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A Vision.
THE EARTH it was gay, | |
| And the air was bland | |
| With the summer ray | |
| Of a sunny land; | |
| And the evening hour | 5 |
| Of soul-witching power, | |
| With her radiant train, | |
| Lit the earth and main; | |
| When a beautiful barque was seen to glide, | |
| Like a fairy sylph on the silver tide; | 10 |
| Not a zephyr breathed in her snow-white sails, | |
| What cared she for the prospering gales? | |
| Full many a rower was plying the oar, | |
| And she was flying away from the shore, | |
| To wander alone on the trackless deep, | 15 |
| While the world was hush’d in a breathless sleep. | |
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| All that the hand of taste could do, | |
| Banners floating of every hue, | |
| Flowery wreath and sparkling gem, | |
| Girdled her round from stern to stem; | 20 |
| The fairest of the land was there, | |
| With snowy robe and raven hair, | |
| Bright eyes that beam’d expression’s fire, | |
| Beauty, all that hearts desire; | |
| The flower of youthful chivalry, | 25 |
| With the young love’s idolatry, | |
| Offer’d homage at the shrine | |
| Of woman’s loveliness divine; | |
| While the sweet and blithesome song, | |
| Uprose from the joyous throng; | 30 |
| And the barque moved on in light, | |
| Graceful as the queen of night, | |
| Beautiful isles sprinkled the bay, | |
| Silver’d o’er with the moonbeam’s ray; | |
| Verdure-clad isles, where shrubs and flowers, | 35 |
| The foliage of trees and bowers, | |
| With fanciful dwellings woven between, | |
| An air of enchantment breathed o’er the scene; | |
| The beauties of nature blended with art, | |
| Delight the most soothing gave to the heart; | 40 |
| The air around them was freighted with balm; | |
| The harp’s soft notes added grace to the charm; | |
| As it broke from the covert of a flowery grove, | |
| With woman’s sweet voice—the tones that we love! | |
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| They passed the island—alone on the sea | 45 |
| Broke the sound of their mirth and minstrelsy; | |
| The barque glided on to the music’s swell, | |
| The silvery foam from the oar-blade fell, | |
| When suddenly broke on the ravish’d ear, | |
| Sounds that seem’d borne from a happier sphere; | 50 |
| The oarsmen plied no more their task, | |
| Hush’d was the jest and jocund song; | |
| And one more bold was heard to ask, | |
| To whom do all these notes belong? | |
| No answer came—they look’d and saw | 55 |
| What made them wonder and adore; | |
| Seraphic forms in radiant white, | |
| Sparkling in the moonbeam’s light; | |
| Circling round in the ocean’s breast, | |
| They lull’d every care to rest; | 60 |
| With golden harps they woke a strain, | |
| No mortal hand can e’er attain, | |
| Then mingling voices thrill’d the frame, | |
| With rapture’s most ecstatic flame— | |
| The vision fled—I woke to see | 65 |
| Thy duller scenes—reality! | |
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