"And, as I saw the bars of gold,
And clouds with crimson deeply dy'd,
Your love, I thought, was wealth untold,
And my heart's blood, your crimson tide."
"And yours," I said, "your love to me
Is one great, shining, glassy flood;
Your face, reflected, there I see,
So beautiful, so bright and good.
"My nature glows at thy dear name,
With deep, red heat, like yonder ball,
It shines with constant, ruddy flame;
It shines for you, but tinges all.
"But see, the sun has sunk to rest,
As if beneath the distant wave,
But still the colors in the west,
Show that he still shines from his grave.
"And thus, my love, when I shall sink
Into the dark and dread Unknown,
'Tis surely just for us to think,
Some rays shall shine for thee alone.
"And if it be my fate to stay,
While thou shalt calmly sink to rest,
'Tis surely right for me to say,
Some light from thee shall cheer my breast."
* * * * *
THE MAPLE TREE.
Where craggy hills round Madoc rise,
With scenic grandeur bold,
Where frowning rocks, from wooded heights,
Look down so stern and cold,
On peaceful vales, and silent lakes,
And islets, wild and fair,
Where trees, in fadeless beauty clad,
Display their verdure there.