shall cease to think of even thee ? And as the moon lights gently o'er the wave, If still thou shouldst retain one thought of me, Think that it glimmers faintly on the grave, Where sleeps the heart that once was warm for thee ! 68 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE NUNS OF GLENDOWER. Beneath the green willows that border the lake, A lady sat tuning her lyre ; And her words were so sweet, that the sounds they convey 'd, Might the soul of a stoic inspire : But though clear were her accents, and lively the air, There was something foretold me that sorrow was there. She ceased ; but another more plaintive and wild, The emblems of grief did impart : I thought the sad strain, though it wakened a tear, Seem'd best to accord with her heart. Ah ! thy moments of anguish indeed should be brief, Could sympathy lighten so lovely a grief. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 69 " To-morrow," she sighed, " I must seek a new home, Far away from this happy domain ; And he, the dear youth, who first taught me to love, Must I never behold him again ? — No ! for Ada no more shall the sun shed its rays ; Since she's doom'd in a cloister to linger her days." " Dearest Ada ! " I cried, " It never shall be ; Let us leave these green valleys of peace : In the arms of a lover, both faithful and true, The power of thy father will cease ; — For our Mass shall the bell of the heather be chimed, And our Cloister the hills I in infancy clim'd." *slfe & 4fc W "n* *Sp ^P yfc tP ^P Time has fled, and our convent, in peaceful retreat, Shows the nun of a different hue ; The rose, now uncover'd, adorns the fair cheek, Which the veil would have hid from our view; And she sings to her lyre in the jessamine bower, And all envy the beautiful Nun of Glendower. 70 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES Addressed to**** **** Io languisco lontano da te. That strain, so loved in former hours, Wafts gently o'er my dream, While mem'ry wreathes fantastic flowers In fancy's fitful gleam. Oft, when the harper tuned that lay, Thy hand fast lock'd in mine, We 've roam'd among our native hills, To watch the sun's decline : And we have mark'd the starry train, Through heav'n's high arches dart : Now both must view those stars again, In regions far apart. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 71 It tells of early days gone bye, — Of joys too lov'd to last, — Of sunny hopes that mould'ring lie, By Fate's dark cloud o'ercast. 72 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE NEGLECTED LYRE. Rest there, fond lyre ! no more thy tuneful strain Shall pour its murm'rings on the distant gale ; Those plaintive notes must ne'er respond again, At close of eve, along the peaceful vale. Changed is the time, since that remember'd day, When first the minstrel bade thy sounds awake : Borne on the breeze, they seem'd to glide away, And die upon the calm and silent lake. The hand that lightly swept those chords along, Now cold in death, no more will bend to thee ; The voice that sweetly breathed each heartfelt song, Save in my mem'ry's dream, has ceas'd to be. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 73 Despair has early clouded o'er my fate, Nor left, one trace of hope for after-years ; Be thou the Partner of my gloomy state, And mourn with me through this dark vale of tears. U'TUMNAL LEAVES. GOODRICH RUIN.* On the Banks of the River Wye. Embosom'd in the windings of the grove, Thy ruined towers, Oh, Goodrich ! long have lain. Here Contemplation meets her midnight Love, And carols forth her melancholy strain. * In the Summer of thirty-five, I visited this sad memorial of an- cient grandeur, and from thence proceeded, by a winding path, to Goodrich Court ; the exterior of which is a perfect model of the olden style of architecture, while the interior, like its gifted owner, comprises all the hospitality and splendour of former times, with the elegance and refinement of the present more enlightened age. Sir Samuel Meyrick, with the most agreeable pleasantry, led us through rooms decorated according to the prevailing custom of the different Sovereigns of England, and described severally the superb relics of an- tiquity of which he has a numerous and well chosen collection : after AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 75 Yon lofty mountain, towering to the sky, Feels not the evils of the passing hour, The peaceful stream, for ever murmuring by, Stays not to tell of Time's relentless power. Remnants of splendour now impede the way, The Ivy banquets round the fretted wall, And the lone Night-Owl, rev'lling 'midst decay, Reigns, undisturb'd, the Lord and Chief of all. On this lone bank, by pois'nous weeds o'ergrown, Where thistles lurk, in secret beauty drest, The choicest flowers, in ages past, have blown, To grace a Warrior's and a Lover's breast. passing a few hours thus delightfully amid these enchanting scenes, I prepared to leave, but, ere bidding farewell, I turned to gaze once more on the old ancestral Ruin, behind which the Sun was declining in all its splendour, as though some heaven-born Deity, sent to preside over the mysteries of Oblivion. e2 76 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Fall'n is the work of many a weary day, The boast of Affluence, and the lure of Gain, The stranger views the wreck of Time's decay, Then turns, to meet a smiling world again. For me ! I love to linger near the spot, Where Glory, Valour, Beauty, all have shone, And muse o'er fellow-beings long forgot, Whose names are carv'd on many a rugged stone. Heav'n on this sod still pours its midnight dew, The stream meanders, unimpaired by time, All things in Nature are to Nature true, And Immortality, alone sublime. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 77 THE MYRTLE. The flow 'rets of Summer are faded, The leaves of the Autumn are gone, And the forest, bereft Of its beauty, is left To mourn its sad changes alone. But has not the Winter some beauties, That claim in affection a part : Yes, the Myrtle will bloom Amid silence and gloom, And scatter its leaves round the heart. 78' AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE WANDERER'S RETURN. Dear scenes, oft remember'd with childhood's delight, Again all thy beauties I view : Many years have I seen in a vision so bright Thy sweet shades ; then I turn'd to that sorrowful night, I mournfully bade thee adieu. Yes, here is the bower ! I've oft courted its shade, When the sun in its brilliancy shone ; And oft, when the shadows of evening decay 'd, Beneath this same tree we have sportively play'd, Where now I am wand'ring alone. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 79 Dear home of my childhood, thou still art unchanged ; My youthful companions now fled ; Some in search of adventures the wide world have ranged, By distance divided ; some by pride are estranged ; Some number 'd, alas ! with the dead. Ah ! why did I seek from this once happy cot, The soaring ambition of fame ? Oh ! I ne'er should have wish'd to revisit the spot, Had I thought that the friends of my bosom could blot, From the page of remembrance my name. Thus heedless we glide through our earliest hours, Our sweetest our happiest time, We bask for awhile in the sunshiny bowers ; We fancy the world is composed of sweet flowers, In friendship's lov'd, favourite clime. 80 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. I leave thee again, unregretted, forlorn, To meet what stern Fate shall betide ; But my peace never more can return with the dawn ; For Time, by its pow'r, hath most recklessly drawn The dark veil of delusion aside. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 81 LINES, ON RETURNING TO THE COUNTRY. Oh, happy scenes ! in vain to me ye bring The sad remembrance of past pleasure faded, Why do I welcome the returning Spring, Or seek these walks, with bow 'ring trees o'ershaded ! When last I wander'd here, from sorrow free, No grief had then possession of my heart ; But ye, fair scenes ! no more have charms for me, Since I am doom'd from those I love to part. 'Twas here, in happier hours, I used to rove, When pleasure dawn'd on each returning day ; And this dear spot, that witness'd first my love, Shall see its last dull embers die away. e 5 82 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES, ON RECEIVING A PORTRAIT. Come, gentle Shade ! yet need I court The pow'r that wakens mem'ry's dream ; Affection cannot surely thus, Be chased away by sorrow's stream. Oft, when in melancholy mood, These pencil'd features will I trace ; And recognise with fond delight, The semblance of that lovely face. When Summer fades, and all the earth Is chill'd by dreary Winter's frost, One little modest flower # remains, To tell of joys for ever lost. * The Amaranth is a flower of unfading beauty, and blossoms equally throughout all Seasons ; as such, it is a tit emblem of con- AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 83 Oh ! sweet 'twill be when years have pass'd, And Time shall change that lovely mien, To gaze with wonder and delight, And think of what you once have been. stancy. In India, there are many species of everlasting, or Indian Posey, some of which are exceedingly beautiful ; often, at evening, have I watched the sunbeams resting on the crested Amaranth, and thought of Cowper, who says, in allusion to the beautiful sentiment it contains, — " The only Amaranthine flower on earth is, virtue ; The only lasting treasure, truth. — " 84 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. REFLECTIONS IN A HERMITAGE. Ye sacred walls, now darken'd o'er by time, What scenes of pleasure could your gloom efface 'I Now all is silent, e'en the solemn chime That once re-echo'd through this dismal place. Fain would I trace the fate, through ages past, Of the lone inmates of this time-worn cell, And view the cloud, that all their hopes o'ercast, That thus could make them bid the world farewell. For here delusion ne'er asserted power, No sound of love the half-chill'd heart to warm, The dreary Bat whirl'd past at midnight hour, The howling winds proclaim 'd the coming storm. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 85 Oh, Memory ! perchance thy tow 'ring sway Consign'd a mortal to this living tomb ; * Where, undisturb'd, he sigh'd life's hours away, Ere the first rlow'r of youth had ceased to bloom. Some pensive lover, doom'd by adverse fate To seek a refuge from the world's deceit, Haply unheeded mourn'd his alter 'd state, Within the precincts of this lone retreat. If solitude can yield a balm to grief, Here calmly might the weary spirit dwell ; And if the silent tear can bring relief, What sufF'rer would not bid the world farewell 1 - * It awakens a far different reflection than the sublimity of Solitude to see a human being retire from the world, and linger out his existence in the dreary confines of a Hermitage, a spot rendered sacred from a false notion of religious piety, wherein the Solitaire sacrifices all the pleasures of Life without experiencing the blessings of Immortality. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE VISIONARY'S MIDNIGHT THOUGHT. A solemn stillness reigns throughout the bovver ; Night o'er the earth its gloomy shadow throws : Why do I wander at this silent hour, While others seek the bosom of repose ? Nature no more her soothing hand waves o'er me, To lull the eyes where sleep was wont to dwell : Life's gayest joys, like shades, have pass'd before me; And I to hope have sigh'd a last farewell ! Visions of grief on ev'ry side surround me ; The dreams of pleasure I no more shall know : Time has not cast oblivion's cloud around me ; Or bade the tear of memory cease to flow. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. How oft, in early life by moonlight straying, I've pictur'd scenes of happiness and bliss ; Oft, when the stars the dark-blue skies arraying, I've gaz'd with rapture on a night like this. Yes, there's a time when ev'ry prospect gladdens, And sunny smiles 'mid desert paths are found ; But beauties vanish from the eye that saddens, And the lorn bosom darkens all around. 87 S8 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. WHERE FIRST WE MET. 'Twas not in gilded halls, in scenes of gladness, Where pleasure reigns unsullied by regret ; Where brightly beams the eye undimm'd by sadness ; Nor at the festive board, where first we met. — Not where the sorrowing hearts their griefs dissemble, In giddy mirth to while the hours away, Nor in the halls where nightly throngs assemble, Whose senseless dazzling shuns the light of day : But by the lake, in yonder flowery grove, Beneath the vaulted canopy of Heaven, Where still the breeze re-echoes words of love, And plighted vows that we so oft have given. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Now every tie that link'd the chain is broken, And thou hast calmly bade my heart forget : — There still remains one solitary token, — One dear deserted spot, where first we met. 89 90 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES, INSCRIBED ON PAPER ROUND THE STEM OF A FLOWER. Go, envied flower, go seek that Heaven, Where I may never hope to be : Oh ! think what bliss to thee is given, Nor sigh to quit thy native tree. Go, ere thy smile be chang'd to sorrow, For well I know thy fragile state ; Perchance, a wither'd stem to-morrow — Ah ! such is beauty's hapless fate. Sweet flower ! — thou feel'st no dark suffusion, One thought can throw o'er memory's gleam ; To know, that love's a false delusion ; Life's brightest day a transient dream. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 91 And when thy form, by all rejected, Attracts no more the passer's eye, Rather than live like me, neglected, 'Tvvere sweet on such a breast to die. 92 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. EVENING REFLECTIONS. Now slowly sinks the glitt'ring orb of day, And misty shadows hover o'er the plain ; The sun behind yon hill has pass'd away, And Night once more resumes her sable reign. Now rides the moon high o'er the peaceful lake, And gently casts its pale beams from afar ; And where the gath'ring clouds in distance break, Appears, in bright array, the ev'ning star. Tis now the hour, when Fancy's magic sway Can thrill to ecstacy the youthful heart ; Or Mem'ry now a busy part will play, And bid each gleam of happiness depart. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 93 Can there be one, who at this silent hour, No fond remembrance of the past can move, — Of some dear scenes, or now deserted bow'r, Some long forgotten tale of early love ? Oh, Night ! too soon thy dusky shadows fly ; Oft with regret I mourn thy fleeting reign ; And, when the last faint sun-beam leaves the sky, I gladly welcome thy return again. Long, ere the hand of Time had rudely swept, One trace of pleasure from my inmost mind ; I've watch'd the wav'ring stars* while others slept, And fancied music in the evening wind. o * I have watched the varied changes of the stars till I almost fancied them the dear companions of my earlier days, and imagined the eyes of some long lost, absent friend, directed to the same brilliant source. How equally proportioned are the advantages of light and shade ; — were it not for sorrow, we should never experience half the delights of happiness, as the darkness of night reveals to us those beautiful bodies which by day are invisible. Sir Thomas Browne, in his flowery 94 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Perchance, in regions, far remote from this, Some dear lov'd friend is gazing on that beam, Who, lost amidst the varied scenes of bliss, Thinks on the past as on a midnight dream. From me the dream of life for ever pass'd, Dull retrospection damps each rising frame ; The flowers of hope their fairest bloom have cast, And what remains of pleasure is the name. "Garden of Cyrus," thus gracefully delineates one of these sublime pictures of his imagination : — " Were it not for darkness, and the shadow of the earth, the noblest part of creation had remained unseen ; and the stars in heaven as invisible as on the fourth day, when they were created above the horizon with the sun, or there was not an eye to behold them." AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 95 LINES, Engraved on a Tablet in All-Souls' Cemetery, Kensal Green, To the Memory of Mrs. Eliza V— lle', Formerly of Barham Lodge, in the County of Herts. Amor post funera vivit. Smile, gentle Spirit, from thy bless'd retreat, And nerve my heart these parting pangs to meet : Thy flight from hence, to Heaven gives more excess, And leaves to transient earth one tie the less. To thy bless'd shade my thoughts will oft repair, And years shall find me still a mourner there : Still must I live to weep my alter'd doom, And strew affection's flowers around thy tomb. '"' AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE MINSTREL. The Minstrel has ceased — never more shall he weep — All his sad songs of grief are unspoken ; And his wild harp for ever in silence must sleep ; For its chords, like his poor heart, are broken. How oft in his moments of sadness I've listen'd, To the anguish that breath'd in each lay ; And mark'd how the tear in his pensive eye glisten'd, When he sang of his home far away. Yet he sought not the smile that on wealth is bestow 'd, Nor the joys that on fortune attend ; For he knew he should soon reach that happy abode, Where the poor find a father and friend. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 97 Then take the wild harp, let it lie on his grave, Though it felt not the pangs of his breast ; In life 'twas his friend — his companion and slave ; And its last dirge has lull'd him to rest. For the heart that's now cold, like its once magic springs, May have yielded to feelings sublime ; And the harp, like the hand, that once swept o'er its strings, Has been touch'd by the finger of time,. AUTUMNAL LEAVliS. THE DREAMER. Oh ! break not her sleep, — -'tis a respite from sorrow, For it brings to remembrance her childhood's bright years : She smiles, but the cold chilling dawn of to-morrow Shall behold that cheek water'd again with its tears. Once more with light step she ascends the high mountain, And treads the green sod she in infancy prest; Once more, by the side of the clear winding fountain, She feels every passion that first wartn'd her breast. Twas thus that in hours more happy she slumber'd, When hope was delusively shedding its beam; But little she thought that those moments were n umber 'd, That pleasure was fleeting and short as a dream. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 99 Years have pass'd ; and of friends who were smiling around, Not one now remains o'er her sorrows to weep ; Unlamented they '11 lay her beneath the cold ground, Far, far from the land where her kindred all sleep. Oh sleep ! on thy soft downy pinions still hover, O'er the now dreaming heart that in waking must beat ; Oh ! — let not reality's presence discover The delusive, vain charms, of a vision so sweet. Thus all are but dreamers in life's happy morning, Till the clear sky of pleasure by grief is o'ercast ; Like night-shades which fly when the daylight is dawning, We wake, and the phantom for ever is pass'd. f 2 100 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. A GRECIAN TALE. With pallid cheek, and down-cast eye, Fix'd on the rushing flood, Where shadows play, — o'er Tempe's Vale, # A Grecian maiden stood. Eager she watch'd the glist'ning waves Advancing to the shore, But each, as dreading her embrace, Pass'd, and was seen no more. * Tempe' is a beautiful Valley in Thessaly, through which the River Peneus flows : it is considered the loveliest spot on earth, and indeed its cooling shades and romantic walks, softened by the tuneful melody of the birds, render it worthy of this distinction ; it is sheltered from the North by Olympus, a mountain one mile and a half in height, covered with pleasant woods, caves and grottoes, where it is said they have neither wind, rain, or clouds, but an eternal Spring. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 101 From vesper prayer, a holy Friar, The lonesome path pursued, Pale shone the moon, yet by its light, Her graceful form he viewed. " Ah ! wherefore roam this dreary glen, Fair Tempe's loveliest maid, The winds blow cold, the skies are dark, The valley sinks in shade. " The Autumn gales have swept the earth, The flow'rets bloom no more, And danger lurks, if thou wouldst reach The pebbles from the shore." " No treasur'd wave my steps invite, For me no tendrils bloom, Still, still I love the fading flow'rs, Which cling round mem'ry's tomb. 102 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. " For oh ! when gazing on this scene, Fond fancy blooms as young, As when a happy, sportive child, I roam'd these glens among. " Tis well for thee to chide my woes, To blame my downcast lids, And teach thy heart to scorn a pang, Thy holy garb forbids. " Far o'er the earth, thy midnight prayers Ascend to heaven above, And thou for ev'ry prayer hast met, A more than equal love. " No clouds obscure thine heav'nward path, Each spot to thee is green, In ev'ry shrub, in ev'ry plant, Thine Idol's pow'r is seen." AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 103 " Be hushed, that sigh," the Friar replied, " I've number'd many years, And think 'st thou I have never learn 'd, The useless flow of tears. " But see, the storm is gathering fast, And loudly roars the tide, So we must leave this lonely spot, Ere midnight phantoms glide. " The holy Sisters of the vale Have long retir'd to sleep, And thou, the loveliest of them all, Must not be left to weep. " I '11 lead the way, to where yon style Severs thy path from mine, Then bid farewell, and pray that heav'n Tow'rds home thy steps incline." 10-4 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. A few short paces had the Sage, In still reflection trode, Then turn'd, to guide his silent charge Across the brambled road. But where is she ? — the hollow cave Echoes a distant moan, And the loud dashing of the flood, Tells him that she is gone. -n* -JP -7F ^P # # # * Now legends say, that at the hour, When vesper prayer is o'er, A figure, * floating on the stream, Approaches to the shore. * The Augonots, natives of Thessaly, were extremely superstitious, and addicted to the study of magic and incantation . AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 105 And only by the Moon's pale beam, Its Naiad-like course begun, Like the fair Lotus, when it pays Devotion to the Sun. * # * # # Oh ye, who seek in rural scenes For quiet and repose, Go, wander by the sylvan bank, Where calm Peneus flows. There Laurels bloom the long year round. There sunny skies prevail, And nothing can a gloom impart, O'er Tempe's peaceful vale. * The Lotus, or Water-Lily, is a delicate flower that grows in brooks and streams, and is seen floating on the surface of the water only in the presence of the Sun, , 106 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. OSWALD AND ROSA LI i:, A Fragment. OSWALD. Come, Rosalie, unbend that brow, Years have roll'd on since last we met, Yet time could never change the vow, On which my constant heart was set ; Didst thou but know my guiltless crime, Thy feeling heart could not reprove A Captive, bound in foreign clime, Far, far from Rosalie and love. Still was I bless'd, — yes, in that hour, When I had watch'd all hope depart ; AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 107 For slavery's hand had not the power To place its fetters on my heart. The chilling blast that nightly blew, The rending pangs of wild despair, Could not one beating pulse subdue, Or quench the flame that kindled there. I little deem'd, when far away, Pining on that lone, distant shore, That I should live to see the clay, Thy smiles would welcome me no more. Hast thou forgot that silent hour, When mystic love our hearts had wove ? The cot, the grove, the shady bower, Where we exchanged our vows of love ? Though time has stol'n the damask rose From thy soft cheek, — its native doom ; — It freshly in my mem'ry glows, As when it had its wonted bloom : And the warm heart I gave in youth, Ere sorrow mock'd these eyes with tears, Has not relax'd one chord of truth, But strcngthen'd with maturer years. 108 AUTIMNAL LEAVES. Yet vain the hopes we nurture long ; Fleeting and frail the dream of bliss : More happy they who still dream on, Nor wake to such a world as this !. KOSALIE. Cease thy bewilder'd passions, — cease, Nor rend my heart with pangs like these ! Who would not seek the road to peace, If 't were attain'd with so much ease ? Thou talk'st of future smiling days, As of a theme by fancy fed ; But know'st not the intricate ways, By which the weary pilgrim's led. Stay thy reproaches: all are vain: — They cannot wound, or move a heart, Whose tend'rest chord is rent in twain, — Whose coldness can no hope impart ; Ask me not why : my mind would fail Its own interpreter to be ; Or, if I love thee, what avail ? Enough, my thoughts deserted thee. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 109 OSWALD. Is this thy faith, — thy parting pain, Thy promised dream of happiness ? No, 'tis some vapour of the brain ; For truth ne'er look'd so dark as this. Tell me what scheme, what dark-laid plot, What treachery our love could sever ? Or was I then indeed forgot ? And thy love another's ? ROSALIE. Never ! Here, prostrate on this earth, I swear, Since that sad hour when last we met, No soothing voice could quell despair, Or chase the tear of vain regret. I thought thou 'dst found some lovely eye, And Rosalie was quite forgot; — Ten long tedious years pass'd by, And still I heard not, — saw thee not. 110 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. I eager watch'd while time mov'd on ; Hope did no cheering ray impart ; And still I loved, as when thy song First pour'd its strains upon my heart. Malice, in its envious hate, To this sad heart its sting did barb, O'ercame me; — and I found, too late, 'Twas envy, clothed in pity's garb ; E'en there did tyrant envy rise, Secluded, near the mountain's steep; But marvel not, its searching eyes Would pierce the caverns of the deep : It sever'd heart?, that ne'er could rove, With venom'd tongue assailed thy fame ; Stole the sweet, flowers, our wreath of love; With falsehood dar'd pollute thy name; Think not, because I false have been, Another could inflame my heai t ; That to a second I could lean, For solace, in the lover's part, AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Ill I knew, when time's wing'tl flight was o'er, And death our parting fears should quell, That we should meet on that calm shore, Where envy cannot, — must not dwell. 112 AUTUMNAL LEA VF.S. A FRAGMENT. * # # * Still the pale moon is on the river shining; Still does the night-bird warble forth its strain, But she, who leans on yonder bank reclining, Will never listen to its sounds again : She comes, to take a last farewell for ever, Of scenes endear'd by happiness, now o'er ; And trembles, as the hour draws near to sever, When she shall visit the dear place no more. Reflection dwells on childhood's livelier hours, When fortune smil'd, and friends were kind and true ; As with delight she sought these lovely bowers, Which now r seem desolate before her view : AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 113 Whole years of happiness, with grief now blended, Rush on her mem'ry at this silent hour : She feels, ere long, her sorrows must be ended ; For soon will death assert its fatal pow'r. Beside the grave of faded hope, reposing, She sighs for days too dearly lov'd to last. But can regrets enhance the scene that's closing, Or from remembrance shade the moments past. 114 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LINES ADDRESSED TO A FRIEND, THE DAY AFTER HIS BIRTHDAY. Scribere jussit Amor. The sentiments I breathe to-day, To yesterday are justly due; But still believe, nor think they flow From feelings less sincere and true : But thoughtless as it may appear, Much to my sorrow I declare, In every thing through life I've been, A day, alas ! behind the fair. The harp, whose wild-toned notes have ceas'd, Will long retain its dulcet sound ; The rose, that blooms when summer's fled, As pure a fragrance sheds around ; AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 115 The refluent bark, o'er billows toss'd, Delights, though late, to reach the shore ; And hearts, that have in silence slept An after-thought may oft restore. Far warmer feelings clothe my mind, Than from this simple verse appears ; But friendship, easily profess'd, Is only proved by lapse of years ; And wishes, such as I would breathe, Must sink 'neath words so faint as mine ; No better boon this heart can give, Than echoing every wish of thine. 116 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. STANZAS ON LEAVING THE SCENES OF MY CHILDHOOD FOR FOREIGN RESIDENCE. The pensive moon behind yon cloud Is veil'd, and night has pass'd away : The crimson streaks that deck the east, Proclaim the fast approach of day. But, ere that rising sun shall set, The sweetest charm of life is o'er ; And I must haste from this lov'd spot, To some far distant lonely shore. And there 'midst stranger's smiles I'll seek Life's weary moments to beguile ; Or mourn in dreary solitude, My much lamented, native isle. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 117 When on some wild and desert land, Where hope no more can cast its beam, The recollections of the past, Will glide before me as a dream. The groves, endear'd from childhood's hours, No more shall be retraced by me, Save where my wand'ring fancy roves, When bless'd with friends, hope, love, and thee ! But still, when day's bright landscape fades, 'Twill be thy happier fate to stray Beneath these much-lov'd peaceful shades, When I, alas ! am far away. Then, ere I go, one last farewell : All hope of future years were vain ; For fate has whisper'd to my heart, That we shall never meet again. 1J' S AUTUMNAL LEAVES. SELIMNUS AND ARGYRA.* She smiled, — but not that soft, expressive beaming, That seemed to linger between hope and fear : She wept, — but not the heart's warm crystal streaming, That once was wont, to blend with every tear. E'en the fair flowers, their once loved haunts adorning, Half closed their buds, as though with grief dismayed, She welcomed not the smiling star of morning, Twilight, unheeded, closed her bower in shade. * The two lovers, Seliranus and Argyra, were shepherd and shepherdess of Achaia, who, from their great love for each other, died of melancholy, and were changed into a river and fountain of the same names : these waters, according to the mythologists, possessed the power of making lovers forget the object of their affections. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 119 " Why art thou silent, my Ionian lover, Wildly those locks around thy temples fall, Alas ! his weary dream of love is over, He lists not to the shepherd's matin call ?" The little flock his pastoral care foregoing, Unguarded, range the glens, and mountains wild, From fair Achaia's nymphs the tears are flowing, For kind Selimnus, Nature's favourite child. How sad, and yet how musical, the pealing Of the lone waters, where the twain repose, There, undisturbed, they mingle every feeling, There, the free current of affection flows, And when the toils of busy day are over, The love-sick shepherd leaves his weary team, To bury hopes he never can recover, And lose remembrance in the Fatal Stream. MOTTO SEALS, AND OTHER POEMS. G AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 123 MOTTO SEALS. " Le Temps passe, inais FAmitie reste." Yon angry brow that shades the vale beneath, The close of eve, and oft repeated chime, The blooming mem'ry, and the faded wreath, Are mournful emblems of the flight of time. Yon ancient pillars now that proudly stand, Round which th' embracing ivy fondly clings, Are like true friendship, whose unshaken hand Is proof 'gainst time's impenetrable wings. Cold is the world, and dark the pilgrim's way, Obscur'd, oh, friendship ! from thy cheering light, Stay, dear beguiler of the moments, stay, And give to time its oft regretted flight. g2 124 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Brighter hours will come." In the dark stormy night, To the vessel that's steering, Thy words teem with hope, By the day-light appearing ; To the trav'ller who roams Through the wide world forsaken, Thy bright flashes of hope, New delights can awaken, Yes ! to many the glimpse Of the future is cheering ; To me it can never Again be endearing : All the ties, which my heart Once so fondly had cherish'd, Have snapp'd one by one, And for ever have perish'd. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 125 When the last shade of light On the ocean's reposing ; The sun may shine bright, Though the day-light is closing ; So, the hope that thy words May throw over my sorrow, Will be quickly dispell'd By the gloom of to-morrow. Then the dear dream of life Let me banish for ever, Since the hours that have pass'd Can return to me — never ; When friends are the truest, And hearts are the lightest, Say, are not those moments The sweetest, the brightest ? 126 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Where are they? — Echo answers, where?" Device — Faded flowers. It wither'd, — yes, the Passion-flow'r, With its many-coiour'd hue, 'Twill grace no more yon favour'd bow r, Nor e'er resume its fragrant pow'r, It droop'd, — far from the parent stem, On which its beauties grew, Ah, Hope ! — Ah, Passion ! — what, art thou ? A fleeting rainbow hue ! AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 127 It wither'd, — yes, the fragrant rose, The garden's envied pride, I watch'd its op'ning bud unclose, Then snatch'd it from its sweet repose, It faded, — and its damask leaves Are scattered far and wide, Ah, youth ! — ah, beauty! — thus hast thou In early blossom died. It wither'd, — yes, the violet blue, The oak-tree's nurtur'd child, Lost the sweet calm, retirement threw, Upon the bank where first it grew, It faded, — yet its kindred flow'rs Are blooming, fresh and wild, Ah ! careless freedom, what art thou, From homely state beguiPd. 128 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. They wither'd, — yes, 'tis sad to know, Life's fairest joys so brief, To watch the feelings' crystal flow, Marr'd like those flow'rs we taught to grow, They faded, — 'neath the blight of time, Unaided by relief, Ah, life ! — ah, being ! — what art thou ? At best a fading leaf. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 129 MOTTO SEALS. " Je reponds a qui me touche.'" Device — A Harp. Once, like this harp, I fondly deem'd Thy heart would melt to tones of sadness ; But, ah ! too like the world, I find It but responds to songs of gladness. Thou once, like me, wert wont to seek From solemn sounds relief to borrow ; But now thou bid'st its chords awake Some cheerful strain, to soothe thy sorrow. Wert thou an emblem of this harp, And heeded all its plaintive numbers ; — Say, would it not one thought recall, That now in dark oblivion slumbers? — 130 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Ahi Memoria" — Alas ! Memory. W h y weep we o'er the faded urn, Those flow'rs that never can return ? Yet who would for their fragments pine, Did they not scatter round their shrine, Ahi Memoria. When list'ning to yon Sabbath bell, Why does the heart with sorrow swell ? Its holy calling cannot wound ; Ah ! no : it breaks the spell that bound. Ahi Memoria. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 131 When, o'er the rugged path of time, We reach that calm and settled clime, Where fervor, passion, all, should rest, What calls us back to scenes more blest ? . Ahi Memoria. Why mourn we round the bed of death, The faded cheek, the short'ned breath ? Ah ! not from these we 'd grieve to part ; Did they not leave around the heart : Ahi Memoria. Why do we seek, when youth is past, Affection, love, e'en to the last? Did we not wish, when laid at rest, To leave in some lov'd, faithful breast, Ahi Memoria. 132 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Qu'il veille sur vous." Device — The eye of Providence. How bless'd, when all to life endearing, In this dark world, has ceas'd to be ; When near the destin'd port we're steering ; — To raise our weary eyes to thee ! When with the cares of life oppress'd, 'Gainst time's wild rocks the soul is driven ; To soar to realms more purely bless'd Where all is beautiful — in heaven. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 133 When friendship fails, and love shall perish, And life's last taper burns but dim ; One thought the wand'rer's heart shall cherish, One hope that rests secure in Him. Yes, He who rules the earth and sky, Whose heavenly love all nations share, Will ever watch with sleepless eye O'er those that seek His name in prayer. Tell me, ye glitt'ring orbs so bright, Which sparkle in the midnight sky, Why ye display your globes of light, O'er this dark world, so far and high ? Are ye the messengers of bliss, That to the fetter'd soul are given ; To show how dark a world is this, How bright and beautiful is heaven ? 134 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Ricordati di me." Yes ! by the moments that have pass'd The trackless paths of memory ; By that last wreck of faded love ; I promise to remember thee. Sooner shall spring-time's early flow'rs Fail on their native soil to bloom ; Or Cashmere's fragrant rose # shall cease To scent the air with rich perfume. * " The Rose of Cashmere for brilliancy and delicacy of odour, lias long been a favourite in the East." AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Ere fond forgetfulness can fling Its soothing lethargy* o'er me ; For each soft, gentle gale that blows, Seems whisp'ring to my heart of thee. And when the vesper-bell shall call My thoughts awhile to Heav'n from thee, The blissful dream soon leaves my soul, And wakeful mem'ry clings to thee. 13.5 * There is something sorrowful though soothing in forgetfulness ; tlif mind that cannot ponder over past joys, will never be capable of appreciating future blessings. 136 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Rien sans vous. On ! thou who cloth'st the fields in green, And form'st the flow'rs so fresh and fair ; Whose smile enlivens ev'ry scene ; Whose mercy lists the humblest pray'r : When through the flow'ry meads I stray, And muse on scenes to nature true, I raise mine eyes To yon bright skies, And whisp'ring sigh, — Rien sans vous. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 137 Oh ! happy they, — but few, how few ! While youth in all its beauty shines, Religion's holier light* pursue, To guide them when that sun declines When musing on the cherish *d friends, Whose hopes like ours in promise grew, Ah ! who would sigh, Or fear to die, While whisp'ring thus, — liien sans vous. * True religion enlightens the understanding, softens the nature, and prepares us for that life, attainable only by a pure and holy reverence to its divine dictates ; it depends on neither sect or calling ; under whatever faith or persuasion it is sought, it tends to the same celestial purpose, as the numberless and diversified rivers all flow to the channel. Yet, how sadly do they profane this inestimable blessing, who make it a worldly subject of strife and contention, and under its sacred guise, usurp an unjustifiable power over their fellow-creatures. 138 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " C'est ainsi que vous etes."* Device — A full-blown Rose. There's more of Sweetness in the rose, Than on its leafy breast is seen, When 'neath the noonday's sun it glows, Arrayed in Nature's robe of green ; Yes ! He who thus enriched the grove, Can brighter images create, Endowed with virtue, sense and love. " C'est ainsi que vous etes. * Zimmerman in his treatise on " Solitude," relates an interesting story of a village Chorister of Hanover, who on the death of a young and beautiful country girl with whom he was enamoured, after erecting in the Cemetery of the Cathedral a sepulchral stone to her memory, carved, in an artless manner, the figure of a blooming rose on its front, and inscribed beneath it these words, — " C'est ainsi qu'elle futr AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 139 There's more of Sadness in the rose, Than twilight's pearly tears impart, Its evanescent charms disclose, A lesson to th' admiring heart : It tells, when gazing on the flower, As one by one its leaves decay, How many a rose from Friendship's bower, Time thus will sweep away. 140 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Quid tu, si pereol" Device — A ship sinking, with the rainhow appearing-. Tempt not, my bark, the billows' might, Nor vainly deem thyself secure, For yonder visionary light Comes not to save, but to allure. For tints that most attract the view, Some misty vapour soon will shade ; And those that wear the brightest hue, Like fairest flow'rs, the soonest fade. E'en mem'ry fain would dwell awhile, On one now fled to realms of day, Who still had liv'd, had one lov'd smile But beam'd, ere life had pass'd away. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 141 Then what avail, — if Fate be dark, — The rainbow tints, — the sunny smile ? — They cannot save the sinking bark, Or the last hour of life beguile. 142 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. *' Je ne change qu'en niourant." Device — A Bay-leaf. Je ne change qu'en mourant. — But ah ! not the fair rose, For its beauty with Summer has faded, And the violet, with'ring, has sunk to repose, By the dark frozen fountain o'ershaded. Je ne change qu'en mourant. — But ah ! not the fair smile, That in youth threw its blandishments round me; It can never again the sad moments beguile, Or slacken the fetters that bound me. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 143 Je ne change qu'en mourant. — Not the tones that impart, To the night breeze its musical sighing; There are feelings of friendship that cling round the heart, Like the bay-leaves,* which change but in dying. * Emilia, the daughter of a Venetian nobleman, for refusing the hand of a wealthy citizen of Rome, was confined, at the command of her father, in a dungeon attached to his palace, which she preferred to being united to any other than the one on whom she had bestowed her early affectious. — At their last parting, Emilia presented him with a topaz, in the centre of which was engraved a Bay-leaf, with the motto {Je ne change que n mourant.) " This," said she, "may be the last time we shall ever meet, but when thy little barque is smoothly gliding down the Venetian tide, and other lips shall breathe a canzonet, (per- chance some once-loved air,) then think not on the form now wither- ing fast, but turn thy memory on this symbol leaf. — When Winter casts its gloom upon the earth, the Bay-leaf blossoms still, so will my heart remain, unseered by time or dark adversity,— the vivid light- nings pass the bay unheeded by ; — thus am I armed against the evil shafts of prejudice." — 144 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Ancor non m'abbandona." Device — The Ivy, entwining around a dilapidated Column. Around the tow'r the blooming ivy* twin'd Alike through Summer's heat and Winter's wind : Its leaves, once cluster'd round those proud domains, As closely clings, though but a wreck remains : So friendship, — not the friendship of an hour, — Should bloom alike in dreary cave or bow'r. * Why the Ancients should have consecrated the Ivy to the God of Mirth and Revelry, I am at a loss to ascertain. Through whatever country in Europe you may travel, you will find it ever the companion of Age and Adversity, either entwining round the aged oak, or adorn- ing the walls of ruined monasteries and decayed castles. The Ivy is a wildling of nature, and attaches itself wherever there is a spot marked by sorrow or desolation. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 145 When Summer flies, which buzz about the flame Of fortune, vanish at fell mis'ry's name ; And adverse fates, in low'ring clouds impend ; — Tis then we need the solace of a friend : Such may it ever be thy lot to find, Whate'er the paths of life for thee design'd. Though fate may oft to distant lands incline ; The faithful heart still clings round mem'ry's shrine. 146 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. MOTTO SEALS. " Telle est la Vie." Device — A Ship in a Storm. O'er the waters the sun beamed with tremulous motion, The heart of the seaman was lightened with glee, When yon troubled bark was first launched on the ocean, Mid the smiles of the happy, — the songs of the free. Many years have passed on since that beautiful morning, When the banners of hope waved their plumes in the air, But the timbrel's long ceas'd, friends no more are returning, And the few that still linger, are plunged in despair. Like life, the gay tinsel that decked its outsetting, 'Neath the scowl of the tempest can glitter no more, The day-star of hope on the dark wave is setting, For the pride and the boast of its glory is o'er. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 147 LINES TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED SISTER, WHO DIED January 23rd, 1831. Death may destroy the Flower, but the stem of Affection lives for ever. Words are but vain, faintly their aid reveals The sorrowing gloom that o'er my senses steals, While others' thoughts are full of mirth and glee, Mine, dearest sister, still remain with thee : Shall time, relentless in its reckless pace, Thy form of beauty from my mind efface ? — Though far away thou 'rt fled from human sight, My soul on Memory's wing shall trace thy flight. h 2 H8 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO AN UNKNOWN. No. i. Oh ! say, what mystic spell could thus have bound me To sit alone for hours and muse on thee ; And draw, while fancy weaves its web around me, Faint images of what thy form may be. No smile of thine on memory's surface playing Charms the lone hours, or gilds the midnight dream ; No soft breath'd tones along the night-breeze straying ; All — all still rest on fancy's magic beam ; AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 149 But as in distant climes, by knots and flowers* They tell their loves, their sorrows, and remorse ; So touch thy lyre in sad or happier hours, And let our souls in poesy discourse. * The Peruvians, in former times, were wont to communicate their thoughts to each other by the Quipos, which consisted of a number of silken strings of various colours, which they formed into knots, each knot being expressive of a different sentiment or feeling. There are many countries in the East where they converse in flowers : thus far do they turn to good account these beautiful specimens of nature, every flower bearing with it a moral tendency. 150 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO AN UNKNOWN. No. 2. I ask'd a soft lay from the minstrel that wept, The warmth of whose bosom had ceased, He took up his lute from the bank where it slept, And struck some wild notes of the East. I worship the moon at the hour of repose, And it sheds its clear light o'er the isle ; The nightingale sings to his proud love, the rose, Who repays every song with a smile. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 151 Then why should those chords now so silently rest, That waken such magical sound ? Say, didst thou in haste, at my simple request, Consign thy poor lyre to the ground. 'Tis thus — ever thus, that my hopes are repaid, Then leave me in silence to die : Oh, be like kind Echo that dwells in the glade : Returning, unseen, sigh for sigh. 152 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. TO AN UNKNOWN. No. 3. No bless'd remembrance brings the past to me— No thought to fill up memory's vacant space : My mind can draw no lineaments of thee, Save those imagination loves to trace. 1 fancy thou art tall, with grace endued, Fine lofty forehead, ne'er to be surpass'd ; Dark handsome eyes, and eye-brows raven-hued ; Thy face an oval, and of Werter-cast. Thy tongue like others, only form'd to tell Tales sweeter than Arabian knights of old ; AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 153 Thy breast the couch where loves* and graces-f- dwell ; Thy heart encircled in the tenderest mould. I ask no torch to kindle lambent fires : That flame extinguished ne'er again can live ; A simple tune is all this heart requires, And even that you now refuse to give. * Cupid and Hymenajus were the Gods of love and marriage. Cupid is represented as crowned with flowers, and holding a rose in one hand, and a dolphin in the other. Hymenaeus, the God of marriage, is painted with a fair complexion, crowned with americus or sweet marjoram : he was the torch-bearer to .Venus, when she went to receive the golden apple from Paris. t Eteocle, king of the Orchomenians, dedicated a temple to the Graces, in honour of their visit to the fountain of Acidalia. The Graces were three beautiful sisters, the constant attendants on Venus ; they are represented by the Mythologists in the bloom of youth and beauty, with flowing hair and smiling countenances ; they have wings upon their feet, and their garments are wove of the finest gossamer; they are free and unconstrained, which shews the memory of them should ever last fresh and delightful; they are always represented as holding each other by the hand as emblematic of the social intercourse and kindness that should exist in friendship ; they are ever to be found in company with the Muses, where learning , eloquence, and love, are conjoined, and without them beauty would be as a fleeting shadow. 154 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE SILENT WOOD. AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE CUCKOO.* No leaf has fallen from the trees Scarce robed in summer's pride ; Yet he has left his spacious home Through unknown realms to glide. The music of the wood has ceas'd, No sound dispels the gloom, Save when the church-bell intervenes To call some wand'rer home. * The cuckoo is never heard in this country after the 25th of June. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 155 There's something in the infant year No after time can bring ; The daisied meads, the crocus bells, Sweet visitants of spring. They come like childhood's early friend, Array'd in smiles of truth, And pass ere cold ingratitude Has quench'd the fire of youth. Yet he will chaunt his simple lay, To other home resign'd ; The absent never feel the loss, — 'Tis those they leave behind. 156 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LAYS OF THE SEA. No. 1. Since leaving my dear native country, I've roamed 'Long Africa's burning shore; I've mused on the ocean, as wildly it foam'd, And heard the loud tempest roar. I've gazed o'er each scene of the rich glowing East, Where Sol first illumes the sky, And have heard, in the chains of bondage held fast, The victims of Slav'ry sigh. I've climb'd the tall mountains o'erhanging the tovv'rs, In chase of the light gazelle : And reclin'd in the grandeur of eastern bow'rs, Where dark-eyed beauties dwell. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 157 I've seen the swift eagle ascend in its flight, O'er Italy's mountains afar ; And have listen'd, in raptures of wild delight, The sounds of the Spanish guitar. I've sigh'd o'er the tombs bedeck'd with gay flowers, In thoughtless and sunny France ; And at evening have sought the rustic bowers, To join in the village dance. But the smiles and the wealth those countries afford, Ne'er more shall tempt me to roam ; The toils that I've met with, shall find a reward, In smiles that welcome me home. 158 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. LAYS OF THE SEA. No. 2. Another sun shall rise and set; Once more the flow'rs be bath'd in tears, When I, in waking, shall embrace The dreams of many toilsome years : Remembrance lends its balmy aid To deck with smiles my childhood's scene ; And fancy prompts me to forget How many years have pass'd between. My mother dear ! since last we met, Has sorrow chilPd thine hours of joy ; Or has thy heart long ceas'd to beat, In mourning dead thy sailor boy ? Has cruel Time thy mem'ry stay'd, And bid thine anxious bosom cease ; And has my father's hallow'd shade Convey'd thee to its home of peace ? AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 1 59 My sister, too, thine early tear Was shed for me in fond regret : Perchance thy cheek was oft bedew 'd With many more since last we met : Perchance some base deceiver's smile, By promise false thy love trepann'd ; Then left thy guileless heart to roam, A stranger in a foreign land. Stay, foolish heart, lie still awhile ; Ye tears, uncall'd for, cease to flow ; This hour, that fancy paints so dark, May be the best I e'er shall know. How many brave life's stormy sea, Content from all they love to part, In search of happiness, that dwells Alone within the human heart. 16*0 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. WRITTEN ON THE LAST NIGHT OF THE YEAR ISM. " Cum lux altera venit, Jam eras hesternum consumpsimus ; ecce aliud eras Egerit hos annos, et semper paulum erit ultra." Now Sol once more his annual course has run, And twilight's dusky shades are veiling fast ; Soon will thy funeral dirge, old friend, be done, And thou'lt be left a record of the past. Ages have thus been swept away before thee, And eighteen hundred of thy kindred slain ; And yet I challenge ages to restore me A year so fraught with sorrow, joy and pain. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 161 Thus time rolls on, unsvvay'd by mortal povv'r, While calm-browed reason makes the soul sublime ; But who shall stay the progress of an hour, Or snatch one treasure, from departed time ? Oh! when at last I pass to realms of morning, And angels' wings my soaring soul exalt ; May some kind gen'rous friend, all int'rest scorning, Extol my virtues, and forgive each fault. POETICAL LETTERS, &c. " 'Tis pleasant through the loop-holes of retreat To peep at such a world." Cowper. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 165 POE TICAL LETTER. TO A CONFIDENTIAL FRIEND IN THE COUNTRY. No. 1. Oh ! dear how romantic you lately have grown ! What gothic pursuit can occasion your stay ? I long for the time of your coming to town, When I see you, I have such a vast deal to say ; Do come, dearest Helen, as soon as you can, For I'm dreadfully puzzled to know what to do : I yesterday saw such a love of a man, And I dare not reveal it to any but you. 166 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 'Tvvas first in the gay gallopade that we met, When all hearts seem'd to throb with ecstatic delight, That sweet feeling of joy I can never forget : Sure the star of my fate must have reign'd on thai night ! The dance being ended, he sat by my side ; Then the tone of his voice for the first time I heard : In tremulous accents, 1 know I replied ; But the subject — I do not remember a word. We next talk'd of beauty — forgive me, dear girl ; Do not think I am vain, when I tell you the rest ; For he gaz'd with delight on each beautiful curl, And praised every charm that I knew I possess 'd : Yet, though I conversed with him more than an hour, The rights of his history I could not define : Oh ! he must have been born in some beautiful bow'r, For I never saw anything half so divine ! AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 167 Imagine a being superior to man, With eyes form'd by nature to kill at a glance; Flowing hair that the zephyrs of heaven might fan, And a form that e'en Venus herself could entrance. Then, his name — 'tis too much — Oh ! I dare not profane, On a sheet of foolscap, so much sweets to unfold ; But, I'll send it you down when I write you again, Inscribed on a rose-leaf in letters of gold. The summer to some can a pleasure bestow, Who have never experienced a blessing more dear ; Then give me the winter in spite of the snow : I am sure 'tis the loveliest time of the year. But the evening draws near ; I shall see him at nine ; So with love to all friends, I now bid you farewell ; And to prove that your heart sympathises with mine, Forget not to write to — Your true Isabel. London, 29lh January. 168 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO A CONFIDENTIAL FRIEND IN THE COUNTRY. No. 2. Tis so long since I wrote, and I've so much to say, That I scarcely know how to commence ; And if one whom / know were as distant as you, I really should die with suspense : I've stol'n the first hour that I could from the world, To converse with dear Helen once more ; Oh ! were she to see me, she'd scarcely believe 'Tis the same Isabel as before. I'm dissatisfied now with each passing event ; I grumble at fashion and weather : Oh, love ! what a cargo of cares hast thou laid On the heart that was light as a feather ? Yet 1 do not regret it — Ah! no, in that dream What a heaven of delight do I view ! If his eyes but express the one-half of his mind, He must be both faithful and true. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 169 He goes with us to plays, to operas, and balls ; He rides in the park in our carriage : He is all I could wish — only one thing I hate, He never converses on marriage. Perhaps he don't like : now, if that be the case, What would you advise me to do ? Do you think I might hint, for my fortune's immense, And I hear he has not got a sous? Last night, when return 'd from the opera, I sat, Determined my follies should cease: With my pencil I sketch'd a romantic retreat, And I named it the Cottage of Peace ! Oh ! in such a sweet spot, from the gay scenes of life, With that darling for ever to dwell ! — But I am going too far, so once more adieu, And remember — Your poor Isauul. London, \Qtk March. 170 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO COUSIN CLAUDE — BRIGHTON. Dear Claude! now the season has drawn to an end, And fashion has closed all the shutters in town ; According to promise, I take up my pen, To send all the news when the next mail goes down. The streets are deserted — the people are fled — But where they are gone to, I'm sure I can't tell ; The band in the Gardens* no longer will play, And nothing is heard save the muffin-man's bell. Such varied amusements have fall'n to my lot, No creature on earth so enchanted as I, I have seen the giraffes with their beautiful necks, And stood next a being who fell from the sky. * Kensington. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 1~1 I saw the great Duke,* when he stepped in the car, With mustachios large and well-shaped as a fan — Some people dislike him, but why I can't tell, Unless 'tis because he's a good-looking man. Then I went to Vauxhall — that once sylvan scene Full of music, moonlight, and beautiful stars ; But now a thick vapour o'ershadows the sight, You're lost in the smoke of those hideous cigars. Yet, why will they smoke ? 'tis a selfish abuse — A pleasure in which no one else can partake ; Oh ! were I a ruler, my first work should be To tax ev'ry smoker for decency's sake. I, yesterday morning, down Regent-street stroll'd, With Horace, poor boy ! he's a terrible clown, And out I '11 not venture with him any more, For daring to speak to the last man in town. — * Duke of B * * * * k. i 2 17'J AUTUMNAL LEAVES. " My friend, Major Rose ;" so I gaz'd on the flower, And thought all the while he looked more like a drone ; Bat, after we left him, I made up my mind, " 'Twas the last rose of summer, left blooming alone." When early this morning, I cross'd a green field, Ere long, was quite up to my ankles in mud ; On each side, the waters encompass'd me round, I looked like Noah's Ark in the midst of the flood. The leaves are all falling, — the sun seldom shines, — And the Browns, and the Greens, and the Jones's, are flown ; So next time I write, it will not be from hence, For this is the season to go out of town. London, 13th September' AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 173 POETICAL LETTER. TO ISABEL IN THE COUNTRY. Dea rest Isabel ! how that name makes me tremble ! Lovely Cupid assist me, the task to complete, — Extract a bright quill from the wing of an angel ; With thy breath guide my hand, that the words may flow sweet, Oh! say when our vows shall again be repeated: Am I doom'd through an age of suspense still to wait ? It ne'er was ordain'd hearts like ours should be sever'd, Or a passion like love should be tortured by fate. 174 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. The bouquet you gave me the evening we parted, Is my constant companion wherever I rove ; Those flowers are the sweetest on which your lips linger'd, When you laughingly named it the garland of love. What a shame 'tis, that solitude ever should keep Lovely charms, that were, sure, form'd an empire to share ! Think how strange it will sound when the nobles shall hear, That the star of the ball-room has vanished in air. On lock of your beautiful hair if you'll send, The dear treasure will render your absence more light :— . ipropos ! I am sure you '11 be sorry to hear, A misfortune that vexed me most sadly last night : I was going to a ball, at those rooms where we met, On the evening which gave such delight to us both, When my brute of a valet — oh, horrible thought ! — In curling my mustachios, singed one nearly off. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 175 I shall faint, — so farewell ; I will write soon again, — And believe me your faithful Fitzmorris Germain. P. S. My physician's just been, and prescribes change of air ; So I '11 see you next week, should the weather prove fair. London, 29th April. 176 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO ANTHONY POPGUN, ESQ., IN THE ISLAND OF FEATHERS. Dear Tony, you really must leave that dull place, Now 'tis holiday time for the dogs and the gun ; And lay by awhile the fatigues of the chase, For a season of fashion, of frolic, and fun ; Change your clownish demeanour for that of a lord, — Which your tailor can do, if he like, pretty fast ; And come as Sir Somebody fresh from abroad : Who knows but you'll marry an heiress at last ! You say that you've not enough impudence now ; That your peaceful retirement has slacken'd its growth : We can't do without it in town I'll allow, But what matters, when I have enough for us both ! I'llleavenothingto you, — pray believe me,dear man ! — But to boast of your fine-titled uncle and cousin, And to puff yourself off here as much as you can : No consequence, if you tell fibs by the dozen. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 177 But you must have a word in whatever is said, Whether tending to politics, gossip, or plays ; You must talk about authors you never have read, And with them chime in, in the^r scandal or praise, If you do a good deed, be quite sure it is known ; Scarce give to an Englishman what is his due ; On foreigners shower your praises alone ; — All these are what people of fashion must do. Then banish the foolish idea, that in such The true scene of nature and wisdom you'll find; For fashion is now to be polished so much, That they leave no enamel of nature behind. Bear in mind what I've said ; — but the hour's growing- late : My advice for the present I'll draw to an end ; For a cabriolet has j ust stopped at the gate, That must carry away your — Adventurous Friend. \Oth Jane. 178 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO AN EXQUISITE. I have just come to town, what a horrible place !— Surely Regent Street's got the blue devils ; And in Waterloo-place you may challenge a race, Once the scene of our pastime and revels. Tis a positive bore to be seen in the streets : An idea I have quite emphatic, That at this time of year every dandy one meets Must have made his descent from an attic. There are nothing but bills in the Royal Exchange; Clerks with bags full of writs and indentures ; Or a prince or a lord come to town for a change, No doubt for a day of adventures ; To-morrow I'll shut myself up till 'tis dark : They tell me, though nothing surprising, It's a libel on fashion to ride in the park When the rest of the world's ruralizing. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 179 I called on some friends who I knew were in town, I met with an answer repelling : — " They are gone on a tour," — so the blinds are drawn down, And they live in the back of their dwelling. Oh, spirit of Adam ! say, when will this cease 1 In nothing like us but in feature, Didst think thy poor children would e'er be such geese, When thou first till'dst the garden of nature ? Like the robin they'll fly from their nests in the grove, When Boreas first rudely shall bellow ; And I care not how soon, for I feel like a glove, Gone wandering in search of a fellow : But a friend has dropp'din, — in the words of Paul Pry And far livelier thoughts must enroll us : So farewell till the season commences ; — then fly To your friend and companion — Sam Solus. London, 25th September. 180 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO PAULINA PRY, OF WILDFIRE COTTAGE. You ask me for the latest news To drown your melancholy : I cannot your request refuse, — To do so were a folly : But thought, just like a midnight thief, My pericranium plunders ; And, strange to say, there's naught to tell In this great world of wonders. There's nothing sure but day and night ; There's nothing strange but reason ; For once November's dreary month Is out of proper season : The papers show no sad results Of fatal love or passion; And even suicides, my dear, Are now quite out of fashion. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Oh ! that I were the favoured bird, Which rules the feathered legions ; I'd gladly mount to fetch thee news From out the starry regions ; Then would I search the love-sick moon Without the world's intrusion, And silken reins place in thy hands To guide its evolution. How many earthly things I wish, Yet fear will ne'er be granted ; And many heads are without brains I find, when most they're wanted ; And many thoughts have just rush'd in, Now I must seal my letter ; So having told no news at last, I'll sign myself your — Debtor. London, 2%th November. 181 182 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO MISS JEMIMA GOTH, OF WOODBINE HALL. To dear Jemima in the vale This billet-doux I send, Convinced her heart will not refuse The counsel of a friend : But country moons and nightingales Are vastly pretty things ; And all the fairy tales of love, Like butterflies, have wings. Avoid a man who's fond of books, And loves to be alone ; And if he's handsome, then be sure, His love is all his own ; — Who boasts of honors idly won, And makes love with his pen : — Shun dandy fops, and country bores, And mammy-sick young men. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Fall not in love with face or vest, — With spurs or mounted heel ; For many a robe of lace may hide A heart as cold as steel : If, when he takes a pinch of snuff, By rule he bends his head, And sports a handkerchief of white ; — His soul's by folly fed. All things have changed since last we met, And childhood's joys are o'er, But still I long to tread again Thy native sea-beat shore ; To watch with thee the opening flowers, That grace thy fairy dell : But till we meet in happier hours, Jemima, dear, farewell ! London, 2Ath May. 183 1S4 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. POETICAL LETTER. TO IN A. Dearest, thou'rt like the graceful fawn That o'er the mountain flew; Thine eyes are like the sky at morn, Thy tears like evening dew; Oh ! if thy breast with love e'er burn'd, And panted to be free ; Or if it ne'er on pity turn'd, Now let it turn to me. My paper is a rose-leaf stol'n From yonder bow'r of bliss ; My pen I snatch'd from Cupid's wing, And seal'd it with a kiss ; My ink's distilled from varied sweets, Drain 'd from the eastern bowl ; My motto is a butterfly, — The emblem of the soul. AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 185 Scarce had I spun this web of thought, This slender mesh of love, Ere it was carried far away By yonder trembling dove. Should Cupid obstinate refuse To set his captive free, Oh ! breathe but lightly on its folds, And send it back to me. Alberto. Hastings, 2nd August. 186 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. THE GENERAL MEETING; OR, THE MEETING OF THE GENERALS. In olden days a feast was given To soldiers fond of quaffing, And General Mirth first took the chair And set the guests all laughing. He speechified on war and peace, On spirit and reaction, And then he rose and gave the health Of General Satisfaction. But General Murmur would not drink, And said it was his notion, If General Satisfaction reigned There would be no promotion ; While General Plenty was their friend They'd keep him to his station ; AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 187 But General Discord was the guest Of General Obligation. Then General Folly started up, Along with General Passion, And both at once proposed the health Of Generals Flight and Fashion. Next absent Generals, great and small, Were mentioned in rotation, Election, Sorrow, Joy and Grief, Darkness, Illumination. Now General Mirth proposed a song, And Mystery a fable ; And General Jollity began To dance around the table ; But in the midst of all their sport Their laughter, song, and yawning, In stalk'd a figure — 'bowed and said, Behold Tm General Mourning. INS AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Now all took wing to different paths ; Some to their posts and station, And some to murmur at their fate, And rail against the nation. Now of all Generals, high and low, From London to Hindostan, The most intelligent of all, I think, is General Postman. AUTUMJNAL LEAVES. 189 THE ECHO. When the night-bird was soft serenading the rose, And Sol had put out the bright taper of day, On the banks of the stream where violets repose, I wander'd, and thought of my love far away ; And I fervently sigh'd, will he soon come again ? A voice from behind whispered softly — again ! Surpiised to be answered thus frankly and free, (In matters of love most unpolish'd and rude,) I determined to find who the idler could be Daring thus on the silence of night to intrude : Those who list to the secrets of love must beware ! She answered again in my own words — beware ! 190 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 'Twas strange, I replied ; when a thought cross'd my mind, The sweet hours of childhood returning to view, In my dear native land, left far, far behind, A bird, they call Echo,* gives answers thus true ; Then welcome, dear friend of my youth, if the same ; My heart beat with joy as she whisper'd — the same! And now we have met in a different grove, In lands far away from my friends and my foes, I'll tell thee, dear Echo, the plaints of my love, My cares and my troubles, my sorrows and woes; Thou wilt not revert to the joys of the past, — And I tremblingly heard her re-echo the past. * Ovid in his Metamorphoses, describes Echo as being the daughter of the air, who, from residing in Cephisus, became the favorite at- tendant on Juno ; but one day while gliding down the Lake Copias, she beheld seated on its verdant bank a beautiful youth, whom she after- wards discovered to be Narcissus ; the extreme grace and loveliness of his person inspired her with a passion, which meeting with no return, AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 191 Then I'll come at the closing of each summer day, When the stars shed their lustre of light from above; And my fancy shall give thee a form far away, When vvhisp'ring by moonlight our soft tales of love, Say, wilt thou, dear Echo, be faithful for ever ? And I fancied she falteringly answered — forever! she retired into the hollow grots and caverns of the Earth, and pined away until nothing remained but her voice, which, instead of making answers, as is erroneously ascribed to her, she merely in a melancholy tone repeats the last word. \ l J-l ALT! MN A I I I \ \ I T II I. I. A DD 1. 1< OF 1 A M i W ii \ i kind of use is VOW hurrying mid flying ' Do you think there's a space to admil your blank name I \\ inn the powerful pari of the world are all trying Which can first gain ascent on the laddei of fame? There are some up the third step, who cannot mount higher, \\ here they fix'd will remain 'till the daj of then
  • ' UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-100m-9,'52(A3105)444 ^' THE LIBRART raorrv ni? r*! s j^i >»».* -s. PR 5703 V22|2a UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 367 387 8