The roamer and other poems/The Mallows
THE MALLOWS
How delicate they stand above the box,Against the fragile breath of summer seenWithin the garden's walls of emerald green(Dull cloistral hedges) and tall hollyhocksStarring the flowery distance! airy flocksOf veinèd petals hover there, and lean,Turned earthward, toward us, in the hush and sheen,—Our mallows, once more in the well-loved walks!
Oh, blest succession of the lengthening years,That brings again our annual holiday,And beautifies this season of our tearsWith former sights, and the familiar ray,Shining upon us from above the spheres,While flower and shrub keep the old heavenly way!