Poems of Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in The Amulet, 1835/The Proposal
THE PROPOSAL |
THE PROPOSAL.
BY L. E. L.
The summer sun looks laughing through the bough
Thick with the clustering leaves; a thousand flowers
Open their bright eyes to the fanning wind;
Songs are upon the air—a general song,
Many in one—the linnet and the thrush
Join with the blackbird in sweet unison.
All places are now fair, but far most fair
Is a lone garden by the river's side—
A garden of the ancient times, adorned
With quaint devices; branches cut in shapes
Of courtly fashion; and with terraces
Where foreign plants are ranged, and greenhouse flowers:
The white camelia in soft ivory carved—
The cactus, like a shining serpent, wreathed
With a red crown of rubies—orange trees
With small gold fruits, and buds that are like snow.
On such a terrace stands the maiden here:
So fair a face must love and be beloved
By summer flowers; each has so much of each
In either's nature. She is standing now
With eyes downcast and blue; the violet hides
So its deep colours and its dew from noon.
The rose is on her cheek; an unquiet bloom
That comes and goes, then settles down at last
In one rich flash of pleasure. What a smile!
A heartfelt conscious smile, scarce parts the lips
That seem as if they sighed; the deep-drawn sigh
Of anxious happiness, which builds on hope.
A scroll is in her hand; it bears the words
Of one who loves her—dear as his own life.
What will her answer be? A down-cast eye,
A blush, a smile—What can their answer be?
Yes!—only "Yes!"