Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867.
III. To .John R. Tait (18341909)
H
Awed by the tremulous murmur of the leaves,
Rustling above us from low beechen eaves?—
You twining violets, with calm eyes, as Fate
Serenely weaves our woof predestinate.
Dear flowers, the symbols of my future years!
All my heart’s impulses, its hopes and fears,
Heaved through my broken utterance. As the weight
Of fresh-fallen rain-drops bends some gentle flower,
Thus drooped your fair cheek towards me with its tears,
When (like a dream the memory appears)
I dared to kiss you. In a purple shower
Neglected fell the violets. How bright
Seemed the red sunset, and the moon that night!