Daphnis
Hail, Solitude! hail, maiden coy and sweet!
The vesper veil descends,—hail, nymph discreet!
We would awhile forget the din and roar
Of feverous life, contending evermore,—
Lead to thy hush’d retreat!
Where shall we find thee, who desire thee so?
Where midst the lengthening shadows dost thou go?
Where slumberest thou when stars the night adorn?
Where glide thy feet at morn?
Seek they that rugged promontory
Where Athos towers lone above the sea?
Stray they where 'gainst the mountains hoary
Axenos moaning beats incessantly?
Or all the day in some shy sylvan nook,
Where cowslips pale and daffadillies blow,
Tread they the mellow turf, or weedy brook
Whose wimpling waters prattle as they flow?
Goddess with breath of balm,
What dear contentments nestle in thy calm!
The leveret and the fawn pursue
Thy paths through coverts dim, the halcyon blue,
By seas Ægean, griev'd remembrance heals
As she thy joyance feels;
And far below the merry-twinkling waves,
Bright Thetis breathes thy praise in orient caves.
And here, in this delightful wood,
Where saucy elves and winsome fairies bide,
We, also, would draw near thee, Solitude,
And lay our cares aside:
Draw near thee, nymph demure, and drain,
From flowery cups that know no touch profane,
The dews, delicious brimming;
Recline where poppies, purple-hued,
Droop low in lovely lassitude,
While belted bees in amorous mood
O'er thymy beds are swimming,
Or, musing 'neath some drowsy hemlock, gain
The sweet Morphæan anodyne for pain.
Long, long ago, to such seclusion,
Filled with accusing shame and grieved confusion,
Life's noontide dark, its promise dead,
The youthful Daphnis fled.
Child of the God, how could he brook
That curious eyes should gaping look
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poem by Florence Earle Coates from Poems (1898)
Added by Veronica Serbanoiu
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