II And what do you twitter for hours and hours To mullein, and thistle, and nodding sunflowers? Some enchanting little rune Fitted to a goldfinch tune? III I listen and listen with rapt delight To the twitter that follows the dip in your flight: Per-chic-o-ree, per-chic-o-ree! Gone! but not away from me. ROSES THREE BY RICHARD BUTLER GLAENZER .I Maid of my dream, O mine about to be, Name me the flower that hides so wistfully Lad of my dream, My master soon to be, It is the rose of life God gave to me, Bidding me nurse it as I would my soul: Thou comest! Lo, its thorns with honey stream. II O woman mine, All mine, yet strangely free, Name me the flower that swells so joyously Within the silver lilies of thy breast, Thou whose dear warmth can stir me more than wine! O man of mine, Whose arms have set me free, It is the rose of love thou gavest me. Without thy giving, hateful were its thorns: III Wife of my heart A heart that aches for thee-, Name me the flower that rests so winsomely Amid the golden lilies of thine arms, Life of my heart, A living flower for thee! It is the rose of God love gave to me, Though marred by thorns be every rose to come, HYMN BY BEAUDELAIRE Translated from "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charlotte Prentiss To the most dear, to the most fair, Immortal image idolized, All hail through immortality! Her presence spreads throughout my days As freshening airs blow from the sea, Fresh perfume that forever floats How shall I tell thy love divine, To the most kind, to the most fair All hail through immortality! |