 | [Poems by Drake in] The life and works of Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820) |  |
178
To --- (Fannie)
Why these are the dreamings of fancy indeed!
I prithee awake from the perilous trance;
Or must I despair that I ever shall lead,
My sweet little Fan from the fields of romance?
'Tis vain to expect the sun always to beam,
Our passions, our feelings, are born to decay;
The morning will break the most rapturous dream,
And night throw her pall o'er the loveliest day.
I prithee awake from the perilous trance;
Or must I despair that I ever shall lead,
My sweet little Fan from the fields of romance?
'Tis vain to expect the sun always to beam,
Our passions, our feelings, are born to decay;
The morning will break the most rapturous dream,
And night throw her pall o'er the loveliest day.
That day was deliciously sweet to be sure,
Though it felt rather chilly and cold at its close;
Alas! that it could not forever endure,
As warm and as tender as when it arose.
Yet perhaps it is best for us both after all;
The sun of love's summer is sometimes too bright,
And the flames of the noontide as withering fall,
As the darkness and damp of the lustreless night.
Though it felt rather chilly and cold at its close;
Alas! that it could not forever endure,
As warm and as tender as when it arose.
Yet perhaps it is best for us both after all;
The sun of love's summer is sometimes too bright,
And the flames of the noontide as withering fall,
As the darkness and damp of the lustreless night.
I know that the heart is worth nothing till won;
It must melt and mature in the day-beam of bliss,
As fruit when caressed by the amorous sun,
Grows ruddy and ripe from the warmth of his kiss.
Dim and dull is the diamond's spark,
Till touched into life by its kindred gem;
And the gentlest hearts are cold and dark,
Till they mingle in sweet collision like them.
It must melt and mature in the day-beam of bliss,
As fruit when caressed by the amorous sun,
179
Dim and dull is the diamond's spark,
Till touched into life by its kindred gem;
And the gentlest hearts are cold and dark,
Till they mingle in sweet collision like them.
But remember, dear, that the polishing sway,
May wear the pure sparks of the diamond away;
And the sun's warm kiss, all its blandishments o'er,
Will taint the fair fruit it had ripened before.
May wear the pure sparks of the diamond away;
And the sun's warm kiss, all its blandishments o'er,
Will taint the fair fruit it had ripened before.
| [Poems by Drake in] The life and works of Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820) | |