 | The poetical works of William H. C. Hosmer |  |
364
A POET'S WISH.
Mine be a pretty country lass,
With soft transparency of cheek,
Through which, like red wine in a glass,
The blushes eloquently speak
Of charms that will outlive the rose
Worn proudly by the city belle,
When, full of vanity, she throws
Round burning hearts her spell.
With soft transparency of cheek,
Through which, like red wine in a glass,
The blushes eloquently speak
Of charms that will outlive the rose
Worn proudly by the city belle,
When, full of vanity, she throws
Round burning hearts her spell.
Mine be the company of books,
And one fair girl to read my lay;
A smiling cot that overlooks
Some lone lake stretching far away,
Whereon my boat, with sail of white,
At times can wander from the strand,
While glad waves in a song unite
With low winds from the land.
And one fair girl to read my lay;
A smiling cot that overlooks
Some lone lake stretching far away,
Whereon my boat, with sail of white,
At times can wander from the strand,
While glad waves in a song unite
With low winds from the land.
To gird my dwelling I would spare
Old giants of the forest dim,
For I am one who cannot bear
The prostrate trunk and cloven limb;
In hunting vesture I would brace
My sinews on the hills at morn;
The red fox or the roe-buck chase
With hound and mellow horn.
Old giants of the forest dim,
For I am one who cannot bear
The prostrate trunk and cloven limb;
In hunting vesture I would brace
My sinews on the hills at morn;
The red fox or the roe-buck chase
With hound and mellow horn.
When Glory lights her dazzling torch,
Peace vainly mourns her perished dove;
The breathings of ambition scorch
The flowers of innocence and love.
Let others mix in worldly strife,
Self-wasting meteors to shine;
The calm, sequestered walks of life,
Unvexed by storm, be mine!
Peace vainly mourns her perished dove;
The breathings of ambition scorch
The flowers of innocence and love.
Let others mix in worldly strife,
Self-wasting meteors to shine;
The calm, sequestered walks of life,
Unvexed by storm, be mine!
| The poetical works of William H. C. Hosmer | |