University of Virginia Library


192

THE SHADOWS OF LOVE.

1835.
As a rose-leaf may tincture
The breast with its hue,
So Love's golden cincture
Must darken it too.
Yet light are the troubles
That sadden its mirth,
As the smooth water-bubbles
That break in their birth.
The shade on his temples
His bright locks diffuse;
And the tears in his dimples,
What are they but dews?
The slightest thing made,
Though fragile and tender,
Hath always a shade
To await on its splendour.

193

And how should Love's tone
Have exemption from grief,
When a shadow is thrown
From the lily's clear leaf?