 | A Wreath of Wild Flowers From New England |  |
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TO GEORGE P---, ESQ.
On his commissioning the Author to purchase for him some Landscapes, by Doughty—a Summer and Winter Scene.
Less proudly and well had the painter pourtray'dHis own mountain-land with its sunshine and shade,
Were the wealth of his genius less lavishly lent
To the landscape where grandeur and beauty are blent;
For thee they would still wear a magical grace,
Which time cannot alter, or chances efface;
For the thought of that impulse, so noble and kind,
Which prompted their purchase will be in thy mind;
And the sweet recollection will hallow to thee,
Each curve of the cloud and each tint of the tree!
Hadst thou watch'd the proud Artist with me, when his eyes
Were suddenly lifted in joy and surprise,
While I, full of childlike emotion, imparted
That pleasant behest from the warm and high-hearted,
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To soothe, for the lonely, one sorrowful hour!
For myself,—I was touched by thy courtesy free,
And tho' poor this return for thy kindness may be,
Be assured thou hast won, by that generous deed,
Something more than the Artist's or rhyme-weaver's meed;—
An esteem, that, surviving the painting's rich hue,
Its verdure's warm tinting,—its sky's sunny blue,—
The rivulet's ripple,—the cloud's snowy breast,—
So soft, it might lure a young seraph to rest,—
Will glow, with as true and as fervent a light,
When they are all lost in oblivion's night!
And now let me pray that thy “summer” of life
May be still, like the landscape, with radiance rife,
That the sunshine of friendship or love light the scene,
And the stream of benevolence freshen its green!
Then if haply a cloud o'er thy “winter” should go,
The rose-light of memory round it will glow,
And the cold snows of age gather smiles from her ray,
That shall pleasantly shine to the close of thy day.
| A Wreath of Wild Flowers From New England | |