Poems (Hornblower)/Sonnet, to the Sweet-Briar
SONNET.TO THE SWEET BRIAR.
O sweetest, purest fragrance!of what hours Dost thou remind me, like thyself,all sweet; When eyes beloved I fondly joyed to meet,That beamed their welcome amid * * 's bowers.The dark green shades, the blossoming banks were there, And ah! a form revered beneath them moved, Whose every look, whose lightest word I lovedEven then—undimmed by age, unpaled by care.Ah! how much dearer when the dark storm rose, That to that heart its ruthless arrow sent; How touching was thy trustful, hushed lament,The blissful love that triumphed o'er thy woes.When nature's blessed face was closed to thee,Thine own still shone in meek serenity!