MADELINE. THOU art not steep'd in golden languors, No tranced summer calm is thine, Ever varying Madeline. Thro' light and shadow thou dost range, Sudden glances, sweet and strange, Delicious spites, and darling angers, And airy forms of flitting change. Smiling, frowning, evermore, Thou art perfect in love-lore. Revealings deep and clear are thine Of wealthy smiles: but who may know Whether smile or frown be fleeter? Whether smile or frown be sweeter, VOL. I. Who may know ? C Frowns perfect-sweet along the brow Like little clouds sun-fringed, are thine, Ever varying Madeline. Thy smile and frown are not aloof From one another, Each to each is dearest brother; Hues of the silken sheeny woof All the mystery is thine; A subtle, sudden flame, By veering passion fann'd, About thee breaks and dances; When I would kiss thy hand, The flush of anger'd shame O'erflows thy calmer glances, And o'er black brows drops down A sudden-curved frown: But when I turn away, Thou, willing me to stay, Wooest not, nor vainly wranglest; All my bounding heart entanglest Then in madness and in bliss, Thy taper fingers amorously, SONG. THE OWL. WHEN cats run home and light is come, And the far-off stream is dumb, And the whirring sail goes round, And the whirring sail goes round; Alone and warming his five wits, The white owl in the belfry sits. When merry milkmaids click the latch, Twice or thrice his roundelay : SECOND SONG. TO THE SAME. THY tuwhits are lull'd I wot, So took echo with delight, That her voice untuneful grown, Wears all day a fainter tone. I would mock thy chaunt anew; Not a whit of thy tuwhoo, Thee to woo to thy tuwhit, Thee to woo to thy tuwhit, With a lengthen❜d loud halloo, Tuwhoo, tuwhit, tuwhit, tuwhoo-0-0. |