Lillie: Six Moons Old

Little One! with eyes of azure,
    Bounding on thy mother’s knee,
Well I hear thy trill of pleasure
Cooing, humming, softly curving
    From thy regal throne to me;
Ha, ha! Lillie, little Lillie
    I am glad to think of thee!

Toss thy tiny arms & flutter,
    Clench thy pretty, dimpled fist,
Smile the joy too deep to utter,
While the playful fills thy clay full
    As the sunshine fills the mist:
Ho, ho, Lillie, lovely Lillie!
    Thee have happy Angels kiss’d!

Leap up laughing, & embracing
    Winged babes we cannot see,
In the blue air round the chasm
------
One another, sister, brother,
    Playmates of thy sinless glee
Aye, aye! Lillie! laughing Lillie,
    This high mirth hewrayeth thee!

What, ho! rolling all together,
    Rosy feet to rosy lips,
Till one scarce could answer whether,
In this fisting, flirting, froishing,
    These be toes or finger-tips!
Ha, Queen Lillie! lithest Lillie,
    Not the Pope his own toe nips!

Clasping in those dainty fingers
    That curved foot-palm, while thy glance
With a glad half-wonder fingers,
Scanning, serious, its mysterious
    Use & beauty, as in trance, –
Pictured Lillie, thoughtful Lillie,
    Sweet is thy still countenance.

Then into a smile grown slowly,
    Lifting up thine eye to hers,
------
Sweets yet it blooms, a holy
Visible presence of pure Essence
    And we are thy worshippers,
For our own Lillie, our white Lillie,
    Glad though every pulse that stirs.

Six of Saturn’s fair-eyed daughters
    Have come forth to see thy star,
While above the western waters
Dian bowing, marked this going,
    With her burnished scimitar;
Yet my Lillie, young-eyed Lillie,
    Seemest thou old as planets are!

Comes no joyous recollection,
    Though from my remotest past,
But some swiftly spun connection,
Fine & golden searce beholden,
    Through & through it weaves thee fast,
So our sempiternal Lillie
    Makes of all mine Me at last.