An angel wandering out of heaven,
And all too bright for Eden even,
Once through the paths of paradise
Made luminous the auroral air;
And, walking in His awful guise,
Met the Eternal Father there;
Who, when he saw the truant sprite,
Smiled love through all those bowers of light.
While deep within his tranced spell,
Our Eden sire lay slumbering near,
God saw, and said: " It is not well
For man alone to linger here. "
Then took that angel by the hand,
And with a kiss its brow He prest,
And whispering all His mild command
He laid it on the sleeper's breast;
With earth enough to make it human,
He chained its wings, and called it WOMAN .
And if perchance some stains of rust
Upon her pinions yet remain,
'Tis but the mark of God's own dust,
The earth-mould of that Eden chain!