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| THERE grew a lowly flower by Eden-gate | |
| Among the thorns and thistles. High the palm | |
| Branch’d o’er her, and imperial by her side | |
| Upstood the sunburnt lily of the East. | |
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| The goodly gate swung oft, with many gods | 5 |
| Going and coming, and the spice-winds blew | |
| Music and murmurings, and paradise | |
| Well’d over and enrich’d the outer wild. | |
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| Then the palm trembled fast-bound by the feet, | |
| And the imperial Lily bow’d her down | 10 |
| With yearning, but they could not enter in. | |
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| The lowly flower she look’d up to the palm | |
| And lily, and at eve was full of dews, | |
| And hung her head and wept and said, ‘Ah these | |
| Are tall and fair, and shall I enter in?’ | 15 |
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| There came an angel to the gate at even, | |
| A weary angel, with dishevell’d hair; | |
| For he had wander’d far, and as he went, | |
| The blossoms of his crown fell one by one | |
| Thro’ many nights, and seem’d a falling star. | 20 |
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| He saw the lovely flower by Eden-gate, | |
| And cried, ‘Ah, pure and beautiful!’ and turn’d | |
| And stoop’d to her and wound her in his hair, | |
| And in his golden hair she enter’d in. | |
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| Husband! I was the weed at Eden-gate; | 25 |
| I look’d up to the lily and the palm | |
| Above me, and I wept and said, ‘Ah these | |
| Are tall and fair, and shall I enter in?’ | |
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| And one came by me to the gate at even, | |
| And stoop’d to me and wound me in his hair | 30 |
| And in his golden hair I enter’d in. | |
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