 | Poems by William W. Story |  |
291
THE LOCUST-TREES.
Fair locust-trees—fair locust-trees,
The noontide bower of booming bees
That clustering poise with busy noise
And round your whitening blossoms hum,
When twilight gray, at close of day,
Creeps nestling deeper in your gloom,
And fire-flies lighten through the night,
Again to you we'll come.
The noontide bower of booming bees
That clustering poise with busy noise
And round your whitening blossoms hum,
When twilight gray, at close of day,
Creeps nestling deeper in your gloom,
And fire-flies lighten through the night,
Again to you we'll come.
Fair locust-trees—dear locust-trees,
Oh! whisper not unto the breeze
What yesternight in love's true plight
We swore by all the stars above.
Fill with perfume the twilight gloom,
And o'er us spread your blossomy roof
To keep the moon from prying down
To stare upon our love.
Oh! whisper not unto the breeze
What yesternight in love's true plight
We swore by all the stars above.
Fill with perfume the twilight gloom,
And o'er us spread your blossomy roof
To keep the moon from prying down
To stare upon our love.
292
Fair locust-trees—sweet locust-trees,
Tell not by day the mysteries,
The loves and fears, the night wind hears
When hiding in your leafy breast.
Oh! breathe no word of all you heard,
When lips to clinging lips were pressed,
And burning Youth its maddened troth
Of Passion first expressed.
Tell not by day the mysteries,
The loves and fears, the night wind hears
When hiding in your leafy breast.
Oh! breathe no word of all you heard,
When lips to clinging lips were pressed,
And burning Youth its maddened troth
Of Passion first expressed.
Fair locust-trees—dear locust-trees,
From you let none the secret tease,
And you shall bloom for years to come
And we will tend you till you die.
When glow-worms light the bank at night,
And crickets clirr and soft bats fly,
We shall be near—then locusts dear
Hide us from every eye.
From you let none the secret tease,
And you shall bloom for years to come
And we will tend you till you die.
When glow-worms light the bank at night,
And crickets clirr and soft bats fly,
We shall be near—then locusts dear
Hide us from every eye.
Castel Gandolfo, July, 1582.
| Poems by William W. Story | |