LIFE-YIELDING fragrance of our mother earth! Benignant breath exhaled from summer showers! -- All Nature dimples into smiles of flowers, From unclosed woodland, to trim garden girth; -- These perfumes softening the harsh soul of dearth, Are older than old Shinar's arrogant towers, -- And touched with visions of rain-freshened hours, On Syrian hill-slopes 'ere the patriarch's birth! Nay! the charmed fancy plays a subtler part! -- Lo! banished Adam, his large, wondering eyes Fixed on the trouble of the first dark cloud! Lo! tremulous Eve, -- a pace behind, how bowed, -- Not dreaming, 'midst her painful pants of heart, What balm shall fall from yonder ominous cloud! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON READING -- . by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE PURPLE COW by FRANK GELETT BURGESS AN ANTE-BELLUM SERMON by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR TO MUSIC; A FRAGMENT by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY LOCKSLEY HALL by ALFRED TENNYSON CORSICA by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD THE WEARY PUND O' TOW by ROBERT BURNS LAY OF THE DESERTED INFLUENZAED by HENRY CHOLMONDELEY-PENNELL |