A Carcanet Poem by John Bannister Tabb

I give thee, love, a carcanet,
With all the rainbow splendor set,
Of diamonds that drink the sun,
Of emeralds that feed upon
His light as doth the evergreen,
A memory of spring between
This frost of whiter pearls than snow,
And warmth of violets below
A wreath of opalescent mist,
Where blooms the tender amethyst;
Here, too, the captives of the mine-
The sapphire and the ruby-shine,
Rekindling each a hidden spark,
Unquenched by buried ages dark,
Nor dimmed beneath the jeweled skies,
Save by the sunlight of thine eyes.