 | The poetical works of William H. C. Hosmer |  |
283
THE NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS.
A lighted lamp in the green-house hung,
And thither thronged the old and young,
The birth of a wondrous flower to mark,
That blooms when the world in shadow lies,
And, ere the matin of the lark,
Droops, hangs its beauteous head, and dies.
A plant, without a leaf, was seen
Upcoiling like a serpent green;
And the chain-swung cresset showering down
A stream of radiance, rich and full,
Disclosed a stem of reddish brown,
Adorned with a wavy fringe-like wool,
And bearing a bud about to burst
By the balmy breath of evening nursed.
And thither thronged the old and young,
The birth of a wondrous flower to mark,
That blooms when the world in shadow lies,
And, ere the matin of the lark,
Droops, hangs its beauteous head, and dies.
A plant, without a leaf, was seen
Upcoiling like a serpent green;
And the chain-swung cresset showering down
A stream of radiance, rich and full,
Disclosed a stem of reddish brown,
Adorned with a wavy fringe-like wool,
And bearing a bud about to burst
By the balmy breath of evening nursed.
The pealing cannon rends the sky,
And tremble bells in the turret high,
When a royal heir the million hail,
And clearly rang on the perfumed gale
A startling noise like a glad salute,
When the pulsing and expanding heart
Of the cactus broke its bonds apart,
And the listeners round stood charm'd and mute.
A dazzling halo round it gleamed—
A type of purity it seemed,
While the broken casket of the gem
Was changed to a starry diadem.
A spotless crown the lily wears,
But a tenderer hue the cactus bears,
And the white rose in her fragrant bower
Sat veiled, outshone by a fairer flower.
Its cup, inlaid with glistening gold,
Was meet for the elfin queen to hold,
When bright, nectarean wine is poured
By waiting fays at her dainty board;
And in form had more of antique grace
Than foliated, classic vase
That modern art to rival tries
In vain beneath Ausonian skies;
Its clear, transparent depths displayed
A delicate and greenish shade,
That a fanciful poet would declare
Was like in hue to a mermaid's hair.
And tremble bells in the turret high,
When a royal heir the million hail,
And clearly rang on the perfumed gale
A startling noise like a glad salute,
When the pulsing and expanding heart
Of the cactus broke its bonds apart,
And the listeners round stood charm'd and mute.
A dazzling halo round it gleamed—
A type of purity it seemed,
While the broken casket of the gem
Was changed to a starry diadem.
284
But a tenderer hue the cactus bears,
And the white rose in her fragrant bower
Sat veiled, outshone by a fairer flower.
Its cup, inlaid with glistening gold,
Was meet for the elfin queen to hold,
When bright, nectarean wine is poured
By waiting fays at her dainty board;
And in form had more of antique grace
Than foliated, classic vase
That modern art to rival tries
In vain beneath Ausonian skies;
Its clear, transparent depths displayed
A delicate and greenish shade,
That a fanciful poet would declare
Was like in hue to a mermaid's hair.
Its leaves of pure and pearl-like white
Woke dreams of innocence and Heaven;
Oh! why was such a gem to night,
And not to rose-lipped morning given?
That mother nature might impart
A lesson to the breaking heart,
And on the cloud of sorrow lone
A gleam of loveliness be thrown—
That eyes, all dim with tears, might see
An emblem fair of hope unfold,
Telling of glory yet to be—
Of bliss, by mortal voice untold,
In a land that is stranger to mildew and gloom,
Basking in light, and forever in bloom.
Woke dreams of innocence and Heaven;
Oh! why was such a gem to night,
And not to rose-lipped morning given?
That mother nature might impart
A lesson to the breaking heart,
And on the cloud of sorrow lone
A gleam of loveliness be thrown—
That eyes, all dim with tears, might see
An emblem fair of hope unfold,
Telling of glory yet to be—
Of bliss, by mortal voice untold,
In a land that is stranger to mildew and gloom,
Basking in light, and forever in bloom.
| The poetical works of William H. C. Hosmer | |