III

On she came, that joyous creature,
Sunlight laughing from each feature,
Glorious Summer ! her bright eyes
Glowing forth from galaxies
Of flowers her crowned head enwreathing.
The rich life of roses breathing
From her lips entranced the heart:
Then the King forgot coy Spring
With her wreaths unblossoming;
For the Enchantress held a wand
That made time and life forgot,
Till he asked no heaven beyond
His life with her own inwrought,
Of herself the immortal part;
Taintless of earth's base alloy,
While inebriate with joy.

But, alas! the cup, while blending
Earth with heaven, its lees imparts;
And the longest day has ending,
And joy, shadow-like, departs;
And she knew the hour was nearing
She her sister must pursue,
To guard chill or blight from searing
Flowers that her breath renew,
And the life they from it drew.
But on him a look she stole
Of a long and last regret,
For she knew herself the soul
Of his spirit since they met;
That her parting was for ever;
For she saw his grief when he
Felt in her inconstancy
Summer fled from him for ever!

IV

Then the staid King sighed; while sighing,
Stood a Vision by his side,
As if to his thought replying,
His heart's aching want supplied;
Raised like some immortal thing
Of the poet's imaging.
So she stood in glory there,
By her golden zone avowed,
And her cheeks' empurpled hue,
Full-eyed A UTUMN ! while she threw
Round her, like an amber cloud,
Her rich threads of glittering hair!
Vine-leaves round her forehead twining,
That Bacchante rare poured forth,
From her cup of rubies shining,
Wine, the inspirer! that with mirth
The ecstatic soul convulses;
That inflames or soothes love's dart,
That restores the sinking pulses
Of the life-oppressed heart;
And the monarch gazed on her
As if he were the idolater
Of that Nymph so wild, that she
Could not leave him like the rest;
As if immortality
Grew but from that panting breast.