From Ailenroc’s Book, by Cornelia Alexander
To-day, while the sun shone warm and bright,
Bathing the sun in its mellow light;
While the air was sweet with the breath of flowers,
And the peach blooms fell in rosy showers,
I closed my eyes to the sunlight’s gleam,
And drifted off in a restful dream,
Back through the valley of hopes and fears,
Back to the scenes of my childhood’s years.
Again I lay on the soft, green grass,
Watching the fleecy cloud banks pass,
Building my castles, tall and fair–
Castles in cloudland, based on air;
While close at hand, a murmuring thing,
Gurgled the dear old meadow spring.
Cool and fragrant and sweet the spot,
One that my heart has ne’er forgot;
Feathery ferns grew round the brink,
Brushing the lips that stooped to drink;
Tuneful birds in the thickets sang;
Musical bells in the distance rang;
Starlike flowers peeped through the grass,
Nodding their heads at the merry lass,
Who came each day, a careless thing,
To lie and dream by the meadow spring.
