TO ——, IN HER SEVENTIETH YEAR[491]
Composed 1827.—Published 1827
[Lady Fitzgerald, as described to me by Lady Beaumont.—I.F.]
One of the "Miscellaneous Sonnets."—Ed.
Such age how beautiful! O Lady bright,
Whose mortal lineaments seem all refined
By favouring Nature and a saintly Mind
To something purer and more exquisite
Than flesh and blood; whene'er thou meet'st my sight,
When I behold thy blanched unwithered cheek, 6
Thy temples fringed with locks of gleaming white,
And head that droops because the soul is meek,
Thee with the welcome Snowdrop I compare;
That child of winter, prompting thoughts that climb 10
From desolation toward[492] the genial prime;
Or with the Moon conquering earth's misty air,
And filling more and more with crystal light
As pensive Evening deepens into night.[493]
FOOTNOTES:
[491] 1832.
To ——, 1827.
[492] 1832.
... tow'rds ... 1827.