Sonnet XXII, by Charlotte Smith

Oh! when the sun’s declining rays are borne
Down the dark shadows of the fading plain,
Into the depths of some bright starry morn,
When hopes unite with dreams that yet remain;

The world stands still, as though to mark the time,
The silence on the lake its sapphire dress,
So tranquil, like a softly whisper’d chime
That floats like wind above, a soothing caress.

O, let me live and breathe in beauty’s flame,
With every spark illuminate my way;
In spirit soar above the world’s deep pain,
Where nature leads, through night and endless day.

• Charlotte Smith