Bridal Peony

From Carman Bliss (1861-1929)
Canadian Poetry Archive

Arnoldus Villanova
Six hundred years ago
Said Peonies have magic,
And I believe it so.

She hath a deep-hid virtue
No other flower hath.
When summer comes rejoicing
A-down my garden path,
In opulence of color,
In robe of satin sheen,
She casts o’er all the hours
Her sorcery serene.

A subtile, heartening fragrance
Comes piercing the warm hush,
And from the greening woodland
I hear the first wild thrush.
They move my heart to pity
For all the vanished years,
With ecstasy of longing
And tenderness of tears.

And many a mystic flower
Of the wildwood I have known,
But Pionia Arnoldi
Hath a transport all her own.
For Peony, my Peony,
Hath strength to make me whole,–
She gives her heart of beauty
For the healing of my soul.

~

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All Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xoejy5/sets/72157603351442870/

Various sources