Poems (McDonald)/Serenade

by Mary Noel McDonald

SERENADE.

List while I sing to thee,
 Fairest and best;
Chase thy sweet slumbers,
 Awake from thy rest—
Hear the soft melodies
 Floating afar,
Breathed from the strings
 Of my tuneful guitar.

Steal from thy pillow,
 The casement unclose;
Lift the light curtain
 That veils thy repose—
Softly the moonbeam
 Its mantle will throw,
O'er thy fair tresses
 And ivory brow.

Part but one bud
 From the jessamine spray,
Press to thy bosom,
 Then toss it away—
Swift through the lattice
 Kind zephyr will bring
Love's fairy token,
 To bless while I sing.