When darkness sleeps on land and sea,
How oft in dreams, sweet fragile flower,
Thou'st come to bless and comfort me.

O, in the hush of midnight's hour,
How oft from taunting dreams I start,
To find thee but a fancy flower--
Thou cherished idol of my heart.
SANSON.

TO SANSON

I've a beautiful home, where I live in my dreams,
So joyous and happy--an Eden it seems;
All beautiful things in nature and are
Are blending to rapture the mind and the heart;
No discords to jar, no dissensions arise,
'Tis calm as Italia's ever blue skies,
When kissed by the bright rosy blush of the morn;
And a voice of the spheres on the breezes is borne,
Soft as the murmur of sea-tinted shells,
Sweet as the chiming of far away bells;
And grief cannot enter, nor trouble nor care,
And the proud peerless prince of my soul, he is there.

In my beautiful home from the cold world apart,
He holds me so close to his fast beating heart;
More enchanting his voice than the syren-wrapt song,
O'er the wind-dimpled ocean soft floating along,
As he whispers his love in love's low passioned tone,
Such home, and such lover, no other has known.
REVENITA.

TO REVENITA

O, let us leave this world behind--
Its gains, its loss, its praise, its blame--
Not seeking fame, nor fearing shame,
Some far secluded land we'll find,
And build thy dream-home, you and I,
And let this foolish world go by.

A paradise of love and bliss!
Delicious draughts in Eden bowers,
Of peace, and rest, and quiet hours,
We'll drink, for what we've missed in this.
The shafts of malice we'll defy,
And let this foolish world go by.
SANSON.

TO SANSON

Life of my life, my soul's best part,
I could not live without thee now;
And yet this love must break my heart,
Or break a sacred vow.

Which shall it be? an answer oft
From puzzling doubts I've sought to wake;
Must joy, or misery, hence be mine,
Must heart or promise break?

Alone, Heaven's highest court would prove
A desolated land to me;
Earth's barest, barren desert wild,
A paradise with thee.
REVENITA.

TO REVENITA

Thou hast beamed on my pathway, a vision of light,
To guide and to bless from afar;
To illume with thy smile the dead chill of night,
My star, my bright, beautiful star.

The sun pales b