Chapter III
(Lucia)
(Lucia)
All day the rain fell in a tedious drizzle,
All day a dreary wind blew cold and chill,
The very air seemed clouded with depression,
Weighed down with doubts and murmurings until
The glorious sun burst from behind a cloud,
For a brief moment glancing on the raindrops,
Setting the dripping roofs aglow with light,
Making bright gems of every pearly crystal,
Painting sweet Hope upon the clouds of night,
In the bright bow that spanned the impending gloom;
All day a dreary wind blew cold and chill,
The very air seemed clouded with depression,
Weighed down with doubts and murmurings until
The glorious sun burst from behind a cloud,
For a brief moment glancing on the raindrops,
Setting the dripping roofs aglow with light,
Making bright gems of every pearly crystal,
Painting sweet Hope upon the clouds of night,
In the bright bow that spanned the impending gloom;
Only a moment, then a cloud came over
And hid the vision in its misty fold,
Shutting the bright transforming gates of beauty,
Leaving but raindrops for the gems of gold,
Erasing the great Artist's marvelous lines.
And hid the vision in its misty fold,
Shutting the bright transforming gates of beauty,
Leaving but raindrops for the gems of gold,
Erasing the great Artist's marvelous lines.
Lucia stood watching the slow rain falling,
Gazing with a sense of awe upon the change,
Such a brief, unexpected transformation
Wakened her mind to feelings new and strange;
And then the transient inspiration vanished
Almost before she realized its beauty,
Almost before the fullness of its dawn;
She looked and lo, the clouds were touched with glory,
She looked and lo, the shining bow was gone,
And the dark clouds hung heavy as before;
But with it went her hopelessness and sadness,
And the deep crushing weight of untold grief,
Leaving instead a promise for the future;
O Vision, thy existence was but brief,
But thy sweet influence cannot be forgotten!
Gazing with a sense of awe upon the change,
Such a brief, unexpected transformation
Wakened her mind to feelings new and strange;
And then the transient inspiration vanished
Almost before she realized its beauty,
Almost before the fullness of its dawn;
She looked and lo, the clouds were touched with glory,
She looked and lo, the shining bow was gone,
And the dark clouds hung heavy as before;
But with it went her hopelessness and sadness,
And the deep crushing weight of untold grief,
Leaving instead a promise for the future;
O Vision, thy existence was but brief,
But thy sweet influence cannot be forgotten!
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