Ode to a Crystalline Lake

Flood my sight,
Thou my crystalline delight,
With the early morning light
Refracted:

Let me see,
Dancing with a sparkling glee,
Ev’ry leaf of ev’ry tree
Reflected

In the surface calm, unbroken,
All agleam,
Of thy slumb’ring depths, unwoken
From a silent dream;
From a vision that I deem
Will evermore remain unspoken –
From a silent, wat’ry dream.

Oh! what tranquil mem’ries sleep
Within the bosom of thy deep,
All alone:
Musings of despondency,
Lovesick moan,
And the tears that I would weep
Now far beneath thy waters lie: –
For I was wont to sit and sigh –
Sigh alone;

And the laughter, filled with glee,
Born of mirth;
And the times I used to see,
Gaily dancing, wild and free,
The thousand moons thy waves would birth
From out the one hung joyously
Above the earth.

I stood upon thy pebbled shore –
Thy rock-strewn beach;
I learned thy murm’ring waters’ lore,
I heard the lessons thou didst teach,
And a stone
Was removed from my soul,
When I watched thy waters roll
All alone.

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