Loneliness



A lily alone in a border of Roses:
    I saw her lean forward her beautiful head;
And the breezes were rich with the breath of her longing,
    Sweet grief wafted o'er to the Lily-bed.

There grew the bright Lilies, the fresh, golden Lilies;
    They caught the warm light in each exquisite flower:
Did they catch the faint fragrances the breeze wafted over?
    Did they dream of their mate in the Roses bower?

Alas! The meek stranger, alone 'mid her rivals!
    I waited the end with a pitying sigh:
I saw her droop forward, away from the Roses,
    And lean toward the Lilies, and wither, and die.
But when the last petal had faded and fallen
    Among the soft Rose-leaves, blush, amber, and red,
Did the free Lily-spirit escape t her sisters?
    Did the breeze waft her o'er to the Lily-bed?



Back to Top

Back to Home



From Joy, and Other Poems, by Danske Dandridge. Second Edition. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons - Knickerbocker Press, 1900.