Dream.

“Mine eyes he closed; but open left the cell
Of fancy, my internal sight.”—Paradise Lost.

WHERE am I? Leaves and blossoms glittering,
Ancient shades and lofty trees
I have seen you,—when,—I know not.
How familiar is this breeze,
Bearing coolness, fragrance bearing
From that darkly wooded grot,
With the tinkling sound of water!—
O! I know thee, lovely spot!
Has my youth returned, or has it
Never left me, save in dreams?
Matters not; since, warmly glowing,
Now, my heart is in its beams.
Now another dim foreboding
Draws me toward yon old gray wall,
Climbing o’er, I see a garden—
Yes! I’ll soon discover all.

Something, yet but half-remembered,
Will not let me here remain;
Onward! Onward toward those loved ones,
My impatience grows a pain.
What a dreary time I’ve wasted!
How could I forget their love?
From my native Eden flying
Over Earth’s cold mountains rove?—
In the twilight richly mingled
With the moonlight’s purer ray,
Rise grey turrets veiled in misty
Colors both of night and day.
From the Gothic portal rush the
Blended floods of light and sound,
Up the marble steps I hasten,
Cross the terrace with a bound.
Now an ancient Hall I enter,
And at once an hundred eyes
Turn with friendly gaze of welcome,
And each voice this greeting cries,—
“Long expected! Welcome! Welcome!”
But no formal salutation
Brought these graceful, lordly figures
From their earnest occupation.
Some were seated, others standing,
Grouped together, or apart;
But One Interest seemed to fasten
In its chain each mind and heart.
From an unseen harp the surges
Rushed in long unbroken swell;
Every form was bathed in radiance,
Whence it came I could not tell.
As I look, some ancient story
Rises in my memory—No!
‘T is my own past life which rises;
As the vapors backward go
I see plainly;—often, often
Have I met you, friendly Powers!
By your superhuman beauty
And your wondrous love, the hours
Of my infancy were nurtured,
And my childish mind was taught
Lessons of unearthly wisdom
From the purer regions brought.

Gracefully a girl steps forward
From behind a silver screen:
“One thou hast forgotten, Brother,
Her, our sister and our Queen;
Follow quickly.” Quick I follow,
Laughingly she flies before,
Passing sculptured arch and portal,
High saloon and marble floor,
Galleries filled with stately plants,
Pouring streams of perfume round,
Terraces, where noble statues
Stand amid the flowery ground.

My guide has gone. I stand alone,
Solemnly the stars sweep by;
Hush! light footsteps strike my ear,
She has come. The faithful eye
Knows the form, the look, the motion
Stampt upon the inmost heart;
Dearest, loveliest, thus I clasp thee,
One warm kiss. But then we part,
For with timid haste she glides
Softly from my arms’ embrace,
Full of love and maiden terror
Gazing upward in my face.
Those blue eyes, lid-shaded, trust me,
But the mouth is trembling still,
Blood- drops of a priceless value
The soft neck and bosom fill.
Now together we are seated,
Her small hands repose in mine,
While a million stars above us,
Blessing-showering, smile and shine.
Not by words our love is spoken,
Yet each feeling, every thought
By quick glance, and gentle pressure,
In electric chain is brought.
All things outward words may carry,
But the inmost heart is known
Only as the ringing harp-string
Wakes its slumbering brother-tone.—
Years pass by—and side by side
Still remain the lovers seated,
Years on years—or but a moment.
Not by periods time is meted
To the souls which, statue- like,
Are moulded by a single thought;
Passionless to all things outward,
Time and space to them are nought.