Classic Poem

I HEAR thy breath: 'tis soft and near,
'Tis sweeter than the close of day,
When June o'ertakes the maiden May
Amidst the unblown eglantines,
And round her scented bosom twines.
I hear thy step, 'tis light and near:
Tell me where dost hide, my dear? Voice . —
Far away, far away!

Underneath what drooping showers
Of lilac and laburnum flowers? Voice . —
Far away!

My love, my lady Lily, fair,
(Fairer than the crowned rose is,)
Is it in the cowslip lair,
Where the sweet South wind reposes,
That thou dost lie
All the spring-time long, and sigh,
With the river by thy side,
Murmuring like a one-day's bride?
Hush! — Give answer, Spirit sweet!
Ah, I hear thy tender feet
Rustling in the grass unmown:
Nay, at times, when all alone
On the moonlit moor I walk,
I can see thee, with a star
On thy forehead, from afar.
Shall I ever dare to talk
With thy sweet ghost all alone?
What, though men do swear to me
Thou art all a phantasy,
Thou wilt live with me, as true
As the stars are to the blue.
Time may all alter: Youth be dead;
And the Spring may hide her head;
And the friend, now near my heart,
May desert his better part;
But Thou ever wilt remain
In my heart and in my brain,
Truer, to the inward eye,
Than many a gross reality.