| |
| STILL was the evening of the ball, | |
| The summer ball, with dancers wending | |
| Where ancient linden shadows fall | |
| Upon the river steeply bending; | |
| |
| Where in the trees the breezes breathe | 5 |
| And willows droop like drowsy dreamers; | |
| Where it seemed beautiful to wreathe | |
| The lanterns and the colored streamers. | |
| |
| A languorous waltz of slow retreatings, | |
| A waltz that singing hardly sounded; | 10 |
| And many faces, many meetings, | |
| Soft clouds like women’s shoulders rounded. | |
| |
| The river looked a sculptured stream, | |
| Serenely the whole heaven holding,— | |
| A fluent and enchanted dream | 15 |
| Of joyous miracles unfolding. | |
| |
| A crimson mantle, golden-bright, | |
| Upon the clouds the sun was flinging; | |
| The dream-swept waltz was drowned in light, | |
| And calling through the dusk and singing. | 20 |
| |
| A languorous waltz beside the river, | |
| And many meetings, many faces, | |
| And near cheeks’ warmth, and lovely quiver | |
| Where eyelash with curved eyelash laces. | |
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