To [poem by William Blocksidge (William Baylebridge)]

[Editor: This poem by William Blocksidge (also known as William Baylebridge) was published in Songs o’ the South (1908).]

X.

To ————

Where winding Lota laves the flowery lea,
And wattles wear their fragrant gowns of gold,
And lilies spring, and violets unfold
Their perfumed off’rings, pure and fair to see,
Beloved, my heart is burning there to be,
To fold thee to my fond but aching breast;
For sorrows fade when heart next heart can rest;
And I love best the heart that beats for me.
Dear maid, the lilies seem ashamed to show
Their loveliness, that pales, when thou art near;
Thine eyes more blue than violets appear;
And wattles ne’er such golden locks could grow.
But this, Dear Heart, doth please me best, I own —
Thy spotless soul lends Purity a throne.

Source:
William Blocksidge, Songs o’ the South, London: Watts, 1908, p. 28

Editor’s notes:
art = (archaic) are

doth = (archaic) does

lave = to lap up against or wash up against

lea = field, grassland, meadow, pasture

Lota = Lota Creek (located east of Brisbane, Qld.), which flows through Lota and Ransome and then into Moreton Bay

maid = maiden, young woman, young female (may also refer to a female servant)

ne’er = (vernacular) an archaic contraction of “never”

off’ring = (vernacular) offering

own = confess; admit or affirm that something is true

thee = (archaic) you

thine = (archaic) your; yours