Jump to content

Poems (Kemble)/To Mrs. Dulaney

From Wikisource
Poems
by Frances Anne Kemble
To Mrs. Dulaney
4529746Poems — To Mrs. DulaneyFrances Anne Kemble
TO MRS. DULANEY.
    What was thine errand here?
Thy beauty was more exquisite than aught
    That from this marred earth
    Takes its imperfect birth;
It was a radiant, heavenly beauty, caught
    From some far higher sphere,
And though an angel now, thou still must bear
The lovely semblance that thou here didst wear.

    What was thine errand here?
Thy gentle thoughts, and holy, humble mind,
    With earthly creatures coarse,
    Held not discourse,
But with fine spirits, of some purer kind,
    Dwelt in communion dear;
And sure they speak to thee that language now,
Which thou wert wont to speak to us below.

    What was thine errand here?
To adorn anguish, and ennoble death,
    And make infirmity
    A patient victory,
And crown life's baseness with a glorious wreath,
    That fades not on thy bier,
But fits, immortal soul! thy triumph still,
In that bright world where thou art gone to dwell.