A SUMMER SONG.
Reading edition
The summer flowers in regal bloom Make field and garden fair, Their fragrance in the dreamy noon Perfumes the balmy air; The river murmurs through the vale Upon its sea-bound way, And o'er the pleasant hill and dale The birds sing blythe and gay,— And river, flowers, and birds to me Are ever bringing thoughts of Thee!
The woods at eve are cool and lone; And when I linger there, There's something in the wind's soft moan That whispers Thou art near. My thoughts by Fancy's chains are bound As by a magic spell, And strange, sweet visions wrap me round While in the lonely dell,— And rustling leaves and murmuring streams To me are bringing sweetest dreams.
The sunset saddens in the West, The stars peep through the skies; The weary day is hush'd to rest By gentlest zephyr sighs; The wavelets break upon the shore. The moon shines o'er the sea, The sandy beech I wander o'er Alone to dream of Thee,— And stars, and sky, and moonlit sea, All, all are bringing thoughts of Thee!