Blue! 'tis the hue of heaven, — the domain
Of Cynthia, - the bright palace of the sun,
The tent of Hesperus and all his train,
The bosomer of clouds, gold, grey, and dun.
Blue, 'tis the life of waters, — ocean,
With all his tributary streams, pools numberless,
May rage and foam and fret, but never can
Subside, if not to dark-blue nativeness.
Blue! gentle cousin to the forest green;
Married to green in all the sweetest flowers, —
Forget-me-not; the bluebell; and that queen
Of secrecy, the violet. — What strange powers
Hast thou, as a mere shadow! but how great
When in an eye thou art alive with fate!