The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-09-02
A DREAM OF FAIR WEATHER.
DY JAMES MAURICE THOMPSON,

A strange wild being, half goat, half man
While past him the plover and dunln few,
Ard over his boofs the river waves ran
Blew on q reed, and blew and blew
Tho one monotonous tune that he knew
And A wind camo out of the dushy SOUTH
Calling the rose with mellow lh,
Like whislC-call from lovers mouth;
And the rose, tho red rose, sweetly enough,
Bowed In acknowledgement thereof
And out of the south with the wind there few
great blue heron that driftcd low,
And dropped by the river where tall reeds grew,
And where bright willows waved to ana iFo
Der the nest Of teal in the flags below.
Midmost smile on the rivers face
In kiss of ripples the lily slept
And here and there In the liquid space,
Where great brown turtles la2ly Crcpt,
In shoals the gttering sun-perch leapt'
An oriole deep in it's braided nest,
ON the waves of the south wind rocked and
rolled,
With the little cup fitted 80 close to its breast
That it looked like some splendid molten gold
Poured from crucible into mould.
In lowering cloud Of butterflies,
Lullcd by murnur of drowsy bees,
And flooded with sweets and the tender dyes
or bed of bloom in the stream Of the breeze,
A maiden slept in the dusk Of the trees,
A bumming-bird daintily touched her mouth
Finding It sweet AZ the rosebud y.
Az red and sweet as rose Of the south
And she smiled in her sleep, saying, at Is h!S
kiss:
knew my lover would come for this"
Her lutc lay beside her, and, 10 the wind
Stirred to music Its tuned strings;
In quver of rapture the long grass leaned,
And swarms of beautiful gilded things
trap tpu
And out of the forest youth there came,
Tall and strong and 1.-THE Of HUB
Who stopped and called u musical name
Till the maiden sprung ny and answered nm
From the pool Of blooms in the shadows aim.
But sleep was oath to let 90 her eyes,
Though her lovers kisses again aud agaih
Thrilled them through with a sweet surprise,
And opened them like blue lily-buds twain
Blown into blossom after rain,
Her long gold hair fell down and down,
Till like a robe 1t cnveoped her
With mist of splcndOr from foot to crown
And the breath Of her lips was sweeter ihr
To her lover than all the bloom scchtS Nere'
She leaned ON his breast and he pressed her close,
And kisted her again mid the singing of birds;
And the sough Of the tonth wind calling thc rose,
And the south wind touching the utes sweet
chords,
Drowned to a murmur his loving words.
The butterflies rose from the flowers and fled
with the gold-sladed beetles and brown honey
bees,
And away like bolt the hummng-bird sped,
While suddenly, utterly mp in the trees,
Their singing the cmulous Cholrs did cease.
'Lct MS CO." said her lover, "while yet we are
And life IL Ike wine i'll the cup Of the heart,
While love is a song that is yet unsunR
Come. let us go from all others apart
Go with me, drift with me, lust as thou ART!
So he took up her lutte, and together they went
SLOW, side by side, in the summer land
Where the grass flowed free Qike sea Har-sprchl)
with bubbles of blossoms and iragrahceiahhed,
Till they reached and stood on the rivers sand.
lie drew from its hiding light canoe,
Launched 1t, and both stepped IN with smiles
He dipped the oars, the south wind blew,
And away they went through the subtle Wilts
Of tue shecny stream, by its drowsy Isles
Her hair on the wind like sun-snittcn cloud
FlOatcd in long bright brushes OF gold;
ShC touched her lutte, aud sung out no loud
That the river fringes, through every io.d
OF willows and rushes aud plane-trees GA
Trembed with pleasure, and leaned far down
Whcre the waterfalls in their sltek tight cOatH,
And the great blue heron aud dunlin brown,
Tptoed on the sand with OutstrelGhed thrOats,
Caught in the wonderful snare Of her notes.
Oh, ever and ever the weather was iair,
And ever and ever the view was fine;
They laughed and sung, nor dreamed of care,
Bit noated right on in the sweet sunshine
Till they drank life mp like drinking good wine
Now, when they were gone, the Foat-tooted man,
With the furry ears, hilarious grew,
And up and down by the river ran,
And blew on reed, and blew and blew
The one delightful tune he knew.
--Hurpors MdgdsHo.