| |
| THE CRIMSON leafage fires the lawn, | |
| The pil’d hydrangeas blazing glow; | |
| How blue the vault of breezy dawn | |
| Illumes the Atlantic’s crested snow! | |
| ’Twixt sea and sands how fair to ride | 5 |
| Through whispering airs a starlit way, | |
| And watch those flashing towers divide | |
| Heaven’s darkness from the darkling bay! | |
| |
| Ah, friend, how vain their pedant’s part, | |
| Their hurrying toils how idly spent, | 10 |
| How have they wrong’d the gentler heart | |
| Which thrills the awakening continent, | |
| Who have not learnt on this bright shore | |
| What sweetness issues from the strong, | |
| Where flowerless forest, cataract roar, | 15 |
| Have found a blossom and a song! | |
| |
| Ah, what imperial force of fate | |
| Links our one race in high emprize! | |
| Nor aught henceforth can separate | |
| Those glories mingling as they rise; | 20 |
| For one in heart, as one in speech, | |
| At last have Child and Mother grown,— | |
| Fair Figures! honoring each in each | |
| A beauty kindred with her own. | |
| |
| Through English eyes more calmly soft | 25 |
| Looks from gray deeps the appealing charm; | |
| Reddens on English cheeks more oft | |
| The rose of innocent alarm;— | |
| Our old-world heart more gravely feels, | |
| Has learnt more force, more self-control; | 30 |
| For us through sterner music peals | |
| The full accord of soul and soul. | |
| |
| But ah, the life, the smile untaught, | |
| The floating presence feathery air! | |
| The eyes and aspect that have caught | 35 |
| The brilliance of Columbian air! | |
| No oriole through the forest flits | |
| More sheenyplum’d, more gay and free; | |
| On no nymph’s marble forehead sits | |
| Proudlier a glad virginity. | 40 |
| |
| So once the Egyptian, gravely bold, | |
| Wander’d the Ionian folk among. | |
| Heard from their high Letôon roll’d | |
| That song the Delian maidens sung; | |
| Danced in his eyes the dazzling gold, | 45 |
| For with his voice the tears had sprung,— | |
| “They die not, these! they wax not old, | |
| They are ever-living, ever-young!” | |
| |
| Spread then, great land! thine arms afar, | |
| Thy golden harvest westward roll; | 50 |
| Banner with banner, star with star, | |
| Ally the tropics and the pole;— | |
| There glows no gem than these more bright | |
| From ice to fire, from sea to sea; | |
| Blossoms no fairer flower to light | 55 |
| Through all thine endless empery. | |
| |
| And thou come hither, friend! thou too | |
| Their kingdom enter as a boy; | |
| Fed with their glorious youth renew | |
| Thy dimm’d prerogative of joy:— | 60 |
| Come with small question, little thought, | |
| Through thy worn veins what pulse shall flow, | |
| With what regrets, what fancies fraught, | |
| Shall silver-footed summer go:— | |
| |
| If round one fairest face shall meet | 65 |
| Those many dreams of many fair, | |
| And wandering homage seek the feet | |
| Of one sweet queen, and linger there; | |
| Or if strange winds betwixt be driven, | |
| Unvoyageable oceans foam, | 70 |
| Nor this new earth, this airy heaven, | |
| For thy sad heart can find a home. | |
| |
