Betwixt Two Seas :: :: University of Virginia Library

Because thy leaf is like a heart
Oh, Judas tree!
Whilst buds, like rosy tear-drops, start
From heart of thee;
Because thou blushest thro' the land
When Spring-tide blooms,
And by the faithful cypress-band,
Amongst the tombs,
Weepest pink petals night and day
O'er those that lie
'Neath turban'd tombstones prone and grey
Where sad winds sigh;—

Because of this, oh, Judas tree,
Tho' still men tell
That gruesome old-world tale of thee
I love thee well!

2

My heart would wing to England, now,
O'er land and sea,
To meadows, where, from burden'd bough,
Our Judas-tree,—
The hawthorn-herald of the Spring
When light winds blow,
Strews on the sward its fairy-ring
Of flow'r-flaked snow.
Beyond, the well-known village spire
Rises on high,
Above the thatch of barn and byre
Nestling hard by;

Oh, weeping, heart-leaf'd Judas tree
With budding breast!
I love, for all my love of thee,
Our hawthorn best!