Poems (Hoffman)/Summer Clouds
SUMMER CLOUDS.1884.
I watched the clouds at eveningWhen the Summer day neared its close,As above the sentinel mountain peaksTheir pinnacled temples rose.
Mistily blending togetherThe faint, fleecy curtains unfold;In the sky's magic mirror revealing,Linings of silver and gold.
And here and there in the fluffy foam,A twinkling star shines through;Mingling a golden radianceWith the filmy tints of blue.
'Till they seem like the pearly gateway,With the city towers just beyond;O'er whose walls of glittering jasperEternal day has dawned.
Oh! I almost catch the melodyThat the angels sing in Heaven;As I watch the faint, fair Summer clouds,O'er the sky's blue curtain driven.
And my soul mounts up on eagle's wings,To explore the realms unknown,While life and death in a new, strange light,Seem but a part to the throne.
When I think of the joy awaiting,Beyond the bier and the shroud,Death seems but a transient shadow,A passing Summer cloud.