Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-10-31
UNION AND AMERICAN.
FLOWER songs.
MRS. HARHETT PRESCOTT sroFFoRD.

BY MRS. TT AhhAEAl lataoADl - Nfnbhb-
1.-THE VIOLET.
Soar, solemn Heavens, your splendid height,
And then in flashing darkness bend,
Wrap the sweet earth about with night
And wide, dim fields from end TO end,
Lying far of and low, lid
Seerenly with your brooding mystery Dlehu'
Slumber. sweet earthl Thy lofty shade
CLOVIS with the shining phantom dreams
That haunt thee nightly. Music male
BY burdened bOughs and rustllng s'reans'
Now falling hushed and SLOW
Remotely Tapped IN dcwy silence seems.
And ever blow between. faint, air,
Blow with light, hesltatlng breath
From melancholy places WheIe
Perpetual fragrance W3ndereIh'
DER grave and garden blow,
Over warm life, and over lonely death.
And while tho murmur rang, the sudden stir
Of branches tossed in a tumultuous gust
If showers and sweetness, darkling. swept the
And passed And through the futed melody
There breathed that sound that silence listens
to-
The crickets chirning their ,unbroken strain
On the hillside, in the black, warm summer
Thrill Of ethereal tone. as il. were heard,
The rustic Of the great orb's wings through
What time the brede OF stars Its luster floats
in sclf-poiscd circles, and the dusk IS deep
And then, as when across ones rarest dream,
Just drawing of from the rich dregs OF Sleep
4 cherry cry comes and a broken tune,
And in the covert Of their Od0rcus depths
The robins shake their wild, wet wings and
flood So,
The shallow shores Of down with music, till
The world is rosy-so another voice ,
Stole toward me. and saw the hyaclnth,
With its white helmet, part the un-soaked sOd'
And heard as if from out the bells that wTeathe
Its spire Of piercing pertame dropped the tones
Like rGin-drops tinkling in Way-slde pool.
1.-THE UYACINTH.
On topnost tWigs when morning burns.
And lights his trembling fires.
When from his wing the glad bird spu.ns
The dew and with his carol yearns,
And to Heavens gate aspires;
The Maker looks upon his world,
That puts hGE beauty bare,
All freshly, fr1grantly lmpcOrled
Beneath the tender air,
Looks on hissoftand cleaning world,
And smiles TO tEd her talr.
Then Waken, Waken.
The earth has taken
Into the sunshine her WOndrOus way;
Then waken, waken
The dews are shaken
Loose from the leaves and melt away,
Lost in the beautiful light Of day!
Here the clear singing Of the joyous sprite
Startled the echoes Of that underworld,
Where buds lie slecping-straight the silent
bush
Beside nc quiycrcd in the happy light;
The red sap mounted along stem and spray,
In countless hurried convolutions whirled,
To break at ence into the perfect mower
The perfect H0wcr-Tr0ud was the song she
shung.
TI.-TuE ROSE.
am thc rich thing that morn
Leaves for the ardent moon to win;
Grasp me not, ! have a thorn,
But bend and take my fragrance IN.
The dew-lrop on my bosom gives
The whole of heaven 10 searching eyes,
Only he who sees il lives
And only he who sights It dies.
al, what bcwilicring warmth and wealth
Gather within my central fold;
L0yc-lOrn airs o. happy health
Hive WITH the honey that hold.
This dazzling ruddincss divine
ShIOuds spicy sgvoTs deep and dear,
Passions sign and Caunterslgn.
The Utmost meaning OF the sphere
Petal on petal opening wide,
My being into beauty flows
UuGlrcd-leayel and damask-dyei-
Yet nothing, nothing but rose!
ID shaking oil e sudden passionate tear
m ~use ceased wTbie. and IN an ecstaey
tbnII Il her lovely leaves around my feet
trl .t. liscTowEci.
Then gently was ! ware 4
OF a pure breath fro = that delicious hour
Whom 6av sweeps AN II q glory after her
To fresh horzoHs-rapt I'd h .il.. tI basr,cu
Where fingered yet the uot. ia 49, tl'
From garaphs leaning DER the '1'li ~
OF shining tower ami rampant far NDoESs
Anu ever la their i3lcless singing =. ~Se'
Iy.-TuE LILY.
Lift ihinc eyes. against the deepening skies
An the sacred hills like affairs glow,
Waiting for the Fastening sacrifice
Ere the evening winds begin TO blow.
slit thy heart. and let the prayer depart
To meet the heavenly flame upon the height, |
Tin all thy shadows into splcndOr start,
Avl .I, rrr., l.y, Ir ,-r,y clear with still de