 | The Vale of Arden and Other Poems |  |
35
ILLUSION
When in despite of care's dead weight,
And tarnished faith, and hope's decay,
A gladness stirs thee, delicate
As the first tremor of the spring
Or thrill of love's awakening,
Ask it not Whence—or it will shrink away.
And tarnished faith, and hope's decay,
A gladness stirs thee, delicate
As the first tremor of the spring
Or thrill of love's awakening,
Ask it not Whence—or it will shrink away.
So when the rainbow's transient smile
Cheereth heaven's gray and tearful face,
Look lightly on that tender wile;
For if too hard, in joy's excess,
Thou gaze, the specious loveliness
Will fade as doth a dream, and leave no trace.
Cheereth heaven's gray and tearful face,
Look lightly on that tender wile;
For if too hard, in joy's excess,
Thou gaze, the specious loveliness
Will fade as doth a dream, and leave no trace.
| The Vale of Arden and Other Poems | |