Some flowers have withered and some joys have died;
The garden reeks with an East Indian scent
From beds where gillyflowers stand weak and spent;
The white heat pales the skies from side to side;
At noonday all the living creatures hide;
But in still lakes and rivers, cool, content,
Like starry blooms on a new firmament,
White lilies float and regally abide.
In vain the cruel skies their hot rays shed;
The lily does not feel their brazen glare;
In vain the pallid clouds refuse to share
Their dews; the lily feels no thirst, no dread;
Unharmed she lifts her queenly face and head;
She drinks of living waters and keeps fair!