'Twos in a land, that tar away
Into the golden orient lies,
Where Nature knows not night's delay,
But springs to meet her bridegroom, Day,
Upon the threshold of the skies.
One morn, on earthly mission sent,
And mid-way choosing where to light,
I saw, from the blue element
Oh beautiful, but fatal sight !
One of earth's fairest womankind,
Half veil'd from view, or rather shrin'd
In the clear crystal of a brook ;
Which, wliile it hid no single gleam
Of her young beauties, made them look
More spirit-like, as they might seem
Through the dim shadowing of a dream.
Pausing in wonder I look'd on,
While, playfully around her breaking
The waters, that like diamonds shone,
She mov'd in light of her own making.
At length, as slowly I descended
To view more near a sight so splendid,
The tremble of my wings all o'er
(For through each plume I felt the thrill)
Startled her, as she reach'd the shore
Of that small lake her mirror still
Above whose brink she stood, like snow
When rosy with a sunset glow.
Never shall I forget those eyes !
The shame, the innocent surprise
Of that bright face, when in the air
Uplooking, she beheld me there.
It seem'd as if each thought, and look,
And motion were that minute chain'd
Fast to the spot, such root she took,
And like a sunflower by a brook,
With face upturn'd so still remain'd !
In pity to the wondering maid,
Though loth from such a vision turning,
Downward I bent, beneath the shade
Of my spread wings to hide the burning
Of glances, which I well could feel
For me, for her, too warmly shone ;
But, ere I could again unseal
My restless eyes, or even steal
One side-long look, the maid was gone
Hid from me in the forest leaves,
Sudden as when, in all her charms
Of full-blown light, some cloud receives
The Moon into his dusky arms.
'Tis not in words to tell the power,
The despotism that, from that hour,
Passion held o'er me day and night
I sought around each neighbouring spot,
And, in the chase of this sweet light,
My task, and heaven, and all forgot
All, but the one, sole, haunting dream
Of her I saw in that bright stream.
Nor was it long, ere by her side
I found myself, whole happy days,
Listening to words, whose music vied
With our own Eden's seraph lays,
When seraph lays are warm'd by love,
But, wanting that, far, far above !
And looking into eyes where, blue
And beautiful, like skies seen through
The sleeping wave, for me there shone
A heaven, more worshipp'd than my own.
Oh what, while I could hear and see
Such words and looks, was heaven to me ?
Though gross the air on earth I drew,
'Twas blessed, while she breath'd it too ;
Though dark the flowers, though dim the sky,
Love lent them light, while she was nigh.
Throughout creation I but knew
Two separate worlds the one, that small,
Belov'd, and consecrated spot
Where LEA was the other, all
The dull, wide waste, where she was not !
But vain my suit, my madness vain ;
Though gladly, from her eyes to gain
One earthly look, one stray desire,
I would have torn the wings, that hung
Furl'd at my back, and o'er that Fire
Unnam'd in heaven their fragments flung ;
'Twas hopeless all pure and unmov'd
She stood, as lilies in the light
Of the hot noon but look more white ;
And though she lov'd me, deeply lov'd,
'Twas not as man, as mortal no,
Nothing of earth was in that glow
She lov'd me but as one, of race
Angelic, from that radiant place
She saw so oft in dreams that Heaven,
To which her prayers at morn were sent,
And on whose light she gaz'd at even,
Wishing for wings, that she might go
Out of this shadowy world below,
To that free, glorious element !
Well I remember by her side
Sitting at rosy even-tide,
When, turning to the star, whose head
Look'd out, as from a bridal bed,
At that mute, blushing hour, she said,
" Oh ! that it were my doom to be
" The Spirit of yon beauteous star,
"
Dwelling up there in purity,"
Alone, as all such bright things are ;
" My sole employ to pray and shine,
" To light my censer at the sun,
" And fling its fire towards the shrine
" Of Him in heaven, the Eternal One !"
