TO SELENE.
Pale queen of beauty, in thy cold abode
Lonely thou art, lonely thou e’er wilt be;
No sweet companion ever with thee rode
Along that trackless waste of vast immensity.
Or asked thee what dark secrets thou dost hold
In thy deep jagged craters, now so dead,
Which once with Vulcan’s rage and mutterings bold,
Were filled with Jovian darts and thunders dread.
Thou art a soul-less beauty, yet thy form
Reflects its softly glowing radiance!
And unborn millions yielding to thy charm
Will bask in blissful dreams of dalliance.
How many vows, dear, cold and proud Selene,
Hast thou seen plighted ’neath thy smiling face?
How many broken hearts now rest serene
In their last slumber ’neath thy dwelling place?
We love thee for thy sweet insouciance,
Nor would we care to dwell without thy light.
Thy pallor doth thy loveliness enhance,
Adored and stately Lady of the Night.
IF I MIGHT CHOOSE.
If I might choose the home where I would dwell,
I’d choose to live where the long rolling swell
And murmuring voices of the sun-lit sea
Bring restful dreams and sweet tranquility.