To the White Julienne

The white Julienne remains the flower of Marie Antoinette.     - ALPHONSE KARR     Again above thy fragile flowers     I bend, to bring their perfume nigh;     For only in the evening hours     Thy odors pass thy blossoms by;     But when the ministering day     Deserts thee with the warmth and light     That lulled thee, waking thou wilt pay     For these, in sweetness, to the night.     O flower of Marie Antoinette!     Ungrateful to the lavish day,     Refusing it thy fragrance, yet     Relenting in such generous way,     Perchance, like thee, while life was bright     Her soul no holy savour shed,     Yet scattered incense when griefs night     Wept dews of blood upon her head!     I bend, to bring thy perfume near,     Again, I cannot leave the spot;     Damp walls and prison gloom are here!     The beauties of the garden-plot     Are gone, save thee, White Julienne,     Fond-handled by the fated queen!     I hear her sigh above thee, then     The sentrys tread behind the screen!