Poems (Rice)/Marion

by Maria Theresa Rice

MARION.

BELOVED, list; those eyes of thine
Are lighted by a spark divine;
Nay, turn not, till I breathe the whole,
The beauty of thy mind, thy soul;
Of these, sweet Marion, I'd speak,
Richer than hue on brow or cheek;
And these the fairest flowers outvie
When morning dews upon them lie.

Others may charm with dance, with song,
But greater spells to thee belong;
Thy form of purity, of grace,
Arms perfect to enfold embrace;
Thy character with these combine
Great wealth and pleasure to outshine;
The gems of mind the most I prize,
A wife like thee, so truly wise.

Let others distant lands explore
For hidden or mysterious lore,
Content 'mid nature's fields I'll roam
With thee, in sylvan, rural home;
The purest rills unseen do flow,
And blossoms sweet in valleys blow;
A type of these the most I'd prize,
A wife like thee, so chaste, so wise.