Alas, alas! passion too soon exhaleth

The dewy freshness of the heart's young flowers; We water them with tears, but naught availethThey wither on through all life's later hours.

THE DEVOTED.

STERN faces were around her bent,
And eyes of vengeful ire,
And fearful were the words they spake,
Of torture, stake, and fire:

Yet calmly in the midst she stood,
With eye undimmed and clear,

And though her lip and cheek were white,
She wore no signs of fear.

"Where is thy traitor spouse?" they said :-
A half formed smile of scorn,
That curled upon her haughty lip,

Was back for answer borne ;"Where is thy traitor spouse?" again, In fiercer tones they said,

And sternly pointed to the rack,

All rusted o'er with red!

Her heart and pulse beat firm and free-
But in a crimson flood,

O'er pallid lip, and cheek, and brow,
Rushed up the burning blood;
She spake, but proudly rose her tones,
As when in hall or bower,

The haughtiest chief that round her stood

Had meekly owned their power.

"My noble lord is placed within

A safe and sure retreat"

"Now tell us where, thou lady bright,

As thou wouldst mercy meet,

Nor deem thy life can purchase his;
He cannot 'scape our wrath,
For many a warrior's watchful eye
Is placed o'er every path.

"But thou may'st win his broad estates,

To grace thine infant heir,

And life and honour to thyself,
So thou his haunts declare."

E

She laid her hand upon her heart;
Her eye flashed proud and clear,
And firmer grew her haughty tread-
"My lord is hidden here!

"And if ye seek to view his form,

Ye first must tear away,

From round his secret dwelling-place,
These walls of living clay!"

They quailed beneath her haughty glance,
They silent turned aside,

And left her all unharmed amidst

Her loveliness and pride!

UNREST.

HEART, weary Heart! what means thy wild unrest?
Hast thou not tasted of earth's every pleasure ?
With all that mortals seek thy lot is blest;
Yet thou dost ever chant in mournful measure-
66 Something beyond!"

Heart, weary Heart! canst thou not find repose
In the sweet calm of friendship's pure devotion?
Amid the peace which sympathy bestows,
Still dost thou murmur with suppressed emotion,
"Something beyond!"

Heart, weary Heart! too idly hast thou poured
Thy music and thy perfume on the blast:
Now, beggared in affection's treasured hoard,
Thy cry is still-thy saddest and thy last-

66

Something beyond!"

Heart, weary Heart! oh, cease thy wild unrest-
Earth cannot satisfy thy bitter yearning:
Then onward, upward speed thy lonely quest,

And hope to find, where Heaven's pure stars are burning,
Something beyond!"

66

IMITATION OF SAPPHO.

IF to repeat thy name when none may hear me,
To find thy thought with all my thoughts inwove;
To languish where thou'rt not--to sigh when near thee:
Oh, if these be to love thee, I do love!

If when thou utterest low words of greeting,
To feel through every vein the torrent pour;
Then back again the hot swift tide retreating,
Leave me all powerless, silent as before:

If to list breathless to thine accents falling,
Almost to pain, upon my eager ear-
And fondly when alone to be recalling

The words that I would die again to hear:

If 'neath thy glance my heart all strength forscking,
Pants in my breast as pants the frighted dove;
If to think on thee ever, sleeping-waking-
Oh! if this be to love thee, I do love!

LOVE'S MAGIC BLOSSOM.

WHEN Love's magic blossom springeth
First within the breast,
And sheds its dewy fragrance there,
By gentle sighs caressed;
Why, then, is all so glorious,
And tinted with the hue,
As if it were Elysium

Unfolding to the view?

Why throbs the beating heart so wild,
And rushes through the vein

The warm blood, with eloquence

Of half delicious pain?

Why does, at times, each passion seem

Lulled in a calm repose;

Each sense infused with ecstasy,

As odour fills the rose?

Why beams the eye with softened light,
As if a ray had come

From some immortal fountain,

And taken there its home?

And whence arise these day-dreams,

Strange castles in the air

Where one sweet form for ever floats,
And smileth on us there?

Why, when the saddened spirit droops
With feelings strange and lone,

Comes joy into the heart again-
Hear we but one kind tone?

Why turn we often from the world,
In deep disgust away,

Where flowers shed perfume, and birds
Glance gaily from the spray :

And only see one form amid
The beauty all around,
One voice alone hear whispering,
In every gentle sound?
And mid the lulling music
Of thousand bursts of song,
Its melody will linger yet.
And float with them along.

LINES TO SARAH.

YOU'VE gone afar from shady grove,
Afar from shady dell;
Afar from rosy woodland scenes,
Where beauty wove her spell.

Nor think you of the friends you left,
In rural parts behind;

Nor do you love whom once you loved-
So weak is woman-kind.

I asked thee,'Sing the farewell song!'
You sang-you faltered not;
But smiled with gay, Hebean smile;
My blood ran fevered hot.

You hurried on, as meteor bright,
That quickly leaves the sky;
You left me, e'en without a tear,
And e'en without a sigh.

The iron entered in my heart,

But dreadful was the throe

That broke the tie that held thee fast,
And heaving, let thee go.

You left the heart that once you owned
Would be for ever thine;

But ah, you little knew what grief,

What agony was mine.

I once did think of thee by day-
Did dream of thee by night;

And thought the moments ever blessed
I passed me in thy sight.

I thought thy nature gentle, true,
Nor ever thought that guile
Was hid beneath affection's front,
Beneath affection's smile.

You lit my soul, you left it dark,
And coldly passed away,

As if the love you once breathed forth
Had lasted but a day.

I might have loved thee ever true,
Have loved thee ever well;

But now I've torn thee from my heart,
And swept away the spell.

LET US BE FRIENDS TOGETHER.

LET us be friends together,

While on this earth we dwell;
Let a holy, pure and ardent love
Within our bosoms swell.
Let us share each other's burdens,
While yet our hearts are warm;
Let us bear each other's sorrows,
In sunshine and in storm.

Let not the vows we utter
Be as an empty breath;

But may love's fire burn ever,
Until we sleep in death.

And as we journey on through life,

To mingle with the dust,

Our pathway to the tomb will be
The pathway of the just.

'Twill strew our passage to the grave
With life's bright sunny flowers;
And cheer us with a buoyant hope
In sorrow's darkest hours;