Some sprite, whose very soul is made
Of flow'rets' breaths and lovers' sighs,
And who might tell-

"For me, for me,"

Cried Nourmahal impatiently,—

"Oh! twine that wreath for me to-night."
Then, rapidly, with foot as light
As the young musk-roe's, out she flew
To cull each shining leaf that grew
Beneath the moonlight's hallowing beams
For this enchanted wreath of dreams.
Anemones and seas of gold,*

And new-blown lilies of the river,
And those sweet flow'rets, that unfold
Their buds on Camadeva's quiver;t—
The tube-rose, with her silvery light,
That in the Gardens of Malay
Is called the Mistress of the Night,t
So like a bride, scented and bright,

She comes out when the sun's away.-
Amaranths, such as crown the maids
That wander through Zamara's shades;§-
And the white moon-flower, as it shows
On Serendib's high crags to those
Who near the isle at evening sail,
Scenting her clove-trees in the gale ;-
In short, all flow'rets and all plants,
From the divine Amrita tree,
That blesses Heaven's inhabitants
With fruits of immorality,
Down to the basil** tuft, that waves
Its fragrant blossom over graves,
And to the humble rosemary,
Whose sweets so thanklessly are shed
To scent the desert tt and the dead,-

* "Hemasagara, or the Sea of Gold, with flowers of the brightest gold colour."

"The delicious odour of the blossoms of this tree justly gives it a place in the quiver of Camadeva or the God of Love."

"The Malayans style the tube-rose (Polianthes tuberosa) 'Sandal Malam,' or the Mistress of the Night."

§"In Zamara (Sumatra) they lead an idle life, passing the day in playing on a kind of flute, crowned with garlands of flowers, among which the globe amaranthus mostly prevails."

"The largest and richest sort (of the 'Jambu' or Rose-Apple) is called 'Amrita,' or immortal, and the mythologists of Tibet apply the same word to a celestial tree bearing ambrosial fruit."

**Sweet basil, called 'Rayhan' in Persia, and generally found in churchyards.

++"In the Great Desert are found many stalks of lavender and rosemary."

Who heaps her baskets with the flowers

And leaves till they can hold no more: Then to Namouna flies. and showers

Upon her lap the shining store.

Light of the Harem p. 145

Some sprite, whose very soul is made
Of flow'rets' breaths and lovers' sighs,
And who might tell-

"For me, for me,"

Cried Nourmahal impatiently,—

"Oh! twine that wreath for me to-night."
Then, rapidly, with foot as light

As the young musk-roe's, out she flew
To cull each shining leaf that grew
Beneath the moonlight's hallowing beams
For this enchanted wreath of dreams.
Anemones and seas of gold,*

And new-blown lilies of the river,
And those sweet flow'rets, that unfold
Their buds on Camadeva's quiver;†—
The tube-rose, with her silvery light,
That in the Gardens of Malay
Is called the Mistress of the Night,t
So like a bride, scented and bright,

She comes out when the sun's away.-
Amaranths, such as crown the maids
That wander through Zamara's shades ;§-
And the white moon-flower, as it shows
On Serendib's high crags to those
Who near the isle at evening sail,
Scenting her clove-trees in the gale;-
In short, all flow'rets and all plants,
From the divine Amrita tree,
That blesses Heaven's inhabitants
With fruits of immorality,
Down to the basil** tuft, that waves
Its fragrant blossom over graves,
And to the humble rosemary,
Whose sweets so thanklessly are shed
To scent the desert ft and the dead,—

* "Hemasagara, or the Sea of Gold, with flowers of the brightest gold colour."

"The delicious odour of the blossoms of this tree justly gives it a place in the quiver of Camadeva or the God of Love."

"The Malayans style the tube-rose (Polianthes tuberosa) 'Sandal Malam,' or the Mistress of the Night."

"In Zamara (Sumatra) they lead an idle life, passing the day in playing on a kind of flute, crowned with garlands of flowers, among which the globe amaranthus mostly prevails."

"The largest and richest sort (of the 'Jambu' or Rose-Apple) is called 'Amrita,' or immortal, and the mythologists of Tibet apply the same word to a celestial tree bearing ambrosial fruit."

**Sweet basil, called 'Rayhan' in Persia, and generally found in churchyards.

++"In the Great Desert are found many stalks of lavender and rosemary."