 | Poems |  |
[I saw a flower in a pathless wood]
I saw a flower in a pathless wood,Deep hidden in a mazy labyrinth
Of rank wild grass, briers, and prickly leaves;
'Twas a strange donjon for so fair a thing,
Dreary, and dark, and rude, but as I gazed
On its transparent hues, and bending grace,
A golden sunbeam, stealing from a cloud,
Alit on the green summit of the wood,
And lover-like, heeding no obstacles,
Shot thro' the clustering foliage, and thick shade
Of interwoven boughs, thro' tangled brake,
Briar, and branching fern, and tarried not,
Till having reach'd its bourn, it smiling lay
On the white bosom of that lonely flower.
It was a pleasant sight to see how soon
The pretty prisoner rais'd its drooping head,
And gave back smile for smile, and opening wide
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The shining guest still nearer to its heart—
It was a pleasant sight, and while I eyed
Their amorous dalliance, many a gentle thought,
Arose unsummon'd; Fancy too put forth
Her wanton spells, and lured me far away,
A willing wanderer. I scarce can tell,
Whither, so rapid was her sunny flight,
The merry elfin led, but once, methinks,
Twining the flow'ret in her rainbow wreath,
She bore it, follow'd by the golden beam,
To by-gone ages, and to distant climes,
And called it—Danaë.
| Poems | |