Ten o'clock: the broken moon <br />Hangs not yet a half hour high, <br />Yellow as a shield of brass, <br />In the dewy air of June, <br />Poised between the vaulted sky <br />And the ocean's liquid glass. <br /> <br />Earth lies in the shadow still; <br />Low black bushes, trees, and lawn <br />Night's ambrosial dews absorb; <br />Through the foliage creeps a thrill, <br />Whispering of yon spectral dawn <br />And the hidden climbing orb. <br /> <br />Higher, higher, gathering light, <br />Veiling with a golden gauze <br />All the trembling atmosphere, <br />See, the rayless disk grows white! <br />Hark, the glittering billows pause! <br /> <br />Faint, far sounds possess the ear. <br />Elves on such a night as this <br />Spin their rings upon the grass; <br />On the beach the water-fay <br />Greets her lover with a kiss; <br />Through the air swift spirits pass, <br />Laugh, caress, and float away. <br /> <br />Shut thy lids and thou shalt see <br />Angel faces wreathed with light, <br />Mystic forms long vanished hence. <br />Ah, too fine, too rare, they be <br />For the grosser mortal sight, <br />And they foil our waking sense. <br /> <br />Yet we feel them floating near, <br />Know that we are not alone, <br />Though our open eyes behold <br />Nothing save the moon's bright sphere, <br />In the vacant heavens shown, <br />And the ocean's path of gold.<br /><br />Emma Lazarus<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-june-night/
