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[Poems by Hayne in] Songs of the South

choice selections from Southern poets from colonial times to the present day

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[But stay! What subtle notes are these]
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143

[But stay! What subtle notes are these]

“But stay! What subtle notes are these
Borne on the fragrant Southern breeze
From out the palms?—strange witcheries.
“Of purest art to genius wed
Float sweetly, grandly overhead;
Most willingly our souls are led
“Thro' paths of fancy and delight,
Whereon the sunshine, streaming bright,
Seems mingled tenderness and might!
“Oh, golden lays! no common lyre
Outpours those strains of love or ire,
All instinct with the sacred fire!”
Paul H. Hayne.