Poem by Florence Earle Coates

Longing

The lilacs blossom at the door,
⁠⁠     The early rose
Whispers a promise to her buds,
⁠⁠     And they unclose.

There is a perfume everywhere,
     ⁠⁠A breath of song,
A sense of some divine return
⁠⁠     For waiting long.

Who knows but some imprisoned joy
     ⁠⁠From bondage breaks,—
Some exiled and enchanted hope
⁠⁠     From dreams awakes?

Who knows but you are coming back
⁠⁠     To comfort me
For all the languor and the pain,
⁠⁠     Persephone?

O come! For one brief spring return,
⁠⁠     Love's tryst to keep;
Then let me share the Stygian fruit,
⁠⁠     The wintry sleep!

1. First and Last
2. Love Sailed at Morn
3. Near and Far
4. Be Thou My Guide
5. Tennyson

Ina Coolbrith Longing ("O foolish wisdom sought in books!")

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