Page:Landon in Literary Gazette 1824.pdf/51

50 Literary Gazette, 15th May, 1824, Page 316

ORIGINAL POETRY. ANTINOUS. The thick curls cluster round thy graceful head, And over thy pale forehead, where the mind Her visible temple hath; upon thy lip Is throned a rich yet melancholy smile— So sad, it seems prophetic of the doom That hangs on thy young life; and thine eye wears An inward look, where outward things but pass Unnoticed—thou dost hold communion with Thoughts dark and terrible. A blight hangs o'er The spring flowers of thy morn, the seeds of death Are sown within thy bosom, and there is Upon thee consciousness of fate. The light That lingers on thy face is as a star— The last remaining one—a shadowy beam Of those which have been. Ardent hopes were thine, And dreams of victories and high renown, Ere health departed; and on thy wan lip And hope-forsaken cheek a spirit burns, Which will not wholly pass till in the grave. I looked upon thee, young A! thou Wert like the lovely presence of a dream, Such shapes as come, when o'er the sleeper's brain The memory floats of some wild maddening tale, And he has slept, his inmost spirit filled With sorrow's beautiful imaginings. How often have I gazed on thee, and felt An interest almost like to life in thee! Thine influence is upon the heart! around Are many glorious forms—kings, heroes, gods, Bright queens and nymphs radiant in loveliness— Yet the eye turns to thee; for thou hast power To awaken such sweet sympathies. We think Of youth and beauty, gathered like the rose On the first blushing of its purple morn; We look on those with wonder and delight— We look on thee, and weep! L. E. L.