Songs of Love and Rebellion/The dream that was veiled
THE DREAM THAT WAS VEILED
The flowers have faded, the roses are dead,
The birds from the gardens forever have fled;
The violin of hope, the harp of delight,
Their strings are unstrung and all silent to-night.
The peris of bliss and the fairies of life,
Have fallen at last in the terrible strife;
The chord that was perfect is all out of tune,
And winter envelops the gardens of June.
The rythm of nature is ever at fault,
And irksome the blue of the star-studded vault;
Oppressed and oppressor,—the soul is the twain,
A wanderer searching for Eden in vain.
O'er memory's seas like a beggar it strays,
Past island on island of beautiful days;
Still hoping to find the dream that was veiled,
The light that arose in the darkness, and failed.
Away and afar, and with never a rest;
And ever and ever the desolate nest;
And ever and ever the wearisome round,
The call of the spirit, . . . . . and silence profound.
The snow and the ice, and the cold winter breath,
The sob and the cry, and the stillness of death;
And ever and ever, forever is veiled
The light that arose in the darkness, and failed.