In the silent night?

In my secret chamber refuge taking,

’Neath the moon’s soft ray,
And her awful light around me breaking,

  Musing there I lay.

And I dream’d of hours with joy o’erflowing,

Golden, truly blest,
While thine image so beloved was glowing

  Deep within my breast.

Now to the card-table hast thou bound me,

’Midst the torches glare? 
Whilst unhappy faces are around me,

  Dost thou hold me there?

Spring-flow’rs are to me more rapture-giving,

Now conceal’d from view;
Where thou, angel, art, is Nature living,

  Love and kindness too.

1775.
-----
May song.

How fair doth Nature

Appear again! 
How bright the sunbeams!

How smiles the plain!

The flow’rs are bursting

From ev’ry bough,
And thousand voices

Each bush yields now.

And joy and gladness

Fill ev’ry breast! 
Oh earth!—­oh sunlight!

Oh rapture blest!

Oh love! oh loved one!

As golden bright,
As clouds of morning

On yonder height!

Thou blessest gladly

The smiling field,—­
The world in fragrant

Vapour conceal’d.

Oh maiden, maiden,

How love I thee! 
Thine eye, how gleams it!

How lov’st thou me!

The blithe lark loveth

Sweet song and air,
The morning flow’ret

Heav’n’s incense fair,

As I now love thee

With fond desire,
For thou dost give me

Youth, joy, and fire,

For new-born dances

And minstrelsy. 
Be ever happy,

As thou lov’st me!

1775.*
-----
With A painted ribbon.

Little leaves and flow’rets too,

Scatter we with gentle hand,
Kind young spring-gods to the view,

Sporting on an airy band.

Zephyr, bear it on the wing,

Twine it round my loved one’s dress;
To her glass then let her spring,

Full of eager joyousness.

Roses round her let her see,

She herself a youthful rose. 
Grant, dear life, one look to me!

’Twill repay me all my woes,

What this bosom feels, feel thou.

Freely offer me thy hand;
Let the band that joins us now

Be no fragile rosy band!

1770.
-----
With A golden necklace.

This page a chain to bring thee burns,

That, train’d to suppleness of old,
On thy fair neck to nestle, yearns,

In many a hundred little fold.

To please the silly thing consent!

’Tis harmless, and from boldness free;
By day a trifling ornament,

At night ’tis cast aside by thee.