Divinely gentle, the winds carry
My wayward soul; sublime
Mountain peaks pierce the low
Leafage of roseate clouds, and
Disappear moments later beneath,
As if rising and falling on that
Misty tide of lovely, soft fluff.
Sun strews its light-petals across
The moss-trodden crags an’ howls;
Shadows playing, jumping from
Rock to rock, from one solitary tree,
An evergreen thriving in scarcity,
To another. O, and the flowers, shards
Of rainbow-light! how every color
Falls in its place, and how exuberantly
Their shine, heavenly even, swells
Up in the eyes! O tears, o joy! How still
In beauty, the nature, and yet ever-
Changing! You rocky crowns of Alps,
The Bavarian evergreen forests,
The gushing Swiss streams; you gold
Of Europe, treasure of the world!
When I gaze upon the still, the beautiful,
I cannot but, tearful, fall on my knees
In awe-full amazement and joy! Kingly
Nature, cradle of Man! your gifts oft
We overlook; yet your loving arms,
All-embracing, are ever-welcoming!
O, mother, o holy spirit manifest!
My weary soul you revitalize, my waning
Flames you embolden and tame the wild
And wayward embers! O, love! O, sorrow!
You equalize each and every, light an’ dark,
Death and life; for all wilts and blossoms,
All comes and goes, but your beauty remains
Virgin, forever young - forever mine!