And ’twas there at Sylva’s altar, With the gazing stars above, Soul to soul, by mute impulsion, That they pledged eternal love; Ay, ’twas then the spheric paean, Through the great expanses spread, When in Beauty’s listening stillness, Peace and Purity were wed. And tonight I see them roaming Thro’ the flowery paths of eld— Thro’ the valley, by the lakelet, Where their nuptial feast was held; Where the moon-beams dance with shadows, In the hushed, half-hidden glen, Shunning Mammon’s crowded cities And the busy walks of men. But linger not too long, Selene,— Hasten from thy lover’s side, Or, in fleecy cloud-wrought vesture From the gaze of Eos hide; Else like darkly mantled Pleiad, Wailing robes of forfeit glory, Thou wilt find thy charms are stolen By the jealous, fair Aurora. Hasten, hasten, for she cometh,— Venus bright doth herald now, All Jove’s pageantry attends her, Erse’s gems bedeck her brow, And her royal robes are ’broidered Rich with rose and amethyst;— Hasten, but with thine Endymion Keep the holy evening tryst. Calypso—The Lover’s Pocket. Erastes saw with vain regret A hedge of guards was thickly set Around the fair one he would woo; For Flora’s aid he quick applied— “Be art of yours with Love’s allied And Cupid’s throng shall kneel to you.” Then Flora wrought that mystic flower And graced with it Love’s Sylvan bower, And there a wildling still it grows; The hue she gave was pearly white, But Love would add one more delight And mingled in a blush of rose. T’was given such an artless guise That e’en suspicion’s prying eyes Doth no intriguing plan suppose: And there within, securely hid, Beneath the blossom’s fringy lid The lover’s missive finds repose. * * * * * “Wilt thou, dear maid, thy wealth resign And drink with me love’s ruby wine— In weal or woe my fortune’s share?” She wrote and hid—“I will be thine— With love’s devotion ever mine There’s naught but I could dare.” A closely folded plan for flight (That marked the nearest moonless night,) The Orchid in its heart concealed. While vigilance unconscious slept, Two dusky steeds thro’ darkness swept Across an unfrequented field And brought the lovers quickly where A waiting priest, with pledge and prayer, The sacred bonds of wedlock sealed. Paternal pride aroused, irate, With bluster came, a moment late,— The holy rite had joined their hands, The vows were made, the pledges given That bound the twain as one in heaven, Despite his wrath and stern commands. “How could you thus,” he cried in rage, “Defy my will, disgrace my age! I’ll disinherit and disown—And you shall have eternal scorn For wedding with that lowly born— Aye, you shall reap as you have sown.” * * * * *