WOMANHOOD

The summer takes its hue

From something opulent as fair in her,

And the bright heaven is brighter than it was;

Brighter and lovelier,

Arching its beautiful blue,

Serene and soft, as her sweet gaze, o'er us.

The springtime takes its moods

From something in her made of smiles and tears,

And flowery earth is flowerier than before,

And happier, it appears,

Adding new multitudes

To flowers, like thoughts, that haunt us evermore.

Summer and spring are wed

In her — her nature; and the glamour of

Their loveliness, their bounty, as it were,

Of life and joy and love,

Her being seems to shed,—

The magic aura of the heart of her.