| James and Mary Ford, eds. Every Day in the Year. 1902. | | | | August 3 | | Nilsson | | By Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) |
| | Christine Nilsson, born August 3, 1843
A ROSE of perfect red, embossed | |
| With silver sheens of crystal frost, | |
| Yet warm, nor life nor fragrance lost. | |
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| High passion throbbing in a sphere | |
| That Art hath wrought of diamond clear, | 5 |
| —A great heart beating in a tear. | |
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| The listening soul is full of dreams | |
| That shape the wondrous-varying themes | |
| As cries of men or plash of streams. | |
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| Or noise of summer rain-drops round | 10 |
| That patter daintily a-ground | |
| With hints of heaven in the sound. | |
| |
| Or noble wind-tones chanting free | |
| Through morning-skies across the sea | |
| Wild hymns to some strange majesty. | 15 |
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| O, if one trope, clear-cut and keen, | |
| May type the art of Song’s best queen, | |
| White-hot of soul, white-chaste of mien, | |
| |
| On Music’s heart doth Nilsson dwell | |
| As if a Swedish snowflake fell | 20 |
| Into a glowing flower-bell. | | | | |
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