POEMS OF JAMES RYDER RANDALL
Adorably Madonna-like,
By this communion rail,
Thy raptured face, though rich with youth,
Was spirit-lit and pale;
And oh those opulent blue eyes,
Those Meccas of despair—
They, they were glorious Eden-isles
Lost in a lake of prayer!
Saint Leonie! I saw thee flit
Gazelle-like to the street,
And pure, melodious angels led
Thy dainty, tinkling feet;
My rebel thoughts were petrel-winged,
Attendant upon thee,
Chasing thy loved and lissome shape
As Arabs of the sea.
Long did I love thee, belle Creole,
As Gebirs love the sun,
And in the temple of my soul
Thou wast the eidolon;
Long did I love thee, belle Creole,
Where corsair billows rise,
And where the silver planets soar
In unfamiliar skies!
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