LEONAINIE

Leonainie—Angels named her;And they took the lightOf the laughing stars and framed herIn a smile of white;And they made her hair of gloomyMidnight, and her eyes of bloomyMoonshine, and they brought her to meIn the solemn night.—In a solemn night of summer,When my heart of gloomBlossomed up to greet the comerLike a rose in bloom;All forebodings that distressed meI forgot as Joy caressed me—(LyingJoy! that caught and pressed meIn the arms of doom!)Only spake the little lisperIn the Angel-tongue;Yet I, listening, heard her whisper,—“Songs are only sungHere below that they may grieve you—Tales but told you to deceive you,—So must Leonainie leave youWhile her love is young.”Then God smiled and it was morning.Matchless and supremeHeaven’s glory seemed adorningEarth with its esteem:Every heart but mine seemed giftedWith the voice of prayer, and liftedWhere my Leonainie driftedFrom me like a dream.

Leonainie—Angels named her;

And they took the light

Of the laughing stars and framed her

In a smile of white;

And they made her hair of gloomy

Midnight, and her eyes of bloomy

Moonshine, and they brought her to me

In the solemn night.—

In a solemn night of summer,When my heart of gloomBlossomed up to greet the comerLike a rose in bloom;All forebodings that distressed meI forgot as Joy caressed me—(LyingJoy! that caught and pressed meIn the arms of doom!)

In a solemn night of summer,

When my heart of gloom

Blossomed up to greet the comer

Like a rose in bloom;

All forebodings that distressed me

I forgot as Joy caressed me—

(LyingJoy! that caught and pressed me

In the arms of doom!)

Only spake the little lisperIn the Angel-tongue;Yet I, listening, heard her whisper,—“Songs are only sungHere below that they may grieve you—Tales but told you to deceive you,—So must Leonainie leave youWhile her love is young.”

Only spake the little lisper

In the Angel-tongue;

Yet I, listening, heard her whisper,—

“Songs are only sung

Here below that they may grieve you—

Tales but told you to deceive you,—

So must Leonainie leave you

While her love is young.”

Then God smiled and it was morning.Matchless and supremeHeaven’s glory seemed adorningEarth with its esteem:Every heart but mine seemed giftedWith the voice of prayer, and liftedWhere my Leonainie driftedFrom me like a dream.

Then God smiled and it was morning.

Matchless and supreme

Heaven’s glory seemed adorning

Earth with its esteem:

Every heart but mine seemed gifted

With the voice of prayer, and lifted

Where my Leonainie drifted

From me like a dream.

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