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: POEMS. SONG AND SORROW. INVITATION. TTOW long without wilt thou waiting stand ? Come in, thou dear and welcome guest; Too fiercely the winds sweep o'er the land, — Come, for a brief hour with me rest. In vain for shelter humbly pleading, From door to door long didst thou roam : How thou hast suffered while help needing! Come, rest at last within my home. In comfort sit thou down beside me, Lay thy dear head my hands within; Then will the peace return full surely Reft by this evil world of sin. With the soft whir of wings unfolding, From thy heart's depths sweet love will rise, With magic touch thy grave lips moulding, Till their loved smile doth greet my eyes. Come, rest: close my embrace will hold thee; So long as but one pulse beats yet, Ne'er will my heart turn from thee coldly, Or even in the grave forget. Thou look'st at me with timid longing; Mute still, despite the promised rest; Thy sole reply is tears swift thronging : Come, weep thy fill upon my breast. AT THE FIRESIDE. AT THE FIRESIDE. T LOVE the dusky twilight hour When at my fireside I sit, And watch its jaws of flame outpour, Light, graceful forms, which upward flit Like living flowers swift they rise, Where its red heart most deeply glows, And deck, like maids with laughing eyes, Their breasts with a golden rose. Their curls — gay, glitt'ring serpents sleek — Mount writhing, dart toward me, And breathe upon my faded cheek Youth's vanished sorcery. And higher mid the radiance, see, Their arms they stretch into the night, In a wild dance of elfin glee Which stirs the heart with keen delight. While burning kisses fervid glow, And still the whirling dance goes on, Ere longing doth fulfilment know — By their own fl...