The Fairy Queen Sleeping. by Stothard
She lay upon a bank, the favourite haunt
Of the spring wind in its first sunshine hour,
For the luxuriant strawberry blossoms spread
Like a snow-shower there, and violets
Bow’d down their purple vases of perfume
About her pillow,—link’d in a gay band
Floated fantastic shapes, these were her guards,
Her lithe and rainbow elves.
WE have been o’er land and sea,
Seeking lovely dreams for thee,—
Where is there we have not been
Gathering gifts for our sweet queen?
We are come with sound and sight
Fit for fairy’s sleep to-night,—
First around thy couch shall sweep
Odours, such as roses weep
When the earliest spring rain
Calls them into life again;
Next upon thine ear shall float
Many a low and silver note,
Stolen from a dark-eyed maid
When her lover’s serenade,
Rising as the stars grew dim,
Waken’d her from thoughts of him.
There shall steal o’er lip and cheek
Gales, but all too light to break
Thy soft rest,—such gales as hide
All day orange-flowers inside,
Or that, while hot noontide, dwell
In the purple hyacinth bell;
And before thy sleeping eyes
Shall come glorious pageantries,—
Palaces of gems and gold,
Such as dazzle to behold,—
Gardens, in which every tree
Seems a world of bloom to be,—
Fountains, whose clear waters show
The white pearls that lie below.—
During slumber’s magic reign
Other times shall live again;
First thou shalt be young and free
In thy days of liberty,—
Then again be woo’d and won
By thy stately OBERON .
Or thou shalt descend to earth,
And see all of mortal birth.
No, that world’s too full of care
For e’en dreams to linger there.
But, behold, the sun is set,
And the diamond coronet
Of the young moon is on high
Waiting for our revelry;
And the dew is on the flower,
And the stars proclaim our hour;
Long enough thy rest has been,
Wake, TITANIA, wake our queen!
