Nymph And Zephyr: A Statuary Group. By Westmacott Poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Nymph And Zephyr: A Statuary Group. By Westmacott
AND the summer sun shone in the sky,
And the rose's whole life was in its sigh,
When her eyelids were kiss'd by a morning beam,
And the Nymph rose up from her moonlit dream;
For she had watch'd the midnight hour
Till her head had bow'd like a sleeping flower;
But now she had waken'd, and light and dew
Gave her morning freshness and morning hue,--
Up she sprang, and away she fled
O'er the lithe grass stem and the blossom's head,
From the lillies' bells she dash'd not the spray,
For her feet were as light and as white as they.
Sudden upon her arm there shone
A gem with the hues of an Indian stone,
And she knew the insect bird whose wing
Is sacred to PSYCHE and to spring;
But scarce had her touch its captive prest
Ere another prisoner was on her breast,
And the Zephyr sought his prize again,--
'No,' said the Nymph, thy search is vain:
And her golden hair from its braided yoke
Burst like the banner of hope as she spoke,
'And instead, fair boy, thou shalt moralize
Over the pleasure that from thee flies;
Then it is pleasure,--for we possess
But in the search, not in the success.'
It's a pity there are so few of Landon's poems here. However, you should look up the Thessalian Fountain, another poem full of subtle beauty. (first published as a Fragment,4th Series,24th January 1824) A small clear fountain, with green willow trees Girdling it round, there is one single spot Where you may sit and rest, its only bank; .....
Glad you have discovered Landon's genius but of course she was too great a challenge to the Victorian patriarchal society and had to be suppressed.
..........................................~~~~~~~~~~~~ love love love ~~~~~~~~~~~................................ .............I can't believe this poem has no comments.....this poem is fantastic, and so beautifully written it is like a dream....truly this is the BEST poem I have read today.....actually in a very, very long time....definitely adding this write to my poem collection....
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 7:16:12 AM # 1.0.0.1119
This statue, or one like it, was sold by Sotheby's in 2002 - Lot 84, and its image can be found on the internet.