Tale of Eternity Author:Gerald Massey Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CARMINA NUPTIALIA. WEDDED LOVE. ""THIS little spring of life, that feeds the root Of England's greatness, giveth, underground, Bloom to the Flower, and ... more »freshness to the Fruit; Then wells and spreads, with golden ripples round, In circling glory to a sea of might, Embracing Home and Country of our love : Half-mirroring the beauty beyond sight— Taking some likeness of the abode above. THE WEDDING. A LL Women love a Wedding! old Or youthful; Mother, Widow, or Wife : It lights with precious gleam of gold The river of poorest life: For one, the gold is far and dim; For one, a glimpse of things to be; But here it sparkles, at the brim Of full felicity! And they will cluster by the way; Crowd at this Eden-gate, with eyes That run, and pray that this Pair may Keep their new Paradise. Green is the garden, as at first; As smiling-blue the happy skies, Where float the bubble-worlds that burst, And leave us smarting eyes. They seem to think that these must clasp The jewel turned to dew or mist: The glamour they could never grasp, Tho' wedded lips have kissed ; That this gold Apple of promise, crown'd With redness on the sunny side, Will gradually grow ripe all round; That this new Lover and Bride Must reach the breathing Magic Rose Such cunning spirits hold in air, On which our fingers could not close, Even when we knew 'twas there ! This nest of hopes will bring forth young Unto the brooding heart's low call— Not merely pretty birds'-eggs, strung To hide a naked wall! So many start thus, hand-in-hand— Few only reach the blessed goal; But these shall surely see the land Hid somewhere in the soul. And delicate airs creep sweetly through Old bridal-chambers dusty and dim : Down from a far heaven warm and blue, T...« less