Bertram Andrews
The scented zephyr whispers down the hill.
The trees droop low to catch his message sweet.
Rippling, it flows from bough to bough until
It tells me, murmuring softly and discreet.
My love is nigh – and all my pulses fill
With longing: while the summer beauties fleet
Unseen, unmarked, before my eyes that strain
For that first glimpse of her whose magic
Stirs my brain.
The summer takes a fresher sweetness now
The flow’rets bloom in colours yet more fair
And those caressing breezes softer flow
And add more radiant perfume to the air.
Enchanted, Nature’s beauties brighter glow.
She dons a magic loveliness more rare.
My love is nigh – the earth becomes more bright,
And learns to show more lovely in my
loved one’s sight.
The brazen sun his boldness finds too gay,
Confronted with that beauty: and apace
Red and asham’d, he hastes to flee away:
And earth, relieved, still finds a newer grace
When he is gone. And in the twilight grey
Ethereal shines that perfect wistful face.With benediction stars awake high above
And all my heart goes out in strong
Abiding love.
In passion’s colours, scarlet, purple, mauve.
The sun expires: and silver floods the land
All virginal and pure the moonbeams rove
And line with light the earth on ev’ry hand.
There, where the fierce descending Phoebus strove
With Dian’s onrush, now a stately band
White, fleecy clouds, float through the steel-blue sky
On earth is peace, and in my soul, for Love is nigh.
The nestling villages in silence sleep
The little rivers murmur quietly.
Athwart the moonlit hills the shadows creep
And all the night seems full of mystery.
It’s silences my inmost fibres steep
And lull my spirit to an ecstacy.
Cathedral-like the stillness broods, and rest
Sentient of Love, lies like a garment on Earth’s breast.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is about love transforming the world. The speaker isn’t just feeling love; they’re seeing it everywhere, in everything. The wind, the trees, the flowers, even the sky itself—everything seems to know and respond to the presence of the beloved. The natural world doesn’t just reflect the speaker’s emotions; it intensifies them, making everything more vivid and meaningful. The poem isn’t just about longing or devotion—it’s about how love can shift perception, how it can make even the ordinary seem enchanted.
The first stanza sets up that idea. The wind carries a message, the trees lean in to listen, and the speaker’s heart races. The beloved isn’t even there yet, but already the world is changing. Summer, which should be full of beauty, fades into the background because the speaker’s only focus is on the one they love. That moment of anticipation is powerful—it makes time slow down, makes everything else seem distant.
Then the poem moves into the idea of nature itself reacting. Flowers bloom brighter, the air is richer, and the world seems to be trying to impress the beloved. There’s something almost magical about it, as if love itself has altered reality. It’s not enough for the speaker to feel more alive—everything around them has to change too. The poem makes it clear that love isn’t just an emotion; it’s a force, something that ripples through the world.
The third stanza introduces an even bigger shift. The sun, normally the most powerful presence in the sky, seems embarrassed, like it can’t compete with the beauty of the beloved. It disappears, and the night takes over. But instead of being dark or cold, the twilight is soft, gentle, welcoming. The stars wake up, the moonlight washes over the land, and everything seems to settle into a peaceful glow. Love has reshaped the world, made it calmer, purer, more perfect.
By the final stanza, the world is completely still. Villages sleep, rivers murmur, shadows stretch across the hills. The speaker isn’t just watching anymore—they’re part of it, fully immersed in the quiet, feeling that peace sink into them. The word *cathedral-like* suggests something sacred, something bigger than just personal emotion. Love, in the end, isn’t just about passion or longing. It’s about harmony, about feeling in tune with something greater. The earth is resting, and so is the speaker. Love isn’t just near—it has become part of everything.