| Higginson and Bigelow, comps. American Sonnets. 1891. | | | | Venice | | By Bessie Gray (1854–1925) |
| | | ’GAINST the dust-gold of morn’s candescent sky | |
| Strike dome and campanile, sharp and clear, | |
| Jangling sweet bells on the still city’s ear. | |
| Strange scents of musk and myrtle hover nigh; | |
| The frail pomegranate-blossoms, hanging high | 5 |
| Above the dark canal, drop straight and sheer, | |
| Drift on, a crimson fleet, then disappear. | |
| High-heaped with sun-kissed fruits, the boats go by | |
| With cadenced oar to the gay market-place, | |
| Where purple, bloomy grapes, for very stress | 10 |
| Of swollen sweetness, burst and spill their wine; | |
| Where bronzèd melons lie, in shade and shine, | |
| And the Sea City’s definite impress | |
| Glows in swart splendor from each dusky face. | | | | |
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