Page:Landon in Literary Gazette 1824.pdf/7

FRAGMENTS. Second Series. 6 Literary Gazette, 10th January, 1824, Pages 27-28

THE DREAM. Farewell! and yet how may I teach My heart to say Farewell to thee? My first young love, the light, the hope, The breath, the soul of life to me!

I had last night a strange wild dream, The very emblem of my love,— I saw a stately eagle's wing Become the refuge for a dove.

And for a while most tenderly The eagle cherished his guest; And never had the dove a home Of happiness like that fond breast.

It was a sight for Love to see That haughty and that gentle bird, Caressing and carest, so soft The mingling murmurs from them heard.

But troubled grew the eagle's crest, And stern and careless his dark eye, And so, regardless of the dove, I marvelled that she did not fly:

Then sudden spread his mighty plumes, And flung the helpless dove away; There on the ground, with broken wing, And soiled and bleeding breast, she lay.

Poor silly bird! if thou hadst flown Before, this fate had not been thine. I wakened, and I thought how soon Such fall, such falsehood, might be mine.