Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, CARVED SANDAL-WOOD, by MATTIE HALLAM LACY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CARVED SANDAL-WOOD, by                    
First Line: O jewel-casket, sandal-wood
Last Line: To voice your scented mysteries.
Subject(s): Craftsmanship


O jewel-casket, sandal-wood,
I would not have you, if I could,
Disturb milady's hour of ease
To voice your scented mysteries. . . .

Tell where you grew, what isle upon,
Perhaps far Fiji, far Ceylon;
What sun first waked your sandal-tree;
What breezes gave you fragrancy;
Or tell what artist's chisel sought
To token all your years have brought
By this skilled carving, whispering
Of jungle tree or jungle spring;
Of vine that gave you love's caress
Like an impassioned Druidess;
Of tropic bird's song from your bough,
An aria ringing even now.
Your beauty tells that craftsman's heart
Will pulsate ever in his art.
Guard well her jewels, paltry things
Compared to iridescent wings,
To blossoms you have known and lost,
To white-capped waves your sea has tossed.

O jewel-casket, sandal-wood,
I would not have you, if I could,
Disturb milady's hour of ease
To voice your scented mysteries.





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