Venetia

by Adah Isaacs Menken

Adah Isaacs Menken

Bright as the light that burns at night
In the starry depths of Aiden,
When star and moon in leafy June
With love and joy are laden;
Bright as the light from moon and star,
Stars in glorious cluster,
Be the lights that shine on this life of thine
Be the beauty of its lustre.
Beneath the moon in leafy June,
Sweet vows are fondly spoken;
Beneath the stars, the silvery tune
Of music floats unbroken.
Beneath the sky, and moon and stars,
Come nestling birds of beauty,
And Love with Bliss, and Hope with Joy
Troop down the path of duty.
Oh! ever may'st thou, bird of mine,
Nestle to my bosom sweetly,
Birds of my soaring, feathery hope,
That flyeth to me so fleetly.
Oh! ever thus may vows of love
My yearning soul inherit-
Vows unbroken, as those spoken
By celestial spirit.
And when the vow thou breathest now,
For me, for mine and only,
Shall float to Aiden's starry land,
Where none are lost or lonely,
Believe me, when the angel bends
His loving ear to listen,
Radiant will be the smile that blends
With the beauteous tears that glisten.
For darling, those who love us here
With tender, sweet emotion,
With love that knows no stop or fear,
But burneth with devotion;
'Tis only but another proof
That something good is left us,
That we are not by Heaven forgot,
That Heaven hath not bereft us.





Last updated July 05, 2015