Edward Smyth Jones

TO A. B. B.


Thou art, fair maid, the Morning Star,
    The guide of dawning day,
And sendest diamond sparkles far
    To wake the flowers of May.

Thou makest earth to bloom anew,
    A boon thou'rt wont to give,
And spillest out the morning dew,
    That all may blush and live.

Thou guardest with thy hand of might,
    And never showeth frown;
Earth lullest sleep when cometh night,
    And wak'st her with the dawn.

Fair maiden, God hast given thee
    All power near and far, -
The rosy dawning's light to be,
    The brightest Morning Star.

I

        O, fairest Dame of sylvan glades,
We come to pay thee homage due,
Embrace thee softly and to kiss
Thy lovely, long-forsaken cheeks;
To smooth thy flowing silver locks
And bind about thy snowy neck
A necklace golden studded full
With rarest gems and shining pearls.
        Our eyes, though sometimes dimmed with tears,
In purer lustre sparkle forth
Whene'er they fall agaze on thee!
Our ears attuned to thy sweet lay
Catch every flowing, cadent note
And bear it ever safe within
Our rapturous hearts, which gladly leap
Whene'er thy name is called!
Deep in our souls the quenchless fire
Of love full brightly burns upon
The sacred altar, set apart
For sprite commune and sacrifice;
Whose high-priest tends with loving care,
A...

Thrice hail the still unconquered King of Song!
    For all adore and love the Master Art
    That reareth his throne in temple of the heart;
And smiteth chords of passion full and strong
Till music sweet allures the sorrowing throng!
    Then by the gentle curving of his bow
    Maketh every mellow note in cadence flow,
To recompense the world of all its wrong.
Although the earth is full of cares and throes
    That tempt the crimson stream of life to cloy,
Thou mak'st glad hearts and trip'st "fantastic toes,"
    And fillest weary souls with mirth and joy -
The soul-entrancing cadence of thy strings
Proclaims thee Song's unconquered "King of kings"!

To a violet that faded on my coat at Natchez, Miss. March 8th, 1902.


Alas! thou lovely floweret wee,
    Fate blew a blighting breath
Upon the delicate form of thee, -
    Thou'st met untimely death!
Thou blowest, blushest nevermore,
    To drink the dews of night;
Thy sweet though short-lived life is o'er,
    Thou seest no more the light.

'Twas vain! aye, vain! the selfish strife
    That drooped thy purple crest;
Some swain or maiden took thy life,
    To deck a love-lorn breast.
Ah, floweret wee, the God who made
    All in the earth and sky,
Decreed that thou should blow and fade, -
    All else should live and die!

Now, he who wails the floweret's fate,
    And all the rest of man,
Must meet that fate, aye soon or l...

Coy, sweet maid, I love so well,
        Fair Estelle.
How much I love thee tongue can't tell,
        Sweet Estelle.
But I love thee - love thee true -
More than violets love the dew,
More than roses love the sun -
Do I love thee, dearest one,
        Dear Estelle!

Ah! my heart love's passions swell
        For Estelle!
How I love my actions tell
        Thee, Estelle:
That I love thy smiling face,
And thy captivating grace -
Love thy dreamy 'witching eyes
More than planets love the skies,
        Wee Estelle!

Now I smite my lyre to swell
        For Estelle;
Music's most entrancing spell
        O'er Estelle.
With my fingers on my keys,
Like the balmy morning breeze
Stealing softly through the grain,
W...

On seeing her December 25th, 1904, after two years' travel.


Take, fair maid, these simple lines
    From my pen;
Think of strollings 'neath the pines,
    Which have been -
Long and lonesome were the days
    We were apart,
But may Love, now, have her sways, -
    Bind heart to heart!
O'er main to isle and back to land
    Have I been;
Beheld on either hand
    A maiden queen:
But none with captivating charms
    Like thine;
None to nestle in her arms,
    Love of mine!
Charms unto thee God gave
    To banish strife;
To glorify and save
    One sweet life -
Take this, dear, before we part
    From this bliss;
'Tis but love flowing from my heart,
    Thine to kiss!

Were I a bird free born to fly
    Aloof on two wee, downy wings,
My canopy would be the sky
    When rosy morn its dawning springs.

Were I a bird I'd sweetly sing
    Earth's vesper song in tree-tops high,
And chant the carol of the Spring
    To every weary passer by.

Were I a bird, the sweetest voice
    That human ear has ever heard, -
The mocking-bird would be my choice,
    For he's the sweetest singing bird!

Were I a bird my life would be
    In keeping with the Will divine -
I'd sing His carols full and free
    In spreading oak and cony pine!

Were I a bird through air I'd roam,
    Just flitting on the morning breeze,
In search of summer's sunny dome,
    To live contentedly at ease.

Were I a bird I'd ...

Oh! What is living but moving about,
Buoyed up with hope and crushed down by doubt?
What is the draught of breath we harp on as life?
Naught but a sip of peace, a cup full of strife -
        What's the use?

What is the place we call our home, "sweet home"?
Naught but a span of space where one may roam:
Night's pitchy corner; a hard crust of bread;
Cot for your feeble limbs, pillow your head -
        What's the use?

Now, what is loving but acting a fool?
And what is quitting? - Producing a rule:
Break short the flight of Dan Cupid's swift dart,
Aimed at the core of an innocent heart!
        What's the use?

Say, what is marrying but getting in trouble?
Trifling 'way joy while your sorrow is double?
What, then, is your state my friend, a...

I call thee angel of this earth,
    For angel true thou art
In noble deeds and sterling worth
    And sympathetic heart.
I, therefore, seek none from afar
    For what they might have been,
But sing the praise of those which are
    That dwell on earth with men.

For when man was a tottling wee,
    Snug nestling on thy breast,
Or sporting gay upon thy knee,
    Oh, thou who lovest him best;
An overflowing stream of love,
    Sprung at his very birth,
And made thee gentle as a dove,
    Fair angel of this earth.

Thou cheerest ever blithesome youth
    With songs and fervent prayers,
And fillest heart with love and truth
    A store for future cares.
Thou lead'st him safely in his prime,
    True guide of every stage,
A...