Spring Lilacs

I.

One morning, I found Lilacs in the rain:
The sun had fled, the birds had stopped singing,
The skies were dimmed by gaunt and graying clouds—
But I stood by the Lilacs, weeping.

Each one seemed too sweet to outlive the morn,
Thickening the air with its dying breath;
I thought of all the beauties May has borne—
How sweetly they welcome Death.

II.

Oh! how dreamy was the new spring day,
Streams like pristine angels were sighing,
The trees rang out like Aeolian harps—
Only you, sweet Lilacs, were shivering.

Was the mid-May sunlight still too soft,
Or did a light breeze come and whisper
Tidings of some approaching season—
Did she mention the coming of winter?

III.

Once again, I’ve wandered into the garden
Where I used to play as a little child
When a thousand flowery faces would greet me,
All of them lovely and wild.

The dreamy lavender would serenely sway,
Sending its fragrant kisses through the air,
Until gentle breezes would chase them away,
Like children laughing, free of care.

Tears fell from the rose’s…