In the dawn of the day, when the sea and the earth
Reflected the sunrise above,
I set forth, with a heart full of courage and mirth,
To seek for the Kingdom of Love.
I asked of a Poet I met on the way
Which cross-road would lead me aright,
And he said: Follow me, and ere long you shall see
Its glittering turrets of light.
And soon in the distance a city shone fair;
Look yonder, he said, there it gleams!
But alas! for the hopes that were doomed to despair,
It was only the Kingdom of Dreams.
Then the next man I asked was a gay cavalier,
And he said: Follow me, follow me,
And with laughter and song we went speeding along
By the shores of lifes beautiful sea,
Till we came to a valley more tropical far
Than the wonderful Vale of Cashmere,
And I saw from a bower a face like a flower
Smile out on the gay cavalier.
And he said: We have come to humanitys goal
Here love and delight are intense.
But alas! and alas! for the hope of my soul
It was only the kingdom of Sense.
As I journeyed more slowly, I met on the road
A coach with retainers behind,
And they said: Follow us, for our ladys abode
Belongs in the realm you would find.
T was a grand dame of fashion, a newly-wed bride;
I followed, encouraged and bold,
But my hope died away, like the last gleams of day,
For we came to the Kingdom of Gold.
At the door of a cottage I asked a fair maid,
I have heard of that realm, she replied,
But my feet never roam from the Kingdom of Home,
So I know not the way, and she sighed.
I looked on the cottage how restful it seemed!
And the maid was as fair as a dove.
Great light glorified my soul as I cried;
Why, home is the Kingdom of Love!
from Mal Moulee
The Evening Call [Philadelphia] 14 Jan. 1886: 4.
Courtesy of John M. Freiermuth.
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