Poems (Hoffman)/Laurel Dell
LAUREL DELL.
Where the California laurel droops its slender branches low,'Till they play, caress and quarrel with the lake by which they grow;Where the flowers bloom the brightest,Bluest, rosiest and whitest,Where the water-lilies yellowLie like golden fruit and mellowOn the waters, azure waters, dreamy waters of the lake,There to wander, dream and ponder,Care and toil and pain forsake;Cast them madly, sadly, gladly,On the waters, dreamy waters, there to sleep and never wake.Here the butterfly enraptured rises on the scented gales,Gold from liquid sunbeams captured glimmers in his silken sailsAs he floats in airy motionO'er the miniature blue oceanTo the cat-tail flags that shiver,And the slender reeds that quiver,O'er the waters, azure waters, crystal waters of the lake.