SCRoots, MELODY

MELODY
by William Wragg Smith

Ah! when, in fancy dreaming,
  I gaze on thee, dear maid,
All nature's holy seeming
  Appears in thee portray'd!

The stars of heaven shine not
  More brightly than those eyes;
While Love and Hope divine not
  Their tender mysteries.

The music of the forest
  Is glad when thou art glad;
But, sweetest, when thou sorrow'st,
  The trees, they, too, are sad!

These flowers around us springing,
  Will die-will die, I'm sure;
These birds all gaily singing,
  Will sing-will sing no more,

Whenever, dearest maiden,
  Those accents cease to speak,
And Beauty's blossoms fade in
  That fresh and rosy cheek.

William Wragg Smith (1808-1875)
Smith was described as a man solitary in habits, musing and contemplative. He was a gentleman planter, inheriting Ashley Barony in South Carolina. An educated man he was a writer, poet, and botanist. Smith was a founding member of the Elliott Natural History Society.

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