 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
527
Azalea Swamp
Just o'er the stony wall,
And near the travelled way,
The wild Azalea's fragrant flowers
Their richest bloom display.
And near the travelled way,
The wild Azalea's fragrant flowers
Their richest bloom display.
The travellers, as they pass,
Stop to admire their bloom;
Or, wafted on the summer breeze,
To catch the sweet perfume.
Stop to admire their bloom;
Or, wafted on the summer breeze,
To catch the sweet perfume.
Why seek in distant lands
Azaleas costly, rare;
When by the roadside bloom, for all,
These, not less fragrant, fair?
Azaleas costly, rare;
When by the roadside bloom, for all,
These, not less fragrant, fair?
Here too the woodwax spreads
Its brilliant cloth of gold,
Richer by far than princes' halls
Or palaces behold.
Its brilliant cloth of gold,
Richer by far than princes' halls
Or palaces behold.
Nor can their artists show,
With e'en their highest skill,
Such colors as are lavished here
On swamp and rocky hill.
With e'en their highest skill,
Such colors as are lavished here
On swamp and rocky hill.
Renewed from year to year,
The picture never tires;
Awakening thoughts and feelings deep
No artist's work inspires.
The picture never tires;
Awakening thoughts and feelings deep
No artist's work inspires.
Poem No. 310; c. 27 June 1879
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |