Page:The Poets and Poetry of the West.djvu/678

 662 LOUISA A. McGAFFBY. [1850-60. The long streets roar with hurrying feet, And all his white shores wooed with mur- And din tumultuous, dire, murous kisses, And fierce the city's pulses beat Subdued by the magical light of her Through all her veins of fire. face. Swart Labor, with his hundred hands, To deck the gray earth in the fairest of Strikes, and the mighty ringing raiment. With life's deep pulses keepetli time, A thousand bright blooms lent their And with the poet's singing. beautiful aid. Within his workshop, smoke embrowned, And down through the twinkling leaves of the forest, June peeping, saw, smiling, the show that they made. With valorous blows he fashions Bright links, that bind to frozen North The tropic's glowing passions ; That links all nations into one, And the rose, queen of flowers, beloved of In thought and in desire. the poet. And flashes over lonely seas, Blushed crimson as morning when June The swift, electric fire ; stooped to kiss The dew from her petals, and breathed out That, lightning-winged, spurns time and her yearning space. And passionate soul in that moment of And, herald of new ages. bliss. Translates to us in woi'ds of flame The future's glowing pages. So as I write, the glad, bright day Looks down with sweet forewarning, A louder hum now fills the streets. THE HARVEST-MOON. And closed the gates of morning. Slowlt above the darkening eastern woods Rises again the round Harvest-Moon, O'erbrims their hollows with soft light, and floods JUNE. With silver radiance all my httle room ; Looks down on meadows sweet with new- Through a gateway of cloud amber, rose- mown hay. hued and golden. And yellow wheat-fields rich in golden From the limitless heaven came the glo- sheaves — ry of June ; On rustling corn-fields bending to the sway The mountams smiled grandly, the pines Of cool west winds, her softest spell she waved a welcome. weaves. And rivers and rivulets chorused in tune. Hushed lies the di-eaming world, the very Even the tyrant old ocean, forgetting his air Seems full of blessings, and this holy anger. calm. Clasped his children, the islands, in lov- After the heat and turmoil of the day, ing embrace, Falls on the soul a healing and a balm.