The terms on which alone Thou hast thy leave;

In a nest of dells retired is a grove,

Darkened by shadows of the hills above;

And a tree, sun-proof, whose dense branches hold

Ever among them one of purest gold;

Gold leafage, gold saplings supple, yet tough;

Vain for any, though brave, and fond enough,

To plunge in the Underworld; unless he

Have tracked and plucked the Gold Bough off the Tree.

The Queen of Hades, Proserpine the Fair,