POETICAL EPHEMERAS. BY JAMES PENNYCOOK BROWN. O ! were ye born to be An hour or half's deliglit, And so to bid good night ! llERr.ICK. ABERDEEN : A. BROWN & CO. AND LEWIS SWITH ? H. CONSTABLE, EDINIJUlUin ; AND SMITH, ELDER, & CO. LONDON. MDCCCXXXI. D. Ch:>lmcrs S; Co. Printers, Aberdeen. u \--i4 TO MY FATHER AND MOTHER, THIS VOLUME IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. J. P. B. 853581 CONTENTS. Page The Voice of a Dream 1 The Forsaken Hearth '» My Chosen One !' AVhere are our days of Youth 11 The Fallen Star 14 To Mary 10 A Serenader's Apology 18 To a Child 20 The Dead 23 Things that are 25 My Love at Eventide 27 Oh I Sing me sweet Songs 29 The One Star 31 My Wedded Love 34 The Graves 37 Stanzas, addressed to a Friend on his going to India 39 On hearing Braham Sing 42 Remembrance 45 The Stranger's Grave 47 A Polish Mother to her Son 50 vi CONTENTS. Page The Mourners ^'■^ To lanthc ^^ Stanzas ^^ Epitlialaniiiim "" The ^'oices of our Home ^'2 Autumnal FloM'ers 64 Stanzas **'6 The Festival of the Dead WfJ Come, push the Bottle round 73 Consolation 7o To Mary 78 I ivakc my Harp for thee alone 80 My o^vn Rose Tree 83 To "Winter 85 Infantine Inquiricsi 88 Life's Chauges 91 The Death of Ciiattertou 'M Reflection 99 Summer 1*^1 Joys l^*^ The Song of the Unheloved One 100 The First and Last Song 109 Music 116 Lines written beneath the Portrait of an Unknown Lady- • 118 Sadness 121 The Mountain Grave-yard 124 When first we met 128 Night 131 CONTEXTS. VU Page To my Sister Helen 1'5^ My Birth-day ^^7 The Song of the Waves I'lO The Last Day of the Year l^-^ The Return 1^" Stanzas ^^■* The Entry iiito Jerusalem 1-^9 Lines written on the Death of a Young Friend 152 The Lonely One l-''^ Life— A Fragment ' ^^7 To my own Love 1 '"^ Written in a Churchyard 1<>''5 A Canzonet '^*' Autumn's Farewell 1**^ Where a weary Soul might rest 17- She will not forget thee 17-5 The Swallost' ■•• 1/7 To Joy > I/!* To Selina ^"'2 For Music l''5 The Ship ^^57 Tolanthe I'Jl Futui-ity l'-*3 Oh! Spirit of departed Joys 195 The Land of Love-Dreams 197 We may not meet again 200 I saw a Vision in my Sleep 203 Love 207 POETICAL EPHEMERASe THE VOICE OF A DREAM. And dreams, in their developement, have breath, And tears, and tortures, and the touch of joy ; They leave a weight upon our waking thoughts ; They make us what we were not — what they will. And shake us with the vision that's gone by. Byron. It was a dream — a vision of the night — A shadow of the rest that dotli await The weary Pilgrim, who, with doubting heart, O'erburdened with his heavy load of sin, Treads Zion-ward ; — a gleam of that bright world Where tears are things unknown — where sighs, Sounds so familiar to our ears on earth, In dire convulsion lieave the breast no more. As ocean-billows sound in lonely caves, Z POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Mocking the quiet that else niiglit Iiave been tliere ! — Weary with wandering in the patli of life — The thorny path in which 'tis mine to tread — I souglit the silent and the soft repose Which plucks tlie poisoned stings from out the breast, And gives, in dreams, the longed-for happiness ! — Sweet silent sleej) I — liow beautiful it conies, Noiseless as are the wings of hoary Time — That fleeting shadow of Eternity ! — I slept, and o'er my dreaming spirit came Tones of celestial softness — sounds from haqis Untouched by earthly fingers — sweeter far Than aught of music ever lieard on eartli, Save that by shepherds heard on Bethlehem's plain, When angels sang the joyous song of peace I I turned my eyes to heaven, to see from whence Had come that sudden burst of melody ; When, lo ! descending on a snowy cloud, A bright seraphic creature, robed in white, With ])alm in hand, and croAvn upon lier head. Sailed 'midst tlie glories of the ancient sky. And bent, with smiles as angels' smiling sweet, Her looks of loving-kindness upon me, Who, wonder-wrapt, in silent sadness lay ! The vision neared, and stood, in glory clad. Beside the liuinl»le couch wliereon I slept ; POETICAL EPHEMERAS. And sadness, like a shadow on a flower, O'erspread her bright tranquillity of face. As, gazuig earnestly on mine, she scanned The altered aspect of my cheeks, from whence Have fled the roses in the midst of youth ! And then, oh ! then it was methought I saw. In that bright wanderer — brighter than the sun — A grave-hid sister — loved Elizabeth — A mortal clad in immortality ! Oh 1 the deep rush of feeling, love, and joy, That flowed in quick succession through my breast. Crowding into one moment years of thought, As I, in wonder, gazed upon her face. And then the heavenly strains again began, As organ peals in Gothic Minster old. Pouring a tempest forth of melody ; And then abruptly ceased, as if the chords Of the celestial golden harps had burst From the excessive sweetness of their sound ! And the bright heavenly visitant began In tones of thrilling softness thus to sing : — " Come, brother, come, to the heavenly land — The glorious land where I dwell — Wliere the gold harp tones of the angel band 'Mid the songs of the ransomed swell ! B 2 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. " I drink of tin? fount of eternal life Where its streams in their fresliness flow, Unmixed with tlie grief and the sinful strife Which you drink in the life below. " And I wander amidst unfading flowers, And tlie glow of luishadowed liglit Shines soft in the depth of our holy bowers, That know not the gloom of a night. " I know that you mourned, when I left the earth, From the depths of your bosom's love. Whilst I, in the life of the second birth. Adored in the regions above 1 " And, oh 1 if you heard the anthems of praise — If you knew the bliss that is mine, When I join in the songs which the ransomed raise, You would long in our land to shine ! " I know that you pine for a place of rest. Where the soul from its grief is free ; I know, — for the siglis of your weary breast Have arisen from earth unto me ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. O " Oh ! tlien, be it your's in the path to tread WJiich leads to our sinless shore — There the thorns are plucked from the bleeding liead, And sorrow is felt no more !" She ceased — the sound of heavenly harps again Fell in soft richness on my dreaming ear ; And, as if borne upon their melodies, I saw my sainted sister, — her who taught My spirit first in poesy to breathe, — Floating in glory lovingly away To that far happy land from whence she came ! In passion's agony I burst the chain, That binds our reason in the hour of sleep. In struggling to be free, — that I might fly, Fi'om this bleak stormy sin-o'ershaded world, And all its vanities of pomp and power. With her who lured my spirit from its ways ; — But she was gone — and I was left to mourn That sight so fair so soon had passed away I Then, O, my soul ! on eagle pinions soar Above the regions of the starry sky, And seek repose, where rest alone is found — Beneath the covert of his wings, whose throne. Encompassed round with holy men of old. Gives forth the mighty thunderings of his power ! B 3 I'OETICAL EPHEMERAS. THE FORSAKEN HEARTH. One shadow is but seen upon the wall. Where many once in youthful beauty shone. He sat beside his forsaken liearth, And mute were the gladsome tones of mirth, That once from the lips of the loved and young Gladdened his heart with the songs they sung — The songs of liis youtliful years. His thin gi-ey hairs o'er his high brow fell, Whitened by griefs which he might not tell ; Wan were his cheeks, and his eyes' dim light Shone, weak as the faintest star of night, Through its misty world of tears. A lute was hung on the cottage wall, Its tones were beloved in their joy by all ; But silent it hung — they were gone, all gone, Who wakened the sweets of each silvery tone. Away from their father's hearth. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. ' They were parted all — they had gone away, As sunbeams go from their fount astray ; For the world in the light of their eyes' bright beams Looked the fairy land they had seen in dreams, And they trode with joy the earth. He sighs for the songs, and the bursts of glee From their young hearts flowing in gladness free ; And the sunset-hours, when their steps were heard In the shadowy grove, by the leaves they stirred — As the leaves their hearts were light. They meet no more in the evening hour, 'Neath the golden bloom of their cottage bower. Where the rose-tree breathes, and the violet's breast Is bright with the dews that have there sought rest Tlirough the dreamy hours of night. Alas, for the bower ! — the laburnum's dead, — The golden hues of its bloom are fled ; The flowers are withered, — the violet alone Still lingers around the spot where it shone, As fair as the fairest there. And he — though his hearth be forsaken now By the stars that lightened the gloom on his brow — Like the lonely violet still loves to dwell Where the glowing light of his childhood fell In beams, as the r.iinbow fair. B 4 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. He (looms they may y(!t return to his home, With the joy of chihliiood they all may come ; For his spirit oft calls the wanderers back To his cheerless hearth, from the stormy track Where their weary feet have trode. Tliey may all return — but the light will be dead In the cottage hearth which their father fed ; — A dark green monnd, where no mourner weeps, Will tell where his broken spirit (sleeps, In Deatli's sad silent abode. I'OETIC'AL EI'niiiMEUAS. '9. MY CHOSEN ONE. Thou art indeed my chosen one — My lovely, good, and kind, Whose seat is on my bosom's throne, Whose home is in my mind : There's not a joy that lights my Iieart, Nor dream, howe'er so fair. But thou, in all thy beauty, art The ruling spirit there. And thou to me art but a dream Of hope, and joy, and love, And all that gives life's turbid stream The light of things above ; A dream, whose brightly coloured dyes Shine forth in lustre meek, As brilliant as thine own bright eyes, And lovely as thy cheek ! 10 POETICAL EIMIKMERAS. As spring gives back unto the flowers The smiles they laid aside, When winter ruled tlieir scentless bowers In all his gloomy pride ; So, when my glowing thoughts of bliss Are darkened all with gloom, Thy smile gives to their witlieredness The richness of their bloom. Then, when amidst the lofty tlu-ong, 'Mong which 'tis thine to move, Oh ! think upon the cliild of song, Thy lowly minstrel love — Him, o'er whose harp in sadness oft Is breathed thy gentle name, Awakening feelings, true and soft, Of love's undying flame ! Alas, alas ! it may not be That thou wouldst stoop so low, As give thy thoughts to one like me. Whose life-patli teems with woe. If such should be, I ask them not From out their taintless shrine ; But my love's lamp will light my lot, Though blending not with thine ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 11 WHERE ARE OUR DAYS OF YOUTH? I pine in solitude — I muse upon The days that, meteor-like, have glided by. Delta. Where are oxir days of youth — oh ! where Are they, the true, the bright ? And where are those that gave to all An aspect of delight ? They passed away, and till they passed Their joys we never knew ; And all the light-like hearts we loved In youth have vanished too. Or if they live, 'tis but to mourn O'er days of brightness fled — This is no resting place for them. Their home is with the dead. They look upon the same blue sky, The same fair flowers they see ; They think of those, the loved ones lost, And wish with them to be. 12 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Wlioro avo the hopes in yontli wo nurst, When life was like a dream, And when we deemed 'twould ever be As what it then did seem ? Wrapt in the clouds of darkest gloom Which soon o'erspread the breast, Wlien past ai'e fancy's vivid dreams That made the dreamer blest. All fled save one lone beauteous star — The brightest 'mong the bright Of all the hopes that e'er diffused Into the heart delight ! If, 'midst the flood of darkness there. One ray of it be given, It cheers the mourning soul on eartli, And heralds it to Heaven ! And where are all our loves of youth ? Have they, too, passed away ? O no ; it could not be that these Should ever know decay ! They linger in the bosom still, Its solace and its bliss ; A glow-worm light that's left to cheer The simk heart's loneliness. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 13 They bloom, amidst the winter there, Bright flowers tliat ne'er will fade ; And with the soul will wing their flight To Heaven's ethereal shade : And there they'll live — forever live — For love there cannot die — The only plant of earthly growth That ever bloomed on high ! Then mourn not over fond hearts lost, For them you'll meet again ; And mourn not over youth's bright days, Nor hopes, as bright as vain. But let your wandering thoughts repose On things of holier birth Than those — the splendid mockeries — The idle shows of earth. 14 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. THK FALLEN STAR. Ve are a beauty and a mystery. BvnoN. It fell from its throne iu the sky — From its place 'mong the glories on high, Where long through the shadowy night It scattered its beautiful light ! 'o" 'Midst thousands in brightness it burned, Till the sun in his gladness returned, And quenched each magnificent star That twinkled and glistened afar. They fled from the smile of the day ! I've watched till they melted away In 'midst of the light that was spread On earth and the sky over-head. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. I've wislied that my spirit should fly From its jail, like a star from the sky, That fades till in weakness 'tis given To blend with the brightness of heaven. It fell from its throne, and it came Through the air, like a world of flame ; Or a thunderbolt rushing in muth To crush the foundations of earth. The ocean grew red in its light, The rivers more glaringly bright; And the eyes that beheld it grew dim, For it fell like the proud Seraphim. It fled from the worlds above, The homes and the altars of Love ; And came in its red glory forth To look on our beautiful earth. But it melted away in mid air. When it looked on a dwelling so fair, Then passed from the light of our eyes To its own brilliant place in the skies. 15 16 I'OETICAL EPHEMERAS. TO MARY. Snveet is that love alone that comes with willingncsse. Spen'seh. Thine eyes are still as softly bright As wlioii, in young love's gladness, They kindled joy's extinguished light, And darkened that of sadness. Love's brightest hues are on thy cheeks — Earth's fairest far transcending ! Where Beauty's pale and crimson streaks In softest tints are blending. Thy voice hath still the softening tone That stirred the founts of feeling, And gave to days of brightness gone A pleasure past revealing. Around thy brow with peerless grace Thy radiant locks are shining ; And, lightly falling round thy face, About thy neck are twining. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 17 The hour in which I met thee first My spirit was benighted, — The dreams of fame and love I nurst In bitterness I slighted. Yet I, thy gentle love to win, When sorrow's waves were swelling, Unlocked my heart, and took thee in, And there thou hast thy dwelling. In some, love's feelings die away, As foam-bells on the ocean. When eyes gi-ow dim, whose smiling ray First set love's tide in motion. But mine, with length of years, I deem Will holier grow, and deeper. Nor pass as doth a lovely dream That lonely leaves the sleeper ! 18 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. A SRRENADER'S APOLOGY. Fair lady mine ! although, no doubt, You have my songs applauded, And, when I shivering stood without, My serenading lauded — I mean at ten to go to bed, And dream of you, my charmer, For really I can't serenade — Until the weather's warmer ! You know 'tis force, when I remove My heart from ways so gentle ; You know I'm fond of making love. And rather sentimental : That oft, by moonlight, with my harp, I've sought your bright eyes' glances. Which, when I saw, I fomid more sharp Than " Stoddart's patent lances !" POETICAL EPUEMEKAS. 19 You say my heart is colder grown In love to you, my chosen — It is a fact I can't disown, For sure 'tis almost frozen By watching when the stars of night Through gloomy clouds were peeping, Or wandering like a troubled sprite When decent folks were sleeping. Indeed I've often been abused, On freaks so wild and antic For spending time ; but then I chose My love should be romantic ; Not like to that of those mean souls. Who, when inclined to marry. Make good their love on parchment rolls, Lest Cupid should miscai-ry. Pray, do excuse me then, my love, Till warmer is the weather — Till Howers have bloomed in yonder grove, Where we have sat together ; And then, when flowers are wet witli dew, And sleep your eyes are shading, I'll look at stars, and think on you, When I am serenading- ! •20 POETICAL EI'HEMEUAS, TO A CHILD. Be happy now, sweet lovely child ! Be happy while you may ; For age will come, and time will steal Your happiness away ! Thy snowy brow, 'mong ringlets bright, Bears yet no blight of years ; Thy lovely eyes of heavenly light Are yet undimmed by tears ! And thou art sporting by the side Of her, the loved and mild — Thou art her darling, and her pride, Her eldest, only child ; And, stooping down, she parts the hair Ujton thy seraph brow, And leaves a kiss, and blessing there. Which mothers only know ! 1 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 21 Whilst thou, with smiles of blessedness, And love-o'erflowing heart, Return'st tliy mother's fond caress. With feelings void of ai't ; Yet wondering much, whilst thou art gay, That tears should til! the eyes, Within whose soft and sunny ray Thy light of pleasure lies ! But she foresees the griefs that wait Upon thy elder years ; Wliilst thou, regardless of tliy fate, The future and its tears, Art sporting, like a butterfly Among its smiling flowers, With heart that never heaved a sigh O'er less enchanting hours ! But many a tear thou'lt shed, sweet child ! And many a sigh thou'lt give O'er blighted joys, and hopes beguiled, Ere thou hast ceased to live ; Else thou wilt tread a smoother way, Than mortal ever trode — Hearts now, once young like thine, and gay. Are sorrow's dark abode ! c 3 22 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. It may 1)e thine, midst battle's ire, With warrior men to die ; It may be thine to touch the lyre, With feelings wild and liigh. Perhaps thou'lt wander far, loved cliild ! O'er ocean's boundless sweep ; Yet wilt thou seek, with prospects foiled. At this same hearth to weep ! Would that thy lot was in my hand ! No grief should then be there, To change thy cheeks, so soft and bland. Or blanch thy sunny hair ! But, O, be happy, beauteous child ! Be happy while you may ; For age will come, and time will steal Your happiness away ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 23 THE DEAD. Oh I weep not for the dead ! — why need you weep ? Have they not passed the lonely vale of death, Guided by Him who rules the mighty deep — Him, in whose hand is every mortal's breath ? Why need you weep ? Oh ! trust me, we shall meet, In a bright land where joy is no deceit. Those hearts with whom we trode in heavenly faith, 'Midst the dim sliadows of the glorious truth, That brightens life's dark path, as do the joys of youth ! They have gone down from earth — and never more Will their love-breathing voices sound again, As erst they did in golden days of yore. When, as were ours, their hearts were free from pain ! And never more will they come back to earth. With its glad songs of love and sinless mirth ! — Birds sing and flow'rets bloom for them in vain ; And the briglit boundless blue of Heaven's clear sky Vainly for them spreads forth its gorgeous canopy ! c 4 24 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. And the great sun, beueatli whose happy light They had gone forth, as youthfixl spirits go, — And the dai'k, deep intensity of night, Ere on the mountain-tops the moonbeams glow, — And the clear stars, those bright familiar things, From which a hope of fadeless glory fiprings, — And the mild beauty of the promise-bow. They see not now, sublimely over-head I But holier sights are yours, ye unforgotten dead ! They rest not in their graves — away, away, Their spirits fly to holy liomes above, A^Tiere sorrow enters not, nor time's decay Lessens the feeling of their hearts' deep love ! Ye dead ! — ye happy dead I — your griefs are past, And your tried souls have found the rest at last For which on earth ye happily had strove. Where Mercy's emerald rainbow girts the throne* Of Him whose love is life — whose mercy is your own ! * And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sii^ht like unto an emerald. — Rev. chan. iv. v. 3. POETICAL EPKEJtlEKAS. 25 THINGS THAT ARE. Therk are hopes in our young years, which glisten With brightness and beauty a while — When love-words are spoken, we'll listen, Though spoken our heaits to beguile. There are dreams that come o'er us when sleeping. Which darken our thoughts when awake ; Their lights o'er our spirits come creeping. As winds o'er the breast of a lake. There are notes in the liveliest numbers, WTiich soften to sorrow our heaits ; They waken old thoughts from their slumbers, Which gleam in a thousand briglit pai'ts. There are voices, whose softness, when blending With all that of music is sweet. Is like that of fair seraphs descending, To sweeten our shadowed retreat. 26 POETICAL EPHEMEHAS. Tliere are looks from our loved, vvliich have brightened Some bleak wintry day of our lot ; Though our hearts with joy's sunbeams be lightened, Tlieir beauty is never forgot. There are words which, when spoken, have saddened The spirit of joy in our breast ; And some, whose effulgence hath gladdened The sorrow tl)at robs us of rest. There are eyes with joy's brilliancy beaming, Which have looked on the face of their dead, Whilst their spirits, in grief's frantic dreaming, Have longed for their comfortless bed. There ai'e hearts which, though living, are broken, And silently pass they away, As the bloom from a love-flower — the token That lives but in beauty a day. There are homes for the mourners — a mansion Of holiness, purity, love, — • The beautiful, boundless expansion Of glorified spirits above. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 27 MY LOVK AT EVENTIDE. I SAW her at her casement sit, With more than Beauty's grace, While silently the moonbeams fell Upon her lovely face ; And brilliantly around her form, Bedeck'd in snowy white, They threw, undimraed by shade or shower, An airy robe of light. I saw her — and her auburn locks Were waving in the breeze, That bore upon its balmy breast The scent of flowers and trees ; And fanned her cheeks, until they grew More beautiful than those Bright hues of beauty which o'erspread The fairest summer rose ! 28 POETICAL EPIIEMEHAS. Her head was leaning on her hand — Her eyes were on the sky, Through which, in mournful majesty, Tlie moon was sailing high ; While in her path one little star, With holy light and clear, Slione far behind, to hymn lier on In gladness through her spliere ! How lovely, and, oh I how beloved Slie was, while thus her eyes Were blending all their heavenly light With twilight's many dies : She seemed to be, while thus she sat. So fair she was and young, A picture bright, — which memory W^ithin my breast has hung ! I may not sing of what I felt Of Love's bewitching power. That stole into my heart, and dwelt. In that effulgent hour : I will not sing of pleasures gone, And vainly seek to hide The joy with which I looked upon My love at eventide ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. !^ 29 OHl SING ME SWEET SOXGS. Oh ! sing me sweet songs, for my spirit is glad In the joys tliat are round me to-night ; And banish all thoughts that are gloomy and sad Afai- from our circle of light. Young hearts and bright eyes are around me ; tlien \vhy Should a shadow still fall upon me ? — An eye with a tear, or a breast with a sigh. Are strangers unwelcome to thee. But, oh I were my spirit as happy as now, Through the days of my life that remain, The light that is hid by the clouds on my brow Would beam forth in brightness again. The joy of my heart would lend light to my eyes — For the heart, when its fountains o'erflow, Upflings its soft waters, that sparkling arise. To the eyes that are tainted with woe. 30 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 'Tis seldom we meet, as we wander through life, Such bliss as this moment is ours. For its weeds, that oft flourish enticingly rife, Are lost 'mong the bloom of its flowers. Then sing me the songs that are wild with delight ; Let the music be tender and sweet — For gladness hath wakened my spirit to-night ; And hours of such rapture are fleet. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 31 THE ONE STAR. 'TwAS in the hour when sleep Sits proudest on her throne — The dreamless midnight-hour, when deep The night-wind's mournful moan Was wandering far o'er hill and dell, Seeking the caves where echoes dwell, — I looked upon the sky ; Ten thousand stars were there, In one hright gloi'ious galaxy. Which shone sublimely fair. And threw upon the earth a light, Unlike that of a moonless night. Ye lovely mysteries ! — true Bright pilgi'ims of the skies, Oft do I wondering gaze on you, Whilst sadness dims my eyes ; And in your holy beauty trace The glories of our resting place ! 3-J POETICAL El'UKMERAS. Sleep was around me then — The weary had found rest ; The troubles and the toils of men Were laid upon her breast : And Silence, with unmoving tongue, Her mantle o'er the earth had flung ! In such an hour, my soul Bursts from its jail of clay, And seeks, where far-off planets roll, A hope-star's cheering ray ; For those in which I trusted here Have, one by one, dropped from iny sphere ! Not all my thoughts I'd give To this proud speck of earth, But let them wing their way and live Where spirits have their birth, — That land eternal, on whose shore Time's waves were never heard to roar. Then I, in musing, turned My languid eyes away From where the orbs of beauty burned, With soft unsliaded ray ; Such as they were, methinks, that night They first gave forth their lucid light. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Sii I looked again — where shone So many a lovely star, I only saw an orphan one Shine tremulous afar ; For Gloom had thrown her cloudy pall Over the beaming face of all. Ah ! such, methought, are those Bright hopes in youth that burn ; And such, in age, the cloud of woes Beneath whose shade we mourn ; Yet hope, like that one star, is given To guide the panting soul to Heaven ! D 34 rOETICAL EPHEMERAS. MY WEDDED LOVK. Well ! thou ait happy, and I feel That I should thus be happy too. Byron. We met wliere eyes of beauty shone In gladness, like the liglit By the clear silver moonbeams thrown Upon the clouds of night — Where harps their sweetest tones awoke To melancholy lays, Wliose mournful beauty sadly spoke Of other, brighter days ; — Sadly, I ween, they spoke to me, For, hearing them, I thought to see Young forms that long from 'midst the mirth And beauty of the lovely earth Had passed as dreams away ; And o'er whose silent green tui-f bed. The summer flowers their odours shed ; And^ancient trees, with ivy bound, Hing weeping o'er the sacred ground, Where the loved forms decay ! POETICAL EPHExMERAS. 35 And she, my first poetic theme, Was tlieu before mine eyes, And lovely as when in a dream I've seen her form arise ! Yet she was altered — there was one Who claimed her thoughts that night, Whose every look she dwelt upon, With feelings of delight : — He was the chosen of her heart ; 'Twas he alone that could impart The joy which shone within her eyes. And calm the tumalt of the sighs Of bliss that heaved her breast. My love was a forgotten thing — A blossom blighted in its spring — A fallen star — a hope gone by — A rainbow vanished from the sky, That lulled the storm to rest ! I thought of happy fleeting hours, When joy sat on my brow — I thought how oft we'd gathered flowers Where I am sitting now — 1 thought how I had loved — I thought How false her words had been, And dark within my spirit wrought, Though placid was my mien : D 2 36 POETICAr, EPHEMERAS. Yet o'er my cheek, at times, there came Tlie flickerings of love's quencliloss flame ; And siglis would come, and cloud awhile The seeming pleasure of my smile, While gazing on her face ! She was another's ! — I had done With hopes that gladdened while they shone ; For now I could not dare to love That which, all other things above, Once filled my spirit's place ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Pt7 THE GRAVES. Ah ! sweetly they slumber, nor hope, love, nor fear, — Peace, peace ! is the watchword, the only one here ! Herbert Knowlks. Th e graves — the green graves of our fathers — in them Is a record to read we can never contemn ; In eloquent silence they speak of our doom, And the mysteries sublime which o'ershadow the tomb ! Our fathers ! — they trode on life's roses awhile — For the world wears an aspect of peace to beguile ; But life's autumn came, with its heart-chilling powers, And they withered away, like lightning-struck flowers. Dark feelings stole over my heart when I strayed In the field of forgetfulness where they were laid ; When I hung o'er the tombs — when I heedlessly pressed The brown crumbling bones of a once feeling breast — D 3 38 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Wlien I thouglit of the tears they had shed here below, 'Midst the brigljt streams of joy, and the dark floods of woe — Of the hopes, bright as stars, that lit up for a while Their darkness of life, like a winter sun's smile. Now their sorrows are past, tlieir sighs heard no more. And life, and life's ])leasures, for ever are o'er ; And tliey sleep in soft peace, 'neath the turf where they trode, While their souls have gone back to their Father's abode. Oh ! dark were the tomb, were no hopes left to cheer The bosom of man in his pilgrimage here — No beacon of light, when 'midst life's tempest driven ; But we know that the grave is the gateway to Heaven ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 39 STANZAS, ADDRESSED TO A FRIEND ON HIS GOING TO INDIA. Thou art leaving the land that gave thee birth — The dearest, last loved spot on earth — With its dark brown hills and valleys fair, And sun- bright blue streams singing there, O'erhung by trees, and begirt with flowers, Thy boyhood haunts in happier hours, When thy heart burst forth in its sunny glee, Like the playful waves of a summer sea. Thou art leaving the loved of thy father's home, 'Mid the strange cold hearts of the earth to roam, And thy household hearth that with joy once rung, Is mute, as a harp with its chords unstning ; For the hearts are sad, that were wont to be The echo of joy that arose from thee : There are none now left in their mirth to share — Thy seat is empty — thou art not there ! D 4 40 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Thou art leaving her with tlie bright blue eye, And cheek like a rose-leaf's lightest dye, "Wlio has given to thee a brigliter gem, Thau glows in a monarch's diadem : She has given her young heart's first fond love, Pure as the bliss of spirits above ; — Oh ! forget her not when bright eyes shine. For tlie maiden's priceless peail is thinal Tliou art leaving all — kind hearts and free. Whose prayers are rising to heaven for thee — For the sunny land ! — Oh ! many a time Will thy heart come back to its native clime ; — Thou wilt hear in thy dreams the song that's poure( 'Mid the happy throng at the festive board — Thou wilt see the loved of thy heart again ! Alas, that such lovely dreams are vain ! Look once again — Oh I look to the shore Thy tear-dimmed eyes may behold no more — And gaze on yon spire, beneath whose shade And green-leaved trees, thy father is laid ! Alas, for thee ! far over tlie wave In the golden land they may dig tliy grave ; Where they, wliose love to thy heart is dear, May not shed on its flowers affection's tear ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 41 Farewell ! — Our spirits will follow tliee O'er the crested waves of the lonely sea — And hover round in the deep midnight, And watch thy soul in its dreamy flight — And guide it to where bright flowers are fanned By the cooling breeze of our mountain land, Where the river's tones 'midst the echoes swell ! — God bless thee, young wanderer ! — Farewell, farewell ! 42 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. # ON HEARING BRAHAM SING. Is there a heart that music cannot melt ? Alas ! how is that rugged heart forlorn ! Beattie. Such wondrous gifts of song ai"e not of eartli, But come from heaven, as do the passing winds, Whose mellow voice breathes music 'mong the trees, Beneath whose shade I've sat, luitil my soul Seemed blending with the melody of leaves ! And by the sparkling mirror stream I've lain. Listening its music, while it rolled along, Wooed by the willows, whose tall stems were bent Over its lucid breast, beside whose banks The sedge and water-lily sweetly grew ; And flowei's — the daisy and the primrose — bloomed In bright luxuriance 'mong the velvet grass That sloping rose into a hill behind. Whose trees gave back the murmuring of the stream I There have I lain, till feelings wild and strange Came o'er my heart, as waves in tempests come i POETICAL EPHEMEUAS. 43 Leaping like lions upon the rocky shore ! These would subside, and gentler thoughts would rise, Awakening all my soul's best sympathies — Unlocking all those founts — those sacred springs — From out whose depths aft'ection's waters flow. I, too, have listened to the ocean's roar. And storm-winds howling, with a wild delight ; And to the lark that climbed the sunny sky, As if to steal from heaven its summer song ; And to the bee that hummed among the flowers, That looked in beauty as if singing too ; And in the twilight liour when far away, From 'mong the birch trees in the haunted dell, The whistle of the thrush and blackbird came ! Yea, to all music that from nature springs. My soul and sympathies are ever tuned. And I have sat by thee, and heard thy songs, My gentle Lady-love — and those of her, Thy gifted syren-sister, from whose lips Melodious flow the wild pathetic strains, Sung 'midst the mountains of our father-land ! But, oh ! within my breast, unknown to me, Feelings there were which I had never felt ; Bright thoughts that in their beauty might have slept. As do the melody of harps, till touched By those wlio know the mysteries of sound I 44 POETICAL El'Il£Mi:UA.S. So a new sense of beauty and delight Wakened within me, when I heard thy voice, Thou mighty spirit from the land of song ! Which fell upon my heart, as softly fall The silver moonbeams on a sleeping flower, Yet stirred the silent waters of my soul Into a tempest of delicious joy. That rose, until it burst its bounds, and gushed In one bright stream of feeling from mine eyes ! Tile song hath passed — the echo died away — But in my heart its tones are lingering still. Most beautiful ! and will for ever dwell Among the silent music of my soul ! I POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 45 REMEMBRANCE. She was a phantom of delight. Wordsworth. Oh I do not now ray heart beguile Witli songs so light and gay ; And do not bid me lightly smile, When hope has fled away — The hope, whose golden beams could liglit The darkness of my spirits night, As stars, in night's blue silent sky, Light up its dark immensity ! I heard that song thou'rt singing now^, With gladness long ago, Sung by a maiden, on whose brow Appeared no shade of woe : And happily she sung — her eyes Were blue as are autumnal skies ; Her cheeks as fair as roses spread O'er winter's softest ^o^vy bed ! 4G POETICAL Kl'lIEMEUAS. I Iiave a withered flower — it gi-ew Among the weeds that wave Beiieatli the shadow of the yew That shades her lonely gi-ave : It was her favourite flower — when dressed She wore its sisters on her breast ; Or twined them 'mong her golden hair, As flowers that might have blossomed there ! I love the worthless blis-hted thins: — Its summer buds did blow, Where she, the flower of my life's sprhig, In silence lay below. Ah me ! her fate was like the flowers By beauty nurst in sheltered bowers. Or young bright stars that fade away, Before the seraph smile of day I Hers now is a forgotten name In every breast but mine, Wliere burns love's unexpiring flame Upon my spirit's shrine ; And I can never hear that song To which such sympathies belong, But memory comes, with thoughts that cast A mournful rainbow round the past ! I POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 47 THE STRANGER'S GRAVE. He came a stranger to our land, A wanderer from his own, The last, perchance, of some loved hand O'er whom love's light was thrown — The orphan of his race, whose heart Had felt each cherished joy depart. Wan was his brow, and wildly bright, As lightning-lighted skies, The death-portending fitful light That dwelt within his eyes ; And restless was the glance he took Of all on which he chanced to look. Wasted with sorrow and with pain. Pale his young cheeks had grown, Save when the fitful ci'imson stain Too eloquently shone — The hectic flush and fever-bloom That lingers with us to the tomb. 48 I'OETICAI, KIMIEMERAS. I've watched him at our cottage door, When purple twilight fell, Singing the songs he loved of yore In his own native dell — Perchance the same his sisters sung, When through the saraband he swung. He spoke of scented citron bowers, And olive groves, where bloom'd Thousands of lovely star-like flowers, With Eden sweets perfumed. Of sycamores and chesnut trees That wantoned in the summer breeze. His home, he said, stood in a vale Where high the myrtles grew. And orange trees, with blossoms pale, Their richest odours threw Around its porch, and on its walls The vines wreathed pui-ple coronals. Glad faces shone around its hearth When tales and songs of old. That called the soul's best feelings forth, Were softly sung and told By those o'er whom the cypress bough Is darkly, wildly waving now. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 49 He said, 'twas sorrowful to die, Wliere none he loved might hear The words breathed with his latest sigh. Or wipe his latest tear. And sleep death's long and cheerless sleep Wliere none o'er his low grave might weep. He heard not now the vesper bell In sadness far away, When pensive evening's shadow fell Upon the smile of day ; The matin songs were hnshed — to him Hope's smiles were sorrowful and dim. He died — but ere his spirit broke Fiom sorrow's wasting chain, His wildered mind to tmth awoke — He softly murmured — Spain ! Then, bursting from his dark abode, A temple left without a God ! And here he rests, v,'hose childhood's day Was passed 'neath brighter skies ; The trees 'mong which he used to play Were lovelier to his eyes Than those sepulchral yews that wave In their dark beauty o'er his grave. E 5U POETICAL KHHEMERAS. A POLISH MOTHER TO HER SON. Ah ! freedom is a noble thing ! F'recdom malies men to Iiave liking ; Freedom all solace to man gives ; He lives at ease, that freely lives. Barbour. Unsheath thy father's sword, my son, Put on thy father's shield, And go where deeds of death are done, On freedom's battle-field. Go — join the noble and the brave, The fearless patriot band, Who, seeking freedom or a grave. Fight for the father-land. For why should'st thou, of noble blood. Back from the strife remain — Thy valiant fathers boldly stood, When hosts of foes were slain ! The flag of freedom proudly waves O'er Warsaw's ancient towers ; Yet he, the tyrant ! with his slaves. Would chain the land that's ours ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 51 Ours ! bought with blood thy fathers shed, Wlien kings of proud domains Their hordes of savage warriors led Along our peaceful plains. Then figlit thou as thy fathers fought, And we may yet be free ! — Hearts nursing many a fettered thought Will speak, my land ! for thee. Aye, speak, and tell of those high deeds By Kosciusko done ; Of many a noble soul that bleeds O'er Poland's freedom gone ! Of light tliat from the lily's land Illumes the wondering world, — There freedom's free all-conquering band Her banner first unfurled ! My son, my son ! stay not for me ! Thou could'st not with me stay ; Yet my fond prayers will be for thee. When thou art far away : In every stormy battle scene I'll be, where'er thou art ; Tliy father — but the grass is green O'er his free dauntless heart. E 2 52 POETICAL EPIIEMEKA.S. I know now by thy fiery eye, And brow of youtliful pride, Thou would'st for fair Sarinatia die, And leave thy chosen bride ; And, oh ! if thou art slain, my son, 'Midst freedom's generous band, May bright triumphant wreaths be won To our loved fatlier-land ! rOEJICAL EPHEMERAS. 53 THE MOURNERS. Ye are weeping, O ye Mourners ; Ye are sighing o'er tlie dead, As if their spirits had not gained The land to where they fled : Its glories, dimly shadowed forth, Dwelt in their hearts, and shone O'er all tlie darkened things of earth Their eyes might look upon ! Ye are weeping — but your burning tears Untainted are by crime ; Theirs have been wiped by Him whose years Were never marked by time. Ye are sighing — but, oh ! know ye not That they have ceased to sigh ? Their mourning now is all forgot In Heaven's eternal joy ! E 3 54 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. I know your spirits wander back — And mine, too, seeks the shade, The linden trees, and flowery track, Where we, young dreamers, played ! I know there's sorrow in your souls, And mine, too, hath a part — Grief's swelling wave tumultuous rolls In darkness o'er my heart ! It rolls — but, oh ! my prophet eyes Can pierce the gloomy spheres, That dim the lights of Paradise, By agonizing fears. I know that the departed ones In glory live on high, Far brighter than those tiny suns That now are in the sky ! Their graves are with us — we may train Bright flowers aiound their sod ; And we may tread, with pleasing pain, The bowers through which they trode ; And love the lute they loved, and wake The sighing songs they sung — Their spirits could a gladness take From all, in being young ! POETICAL EPHEMEKAS. ob TO lANTHE. None in the world like thee ! ola, tliere are none— Or, if there were, my heart desires them not. Delta. Though far away, beloved, thou art As dear unto my soul as ever ; For still within my saddened heart Love flows, a tempest-troubled river ! And whilst I wander 'neath the shade, Where trees o'er faded flowers are weeping, I think of thee, whose smiles have made This lonely life a gift worth keeping ! Of thee — whose beauty doth inspire The loftiest tones of love and feeling That burst from my impassioned lyre, The secrets of my soul revealing ! Of thee — to whom, when 'midst the gay, \Vhere loving eyes the loved are meeting, I turn from such bright scenes away — Too beautiful for aught so fleeting. E 4 56 POETICAL Ki'UEMLJtA.S. I turn away — and, when the night Day's golden glory is invading — When dimly beautiful the light 'Mong leafy bowers of love is spreading — I seek those bovvers, to think of thee While 'neath their fragrant shade reclining, Till high in heaven's deep azure sea All gloriously the moon is shining ! O ! 'tis the time when o'er my heart Love comes, with all his plumes of lightness, And bids my spirit's gloom depart, Or glow, like sun-gilt clouds, with brightness I Fair dreams of thee steal o'er my soul. As trembling light, when morn is breaking. Streams o'er the dark waves, as they roll. The sparry caves of ocean seeking. The star thou art, whose cloudless smile Through life's grief-clouded sky is beaming, Lending its heavenly rays to wile My spirit from its wildered dreaming ! Thy love and loveliness could light Life's darkest hour, when disappearing Each fast receding hope, whose flight Renders their beauty more endearing ! POETICAL El'llEMEKAS. 57 Tliougli parted now — witli longing love I wait the time of thy returning, As sailors watch the stars above, In everlasting beauty buniing ! Theme of my song I — I bend to thee With Truth's unfettered fond devotion ! Joy of iny life I — how sweet to be Thus bound by Love's divine emotion ! 58 rOETICAL lil'IIJiMEKAS. STANZAS. First our pleasures die — anil then Our hopes, and llion our fears — and when These are dead, the debt is due, Dust claims dust, and we die too. Shelley. Whkn life's lamp is waning ' In sadness away, WHien my spirit is straining Its prison of clay, That, like a birtl soai'ing In beauty and liglit, It may reach by adoring The land ever bright, For me be no mourning — the sunbeam of faith "Will lighten my soul through the valley of death. When summer flowers, blooming On valley and hill, The soft winds perfuming With sweetness at will, POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 59 In beauty are growing Where silent I lie, Wliilst round tliem is Howing The light of the sky, Let not thy soul's gladness with gi-ief be o'ercarst — Rejoice tliat the woes of the weary are past. When beauty is singing The songs that v/ere mine, When young liopes are flinging A radiance divine O'er life's clouds of sorrow, That darken the heart. Oh, then may thine borrow Of brightness a part, And soar o'er the darkness, and wildering gloom, That shroud from the living the light of the tomb. And when thou art gazing On things fair and bright ; When, in the west blazing. The sun yields to night ; When darkness is shading The stars of the sky ; When winds are far spreading Their musical sigh, Oh ! let thy thoughts, wandering back to past years, Recall the wild songs of my gladness and tears ! 60 POETICAL El'IIEMKRAS. EPITHALAMIUM. Hope, Love, and Joy together met, To bless the bridal thi'ong, And peaceful hours of smiling mirth Went merrily along- ; The bridegroom smiled and blessed his bride, Who sat in beauty by his side, With love's deep feelings strong ; And every heart with kindness there Poured blessings on the youthful pair r If e'er the joy that reigns in heaven Comes down to dwell on earth — That peaceful joy surpassing far All that the world is worth — *Tis when two hearts in love are joined, Soul linked to soul, and mind to mind, Through days of grief and mirth ; A love that changeth not, when time Has blanduMl the bloom of beauty's prime ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Gl Sucli be your love, — your hearts are full Of feelings kind and true ; And hopes as fair and softly bright As fancy ever drew, Are shedding glittering golden beams, To gild your happy spirits' dreams, And shield you from the view Of those dark soiTow-clouds that spread Their wings o'er every mortal's head. Blest be yoiu" lot — my blessing now In kindliness is given, To bind your spirits' mutual vow With links of love from heaven ! O, may they ne'er, amidst the strife And mtxtability of life, By passion's pangs be riven ; But last when age has shadowed days Yet bright with love's enchanting rays I 62 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. THE VOICES OF OUR HOME. The voices of my home !— I liear them still !— They have been with me through the dreamy night. Mrs. Hi! MA MS. O, JOY divine ! to meet again Tlie loved, the kindest, best ; To feel affection's blissful pain Come sleep-like o'er the breast ; To hear, when those dear hearts we meet, When back to it we come. The voices of our home ! — how sweet The voices of our home ! They thrill on every slumbering cliord That's twined around the heart, The soft tones of each silver ^A'ord Life's sweetest bliss impart : They waken thoughts — that long have slept- A beautiful array Of fairy dreams, by memory kept. Since childhood's brightest day. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 63 They speak the speech, the veiy tones Of those who now are dead — The heaven-aspiring lovely ones That from life's darkness fled ; — They sing the very songs they sung ; Sweet melodies of grief — A sadness 'mid joy's summer flung, Like autumn's first dead leaf. The voices of our home I — Oh ! there Are no soft sounds on earth Fraught with like sympathy, to share Our sadness and our mirth — To brighten the dark clouds of woe That shadow all like night — Or bid the heart's deep fountains flow With waters of delight ! Oh ! other sounds may raise a sigh, Or call the glistening tears Into the dim and vacant eye, Where nought but gi-ief appeals ; But, oh ! they are not half so sweet To weary hearts that roam. As are those tones we gladly greet — The voices of our home ! (54 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. AUTUMNAL FLOWKRS. Ye're fading fast, autumnal flowers ! Ye're blending with decay ; Yet, children sweet of summer hours, I would not bid you stay ! By sunshine sAveet and dewy showers. Your emerald buds were nurst, Till all the beauties which were yours Through leaves less lovely burst ! Ye've breathed 'mong beauty's shining hair, Ye've lain upon her breast. When nought within less pure or fair She held to be a guest ! Ye've bloomed beside the snowy shroud That wrapt the silent dead, While joyless friends, with sorrow bowed, Knelt round the dreamless bed ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 65 Ye've garlanded young griefless brows, And shaded lustrous eyes ; Ye've gifted been, when lovers' vows Were mingling with their sighs. Ye emblems are of lovely thoughts By which our souls are stin-ed, When music's soft angelic notes At twilight hours are heard ! Ye've drank the evening's silver dew. While, in the darkened sky, The stars were shining brightly through, Like blooming flowers on high. Ye've glittered in the morning sun With lucid pearls bright ; Your sweets the butterfly hath won W^hile resting in its flight ! Ye're fading now — ye're fleeting fast — Ye cannot with us stay — The sunless day, and chilling blast, Would bear your sweets away ! But, oh ! when summer hours again Shall call your beauties forth, Ye'll smile on every hill and plain, Tlie loveliest things on earth ! 1' G() POETICAL KPIIEMERAS. STANZAS. They bid me cast the gloom away Tliat clouds my pallid brow, And joyous mingle with the gay, And to their idols bow ; And be, or seem at least to be, Fi-om every wayward fancy free, And all that haunts me now ; And drink of pleasure's silver stream To wake me from my fever-dream ! We may plant flowers around the tomb Of those in life held dear, But would the beauty of their bloom The land of darkness cheer — Or give to the unconscious dead A pleasure, by their odours shed. As we possess it here ? These summer flowers above may blow Though withered be the heart below ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 67 So might this wayward heart of mine, (If, mingling with tlie gay, I quaffed the soul-enHvening wine, 'Midst mirth as bright as day,) Wear pleasure's silken robe a while, And, furnished with her phantom-smile, Cast all my gloom away I But, oh I it is in vain to seek The heart's deep thoughts upon the cheek ! But, though my life's day-break has been With dusky clouds beset — And though their sorrow-shades are seen In my horizon yet, — There is a star, whose rays are shed Around my cloud-encompassed head, On which my soul is set ! 'Tis thee, Selina, — fairest, best, Tliat lightens all within my breast ! F L' 68 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. THE FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD. Each year, on the celebration of the Festival of the Dead, whilst tlie priests were engaged in verforniing sacriiices, the entire people, every individual in his own house, ascended on the terraces of the houses, and looking towards the north made earnest supplications to the dead, each of them to those of his own lineage, and ejaculating aloud, ex- claimed, " Come qiikldy, siiire we erpc.ct you .'"— Antiqtdties of Mexico, vol. 1. When to the nortli the j^eople's eyes In wistfuhiess were turned, Where, gleaming in the cloudless skies, A thousand star-lamps burned, A murmur on the winds was heard Of supplicating prayer ; For grief-thoughts in the liearts were stirred Of those that worshipped there ! A grey-haired man knelt down beside The partner of his tears ; For all they loved on earth had died In life's yoxing blessed years : — POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 69 " Oh I quickly come," they prayed, " we long To see thy smiles again — We wait the first notes of thv song To sooth our spirits' pain ! '•' The green savannas wildly grow Around our joyless home — Our hearts are withering with our woe, And yet thou wilt not come ! Come ! and bring with thee all the mirth Wliich thou hast borne away ; Thou knowest we mouni thee, lost to earth. Whilst thus we kneeling pray ! " We mourn thee, when the morning beams O'er far-off mountains roll ; We mourn thee, through the night, in dreams That haunt the sighing soul. We mourn thee ; but we know that thou Wilt yet to earth return, Witli a holier light upon thy brow — Then will we cease to mourn !" A maiden prayed — " I saw thee die, ^^^hom I had sworn to love ; Yet wait thy coming from on high My faithfulness to prove ! F 3 70 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. I felt upon my cheeks tliy hrcatli Ere thou liadst ceased to be ; And I saw the eyes grow dim in death That kindly looked on me ! " But through the paths of thorns and snow* I know that thou hast trode, To where the soul is freed from woe — The teniple of our God ; But thou wilt coinc again to earth From the land of scented air, And sing to those around our hearth The songs thou learned'st there ! " Oh ! quickly come I — though bright may 1)0 The land where thou art now ; Though wreaths of the eternal tree Be twined around thy brow ; Yet thou should'st not forget thy love, Thy kindred, and thy home. Amidst the bowers of bliss above — Quickly — oh ! quickly come !" » The primitive inhabitants of Mexico believed that the soul had to pass through places full of snow and thorns, and encounter many hard- ships before it arrived at its destined abode; and they therefore buried them with all their apparel, vestments, and shoes. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 71 A young fair mother prayed — " My child ! My first, my only born, How have I been from death beguiled Since thou from me wert torn ! I saw thee laid among the dust Of earth, to waste away ; But my heart grew strong with holy trust, Whilst thou in silence lay ! " With the silence of the lonely dead, Thou layest, my blessed child ! Whilst empty was thy cradle-bed, Where thou hadst sweetly smiled ! Yet I, thy mother, wept, whilst thou In happier homes had been, With flower-wreaths round thy stainless brow Far from life's troubled scene. " Thou hast drunk of the cherished ti'ee That sweetly blooms above — And showers its milk to babes like thee, In kindliness and love ;* * The ancient Mexicans feigned that there was a third place for souls wliich passed from this life, to which the souls of children who died be- fore attaining the use of reason went ; and also the existenceof a ti%e from which milk distilled, by which the children were nourished. F 4 72 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. But leave thou that land, and come again, And dwell in thy father'b home ; For we wait thy loved sweet smiles in pain;- In thy young soul's gladness, rome !"' POETICAL EPHEMEKAS. 73 COME, PUSH THE BOTTLE ROUND. Come, push the bottle round, my frienda, Nor slirmk from such delight ; 'Tis seldom I'm in such a mood As that I'm in to-night. But sorrow's bands are broken now, And I will drink amain. Until she comes with shaded brow To bind my heart again I Tlien push the bottle round, my friends, Nor shrink from such delight ; 'Tis seldom I'm in such a mood As that I'm in to-night I My cup o'erflows with ruby wine, My heart o'erfiows with cheer ; Though gloomy thoughts at times are mine, They shall not mingle here ; 74 POETICAL EI'lIEMEUAS. I'll quaff this wine to lier I love, Unloved although I be ; Nor time, nor mirth, nor grief, can move The love that dwells in me ! Then pusli the bottle round, my friends, Nor shrink from such delight ; 'Tis seldom I'm in such a mood As that I'm in to-night ! The sparkle in the wine that lies, I do confess, is bright — But, oh I 'tis not like woman's eyes — It wants their living light : And I would give, for one kind look From a blue brilliant pair, All that your thirsty souls could brook Of wine that's rich and rare ! Yet push the bottle round, my friends. Nor shrink from such delight ; 'Tis seldom I'm in such a mood As that I'm in to-night ! Fill once again — 'twere vain to cease From drinking of such wine. As long as harmony and peace Indefinitely twine — POETICAL EPHEMERAS. iO A draught or two is no great prop To joy, although we've got him — Joy floats upon the tumbler's top, But wit lies at the bottom ! Then push the bottle round, my friends, Nor shrink from such delight ; 'Tis seldom I'm in such a mood As that I'm in to-night ! 7G POETICAL EiniEMERAS. CONSOLATION. Shrink not from death,— 'Tis nothing more than, one swift moment's agony ; Then, from its pain and prison freed, the soul Soars far above the little joys of earth, Immortal as its maker ! Although that thou art fading, Like an early autumn flower, When the dews of night are spreading O'er each odour-breathing bower : Yet thy lieart is still as tender As in childhood's happy prime, When thou trod'st in beauty's splendour 'Mong the fading flowers of time. Ere the shadow that is o'er thee On thy gentle spirit fell ; Ere the loved passed from before thee, In the home thou lovest so well ; POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 77 Ere the voice and song of gladness Had in sweetness died away — Thou hadst felt nor grief nor sadness Through life's long bright summer day ! Though we know tliat death is wreathing Flowers of darkness round thy head, When thy troubled soul is breathing Sighs of sorrow for the dead ; Yet afar that sorrow fleeteth, Which on earth oppressed us most, When in joy the spirit nieeteth With its long and early lost. Though we know, when thou art lying- in the chambers of the tomb. That our souls, when o'er thee sighing, Will be filled with grief and gloom ; Yet our hearts are not repining. At the weight they'll have to bear, When thou in Heaven art shining 'Mong the purest spirits there I 78 POETICAL KrilKMKU.AS. TO MARY. I LOVE all beauteous things I Calm seas and gentle streams, Earth's perfume-breatliing bowers, And summer sun-set hours, And sleep, and sleep's false dreams. The stars that sweetly shine So pensively above, The mild moon's face of light, That makes less sad the night With her sweet looks of love. The wild birds' earliest songs In dark old forests heard, The murmuring of a river That speaks of music ever To souls by feeling stirred. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 79 Rainbows, and clouds, and sunshine, — Things lovely, every one ! The white snow lightly lying, Around pale flow'rets dying, When summer suns are done ! All these I love, but, dearest ! They keep none back from thee ; For thou, beloved ! appearest To perfect beauty nearest Of all things loved by rae ! 80 POETICAL EPHEMERAS, I WAKE MY HARP FOR THEE ALONE. There be none of Beauty's daughters with a magic like thee. Byuon. I WAKE my harj) for thee alone, To tliee my songs belong ; I seek no other Muse but thee To consecrate my song ; For thou art dearer and more fair Than fancied Beauty of the air, To worship whom is wrong ; Yet sure, by child of earth, 'twould be But half a sin to worship thee ! I know not if my soul could love With more of tenderness ! Now all its hopes, like homes above. Are tinged with hues of bliss : POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 81 So biiglit are these imagined tilings, The beauties of a thousand springs In loveliness are less ; While Hope in Fancy's fairy land Still beckons on with golden wand I Oh ! could I with a limner's truth Thy varied beauties trace, And keep the rosy tints of youth Which brighten on thy face ! Thine eyes' bright rays, more softly shed Than tears of sorrow o'er the dead, Might holy Pity grace ; While on thy brow, with beauty UTOUght, Is seen the majesty of thought. Yet less of beauty hast thou got Than that which will remain, Tho' time thy blooming cheeks may blot With many a blighting stain : Virtue, like stars hid from the sight. May be eclipsed by Beauty's light. Yet still her throne retain ; And brightly shine when Beauty's bloom Is lost in Age's cheerless gloom ! G 82 POETICAL El'IIEiMKUAS. Tlien, fair young Spirit of my Songs ! In love I bow to tliee — To tliec alone tlie joy belongs Tliat gladdens life to me ! Thy love — which, to my soul, by far Exceeds the beauty of yon star That's shadowed in the sea, — Illumes my path with tints whose dye A summer's brightness might outvie. POETrCAL EPHEMERAS. 83 MY OAVN ROSE TREE. My own rose tree — how beautiful ! With all tliy buds and flowers, Thour't smiling 'neath the leafless shade Of winter-withered bowers, — A green memorial of years, Whose hopes were bright as those Gay blooming tints of loveliness Which deck thy sweetest rose ! I planted thee, my chosen flower ! I planted thee, when young ! Ere son-ow on my youthful brow A shade of gloom had flung — Ere from my heart had dropt away The golden hopes that cast Refulgent beams on coming years, But darken all the past. G 2 84 POETICAL EniEMEKAS. I planted tliee, find tliee I nurst VVitli kindness and with care, Till thy first emerald buds had bloomed To scent the humid air ; I left thee then, but thou the love Of other hearts had won — A mother watched thy blossoming, And nurst thee for her son I And now with wasted cheek and heart I look on thee once more ; But things that once could waken joy Have lost the charm they bore. Yet thee I love, for sister flowers In beauty soon may wave O'er one lone, nameless, little spot — Thy poet's humble grave ! Thy monthly blossoms may recall, To some kind kindred heart, The blissful joys of other days In which I had a part ; And they may mourn to think that I So soon my course have run I — As thou art blooming now, my flower, Thou'lt bloom when I am gone ! J'OKTICAL EI'IIEMERAS. 85 TO WINTER. Winter ! haste thee far away, With thy tangled ice-locks gi-ey ; With thy ermine robe of whiteness, Wrapt around thy form in lightness ; With tliy chilling icy breath, Cold as are the dews of death ; — Gather all thy storms — away, Thou who fear'st the lengthening day ! Flowers that through thy reign were sleeping From their scented cells are peeping ; 'Neath the young Spring's light step quivers All the frost work on the rivers. That, when loosened from thy chain, Shadow flowers and stars again. Haste thee, Winter 1 haste away. Thou would'st faint beneath the smile Of each long sweet sunny day ! Hasten to some arctic isle, G 3 86 POETICAL EPllEMEUAS. Where a palace tlion niay'st rear With the icoborp;s tloatiiig near; Gather snows that n ; Ere the quick bright feelings of youth are worn, Or the heart of its golden sunbeams shorn ; Ere the world is siiipt of ibe mask of truih It wears in the days of eiFalgcnt youth ; Ere its glowing hopes, and its faixy hours, Have died in their beauty — like broken flowers ! And, oh ! methinks it were sweet to be laid 'Neath the leafy bower, by yon elm trees made. And grass, that's with daisies bespangled Iiright, Like the silver stars on the robe of night ! 'Tis my own churchyard — my fathers sleep there; And it may be soon in their rest I'll share I — Oil I bright be my life, and as quickly pass As the glistening dew from the emerald grass ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 149 THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. " Hosanna ! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." riosANNA, liosaima ! He comes in tlie name Of tbe spirit lltat slione in llie Ixisli as a flame ! Hosauiia ! O ! blessed be the tvutlis of Iiis word, For lie comes willi tlie blessiiiy and power of the Lord I Hosanna ! The dead from then' tombs have come forth, At the call of the mit^lity upholder of earth ! Hosanna ! The siglit of the bli)id is restored, By the wisdom of him wht»m our fathers adored! Hosanna ! The lame whom he healeht Might make a young heart moan. And yet I feel a calm deliglit In being here alone. M 2 1G4 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. A calm delight, this blessed night, Is filling all my breast — The sky above, the earth around, The river's softly murmuring sound, Are lulling me to rest. Oh ! lonely is the place of gi-aves, Where dreamless dead men lie, — As lonely as a broken heart That wisheth but to die. Oh blessed loneliness ! — the peace Of quiet hearts, that sleep, Whilst, wrapt in sorrows chilling fleece. We teach our eyes to weep. The trees are bending o'er the stones That tell the name and years Of those beloved and loving ones, Who shed with us their tears. The stones lie cold upon their breasts, The chilling damp of earth Upon each silent sleeper rests, That once was full of mirth. rOETICAL EPHEMERAS. 165 Oh ! are we not, and nothing more, But living clouds, that move Through skies where scowling tempests roar, To reach the land above ? We gather darkness, as we sail Through years of grief and gloom, Then joyously our spirits hail The quiet of the tomb. There we are all together brought, — The man whose hairs were gray. And the sweet child, whose every thought Was like a bird in Rlay. The youth that up through boyhood gi-ew Sleeps side by side with one Who was so old, she scarcely knew When first her days began. , M 3 IG6 POETICAL EPHEMEUAS. A CANZONET. Come, love, to me, — the trysting stal- ls shining brightly still, And I have wandered long and far To meet thee by the hill ; To meet thee by the heather hill, Where oft before we've met, And revelled 'mong love's flowers until Each twinkling star was set ; Till every lovely star was set, And morn had shed its light Upon the sparkling robes of jet That wrap the dewy niglit. Come, love to me,— I'll sing the song Of smiling hope and truth, And love and feeling's artless throng Of thoughts in rosy youtli ; POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 167 The artless thoughts of rosy youth I'll tell them all to thee, If thou would'st speak in words of ruth Thy spirit's thoughts to me ; Thy spirit's loving thoughts to me, Oh ! tell them every one, And I will pledge my heart to thee To keep them as mine own ! M 4 168 rOKTICAr, Kl'IIEMKUAii. AUTUMN'S FAREWELL. I'm passing lience; the yellow wreath is twined around my head, And withered flowers and faded leaves are o'er my path-way spread : I'm passing to another land, wl;ere summer-sweets are seen — I'll only leave the sapless stem to tell of brightness been ! I came when Summer's loveliness had decked the fairy bowers With all the fragrance of her breath, and beauty of her flovveis ; When Nature's melody broke forth, the lonely woods among, In one ecstatic joyous thrill of rapture-giving song ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 169 When brightly shone the clear blue sky, fanned by the balmy air, With clouds whose forms you well might deem were pictures hanging there ; When all that's beautiful on earth lay smiling 'neath the light Of that great glorious golden orb that's shorn of half its might ! The richness of the Summer's glow I've shadowed with my gloom, And crushed the flower whose sweetness gave the air its rich perfume ; And seared the leaf whose melody flowed as the breeze passed by, And flung a veil of vapour o'er the brightness of the sky. But for the gloom I give the fruit, I only take away What would in sullen Winter's reign soon sink into decay. I give the fruit that there may be a lightness in the heart Of those who mourn, when, 'midst their bloom, the summer flowers depart. 170 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Tm passing hence — yet not unloved — there are who love to gfize, With eyes prophetic of their doom, upon tlie light that plaj's So tremblingly upon the flower that yet may rear its head Above the cold damp earth that once its richest blos- soms fed ! To look upon my yellow fields, and list the reaper's song, Rising in deep-toned melody the happy band among ; To watch the brown leaf sailing on the bosom of the stream, That fleeteth past, as mortal bliss, in likeness of a dream ! To look upon the glorious sun slow-sinking in the west, When pink and purple tints are thrown upon the ocean's breast, O'ercanopied Avith burning clouds, magnificently bright, The golden robed attendants on the mighty lord of light ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 171 I'm passing hence — and there are some that will not look again Upon the richness of the earth, nor list the reaper's strain ; — As those dead flowers, whose fate they mourn, on earth's cold breast they'll lie, Ere the first beams of Summer's sun have gilt the azure sky ! Farewell, farewell ! I'll come again, amidst young Summer's bloom, And break her flowers of loveliness, and strew them o'er her tomb I Farewell ! — I hear wild Winter's voice in every tree- clad dell. And in tlie chill wind's stormy tones : — my reign is o'er — Farewell ! 172 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. WHERE A WEARY SOUL MIGHT REST. Stars ! that look in beauty forth Upon the smiling fruitful earth, Scattering o'er its seas and streams Thousands of thy silver beams ; Guiding lonely barks that glide O'er the ocean's restless tide, — Tell me, for thou knowest best, Where a weary soul might rest ? Mournful Moon ! thy timid light Veils in beauty dreaming night ! Fairest of the orbs that throw Light upon the earth below ; Treading 'mong the stars that shine O'er that heavenly path of thine, — Knowest thou, in thy wanderings blest. Where a weary soul might rest ? POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 173 Winds I that wander through the air, Bearing odours everywhere ; Sweeping past each lordly hall, And the peasant's cottage wall ; And the lonely isles that lie, 'Neath a calm and cloudless sky, — In thy unseen beauty dressed, Knowest thou where a soul might rest ? Graves ! ye're not the final gaol Of the high aspiring soul; Silent though thy dwellers be, They will not abide in thee, — Tell me, then, — for thou might'st know Where the deathless spirits go, — Where is eased the aching breast, And the sighing soul at rest ? " Mortal !" thus the Stars replied, " Cast thy wildering thoughts aside ; 'Tis not ours, though bright, to tell Where thy weary soul might dwell." Thus the Moon, — " I hold my way Through a path as bright as day. Yet I would not dare disclose Where thy soul might find repose." 174 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Alul the WiN-Ds rpj)li('(l, — " We sweep O'er the eartli and rolling deep, With a wildly mournful tone To the heart of many a one ; Wakening by our ceaseless song Thoughts that might have slumbered long ; Yet we know not, soul unblest ! Where thou might'st in gladness rest." Then the Graves replied, — " The tomb May be dark with dismal gloom, But beyond its portals lie Starry mansions in the sky, Where with peace and pleasure blest VV^eary spirits are at rest ; Then in meekness bear thy load — Know thyself — and worship God !" POETICAL EPHEMEUAS. 175 SHE WILL NOT FORGET THEE. She will not forget thee — I knew by her sighs And the tears which bedimmed her Itlue beautiful eyes; And the smile which she gave as she silently prest Thy last gifted rosebud in joy to her breast. Thou could'st not forget her — to thee she has been As a long cherished flower where the sweetest are seen, As the silvery spring of a murmuring stream, Or the sounds that have thrilled through our souls in a dream. She will not forget thee — she nurseth the flowers Which thou gav'st as the sweetest to bloom in her bowers ; And she sings, with the voice of a nightingale fi*ee, The songs that were taught her in gladness by thee. 176 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Thou could'st not forget lior — her shadowy form Would hover around thee in life's darkest storm ; And her voice, like the voice of a spirit, would cheer Thy soul when its sadness and sorrow were near. She will not forjiet thee — I spake of thy fame. And she blushed as I nnirmured in joyance thy name ; Then bade me recall to thy memory the time When thou gather'dst with her the sweet flowers in their prime. Oh ! could'st thou forget her? — and darken the light Of thy spirit, that shone like a star in the night, And blot from remembrance the image of one Whose soul is as true as the light of the sun. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 177 THE SWALLOAV. " Had I thy wings to soar above, I soon would be at rest." Art tliou come from some far balmy shore, Whose sun-smiles could give thee joy no more ? Hast thou crossed the isles of the boundless main, The home of tliy love to see again ? Happy art thou in the change of scene ! Oh, Bird of Sunshine ! where hast thou been ? " I left thee when winter's darkening cloud Had wi"apt the sun in a dusky shroud ; When the chill blast of the northern breeze Wild music made 'mong the brown-leaved trees ; When the birds' sweet songs liad ceased to be, And the flowers on their stemss hung droopingly. 178 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. " I left thee — I flew far far away, To a land wliore the night is a mimic day ; \\'heie the sun shines in a glowing sky, Without a dark cloud wandering hy. To dim the light he has tlirown around The odorous flower-enamelled ground. I sported in hliss and glory there, In the trackless path of the scented air ; And kissed the waters that trembling lay. Beneath the mild zephyi-'s gladsome play ; But be it on far away lands or isle. My home's where the brightest sunbeams smile. 01), Bird of Sunshine ! how like tliou art To the shifting smiles of the fickle heart — To those whose heart-love is only given When our path is as bright as thy way in heaven, But who, like to thee, away will fly When misfortune's clouds have dimmed our sky. Bright Bird of Summer I I cannot flee From the dark clouds tliat encompass me — I cannot cast the gloom from my breast, That robs my soul of its wonted rest ; — Yet why in my grief should I repine, A home of glory may yet be mine ! POETICAL EPHEMERAS, 179 TO JOY. Truant spirit, stay tliy flight ! Seldom, Joy ! art thou the guest Of my haunted aching breast, O come, dwell with me to-night I Ever-smiling lightsome spirit, Could my wildered soul inherit Half the pleasure which tliou givest To the light of heart, that liveth In thy sunshine ! but thou fliest From the hearts that need thee most, And to Grief's sad wail repliest Witli a look of gladness lost. I have sat with grief so long, Listening to her mournful song. That mine own hatli cauglit the tone Of her saddest sighing one ; But now, sweet spirit ! I would be A pious worshipper of thee ! N 2 180 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Tbou hast got no chilling fears, Yet thou hast tliy burning tears — Tears of gladness that are slied, When life's grijifs have vanislied ; Thou hast smiles to chase away Every thought but what is gay ; Scattering round us deathless flowers, In thy pleasure-giving hours. Joyous spirit, loved thou art ! Thou hast got in every heart An unsullied shadeless shrine. Suiting worship sueh as thine : All do bend the willing knee At the altar raised to thee ! When our hearts are sick with care. Like the sadness which I bare ; When the hopes that brightly shone From among our dreams are gone ; When thou hast a stranger been To the hearts that love thee well, And amidst the homes are seen, W^iere the light of spirit dwell, — Sadly do we sit, and long For thy cheerful smile and song. POETICAL EPIIEMEHAS. 181 Come, sweet spirit ! stay thy flight, And abide with me to-night, And I'll cast from off my brow Clouds which darkly shade it now — Never look or thought of mine But should imaged be by thine ! Then my heart would learn to know. Other joys than those of woe ; And my lyre would music steal. From the happiness I'd feel ; And my soul would look on earth As the flower-wreathed home of mirth ! Glad spirit, then my soul would be, From its pain and sadness free, If thou would'st abide with me ! 182 rOETICAL EPHEMERAS. TO SELINA. I NEVER looked upon a face itiore beautiful than tliine ! There all the lovely nameless charms in rich luxuriance shine, Round eyes whose glossy blue would match the love- liest of heaven, And sparkling like those lucid gems that deck the flowers at even ! Nor lovelier glow the rosy clouds, at coming of the morn, When smiling o'er the eastern sea before the day is born. Then are those tints of beauty's hue which live upon thy cheek, Sweet rose-beds — where thy flowing locks soft slum- bers often seek ! ' POETICAL EPHEiMERAS. 183 Bright auburn hair, whose sillien groups of rmglets softly throw A shade, as dark clouds o'er the moou, upon thy brow of snow. Shadowing half the loveliness I'd vainly seek else- where— While yet enough is left to speak of what is hidden there. The tones mellifluently breathed from out these ruby lips, The softest, sweetest, thrilling notes of lute or harp eclipse ; So softly sweet, and loudly clear, to fancy's ear they seem The sounds of fairy melody — the music of a dream ! Oil ! beautiful as Hope thou art — and thou art hope to me, A restless dove, that vainly sought an ark, on life's dark sea, Whereon my heart's pure love to lay; — I saw thee, and your s seemed The shadowy form of loveliness, of which I long had dreamed. N 4 184 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Oh ! 'twas one of those hours of bliss that soon, alas I are fled, Those isles of joy, and hope-sprung flowers, o'er life's bleak desert spread, In wliich we met — in which I loved ; — and now 'tis mine to feel The pleasure-pain of hopeless love usurp ray bosom's weal. Yet I would rather bear the pain that's, dearest! caused by thee. Than taste the crude felicity which others offer me ; For love is life's enchanting gift, the gentle and sublime ; A flower whose blossomings are made to bloom in any clime. I look upon thee, fairest ! as I look upon a star — A gem of heaven, whose silver light comes streaming from afar ; I gaze, I love — but well I know, it never can be mine : So do I look, my beautiful ! on that fair form of thine. POETICAL EPHEMERAS, 185 FOR MUSIC. When the voice of the Minstrel is mute, And the hand that brought melody forth, From the simply strung lyre, or the lover's soft lute, Lies cold in the bosom of earth, — Will ye think of the Minstrel then ? When the songs that he wakened are sung-, To the sweetly sad strains that he loved ; When his harp o'er his grave on a dark cypress hung. By the spirit of music is moved, — Will ye think of the Minstrel then ? When the flowers in their rich summer bloom. Woo the gladsome sunbeams for a kiss, While their odours are cast on the air round liis tomb, As balm from the islands of bliss, — Will ye think of the Minstrel then ? 186 rOETICAL EPIIEMEHAS. Will yc sigh when you know he is gone — Will ye give to his memory a tear ; If his songs in your hearts have awakened a tone Wliich love and remembrance hold dear, — Will ye think of the Minstrel then ? POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 187 THE SHIP. Now is the ocean's bosom bare. Unbroken as the floating air ; The ship hath melted quite away, Lilie a struggling dream at break of day. No image meets my wandering eye But the new-risen sun and the sunny sky. WlI-SON. No peaceful light attends her path, No stars are in the sky, But foaming, in tlieir stormy wrath, The billows rise on high ; The moon before the storm lias fled, The angled lightning flasheth red Thi'ough rifted clouds, that frowning share The brightness of its fitful glare. The voice of thunder bellows loud, And peals to peals reply. From many a dark and lowering cloud That shades the starry skv ; 188 POETICAL ];1'11EMKRAS. And, howling to tlie storms of earth To call th(Mr wildest fury forth, Each tlmnder-cloiid gives back the roar Of ocean-waves upon the shore. Now bounding o'er a swelling wave. Now sinking in a deep And dark unfathomable grave. Now rising with the sweep Of waves again, she rears her form To winds that cheer the ocean-storm. And trembles in the tempest gale. With tottering mast and tattered sail. Away, away, through the waves she flew. Like the phantom-ship of old, In the stormy track of the white sea-mew, Though the waters fiercely roll'd, And in wrath grew pale as they darkly broke On her stately sides, and her prow of oak. Then suddenly rushed, in their wildness past, With a sound more wild than the wailing blast. Away, away, but she knew not where. For the heavens were densely dark, No star looked bright in its gladness there. As a guide to the lonely bark ; POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 189 And tlie sunken rock, and the shifting sand, And the beacon-light of the peaceful land, That loomed through the shades of the sombre night, Were hidden alike from the sailor's sight. Night passed — day dawned — the pui-ple main Looked bright with morning light again ; The storm had ceased, — the winds were low, — The waves were moving softly slow. To greet the frowning rocks that stood The anger of the tempest-flood. But where was she, the stately bark That stemmed the waves when all was dark ? Her sails of whiteness are not spread, — Her streamers, where are they ? And where are those whose lightsome tread She echoed yesterday? Perchance in some calm bay she rests Where tempest-waves are sullen guests That seldom seek the shore ; Or in the shadow of some isle Is chained in slumber, till the toil Of winds and waves is o'er. Oh ! never again will she stem tlie tide. Of her fearless crew the joy and pride; 190 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. And never again to the favouring gale Will they spread the light of her snowy sail ; For deep in tlie caves of the ocean's hreast, The ship and the sailors have found their rest. POETICAL EPHEMERAS. 191 TO lANTHE. A RAINBOW gleams around thee, love, From heavenly beauties caught ; And Beauty's nymphs have crowned thee, love, With wi'eaths hei'self had wrought; — Wreaths from the amaranthine bowers, That deathless bloom above ; A garland fair of blushing flowers, Meet for the brow of Love I A seraph's voice seems swelling, love. When thy soft tones I hear, In gentle numbers telling, love, What lovers have to fear ; How hearts o'er secret love will brood. Of which they may not speak But to the winds, in solitude. With tear-drops on their cheek ! 192 POETICAL EPHEMERAS. Tlipve's one fond youth tliat's dreaming, love, Of happiness to be ; Whose spirit's hope comes streaming, love. In brightness all from thee. The phantom of his dreams by night. Theme of his thoughts by day, — How would his spirit lose its light. Beloved ! wert thou away ? Around his heart thou'rt twining, love. As ivy tendrils cling Around old oaks, declining, love, Beneath their poisoned sting. He seeks no other smiles but thine. He worships thee alone. Dearest ! the dreaming heart is mine — JSIy heart — it is thine own ! rOETICAL EI'lIKAIEllAS, 193 FUTURITY. On, could our eyes but dimly see Into thy depths, Futurity ! A thousand sorrows, now concealed, Would be to trembling souls revealed ; A thousand joys would then be seen, All glittering in their silver sheen ; But thou art dark to all, but Him To whom the seraphim are dim. The past is like a landscape seen When flowers and fields are fresh and green, With here and there a lonely spot, That sunbeams seem to have forgot ; And blighted trees, that darkly stand Amidst a goodly blooming band ; And flowers, whose sweetness all was dea. FriiiU-rs, Aherit.rn. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-100m-9,'52 (A3105)444 THE LIBKAKY BRSITY OF CilXIFORl^S:. LOS ANGEhM^ UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 366 531 2 n