The snow white vapor in fragments flies,
And the gold-edged clouds near the sunset move;
But the twilight, dim and dark and gray,
Steals fast from sight this land of love.
The zephyrs stir and the soft leaves wave
And sigh for the loss of the sunset sky;
But even the beauties that shine in the west
Must ever fade till the glories die.
THE LONELY CITY.
In the distance dim a valley lies
Where flows a deep dark river;
On the farther shore a city stands,
Where the tide flows on forever.
A cloud hangs o’er the city fair
By day in the valley yonder;
By night in the streets, devoid of light,
Wild phantoms ever wander.
No sound comes forth from the vacant domes
That gleam in the quiet air.
No living thing breaks the solitude—
But the phantoms wander there.
In the distance dim a valley lies
Where flows a rolling river,
But the phantoms wander by its side
As time flies by forever.