[ياسمين]

Al Aaraaf PART I

O! nothing earthly save the ray (Thrown back from

flowers) of

Beauty's eye, As in those gardens where the day Springs from

the gems of Circassy- O! nothing earthly save the thrill Of melody

in woodland rill- Or (music of the passion-hearted) Joy's voice so

peacefully departed That like the murmur in the shell, Its echo

dwelleth and will dwell- Oh, nothing of the dross of ours- Yet all

the beauty- all the flowers That list our Love, and deck our

bowers- Adorn yon world afar, afar- The wandering star.

'Twas a sweet time for Nesace- for there Her world lay lolling on

the golden air, Near four bright suns- a temporary rest- An oasis

in desert of the blest. Away- away- 'mid seas of rays that roll

Empyrean splendor o'er th' unchained soul- The soul that scarce

(the billows are so dense) Can struggle to its destin'd eminence,-

To distant spheres, from time to time, she rode And late to ours,

the favor'd one of God- But, now, the ruler of an anchor'd realm,

She throws aside the sceptre- leaves the helm, And, amid incense

and high spiritual hymns, Laves in quadruple light her angel

limbs.

Now happiest, loveliest in yon lovely Earth, Whence sprang the

"Idea of Beauty" into birth, (Falling in wreaths thro' many a

startled star, Like woman's hair 'mid pearls, until, afar, It lit on hills

Achaian, and there dwelt) She looked into Infinity- and knelt. Rich

clouds, for canopies, about her curled- Fit emblems of the model

of her world- Seen but in beauty- not impeding sight Of other

beauty glittering thro' the light- A wreath that twined each starry

form around, And all the opal'd air in color bound.

All hurriedly she knelt upon a bed

Of flowers: of lilies such as rear'd the head

On the fair Capo Deucato, and sprang

So eagerly around about to hang

Upon the flying footsteps of- deep pride-

Of her who lov'd a mortal- and so died.

The Sephalica, budding with young bees,

Upreared its purple stem around her knees:-

And gemmy flower, of Trebizond misnam'd-

Inmate of highest stars, where erst it sham'd

All other loveliness:- its honied dew

(The fabled nectar that the heathen knew)

Deliriously sweet, was dropp'd from Heaven,

And fell on gardens of the unforgiven