Wednesday, November 26, 2025

The Sunshine of the Heart

by Samuel Lover.

Originally published in Bentley's Miscellany (Richard Bentley) vol.4 (1838).


        The sunshine of the heart be mine,
                Which beams a charm around;
        Where'er it sheds its ray divine
                Is all enchanted ground!
                                No fiend of care
                                May enter there,
                Though Fate employ her art;
        Her darkest powers all bow to thine,
                Bright sunshine of the heart!

        Beneath the splendour of thy ray
                How lovely all is made;
        Bright fountains in the desert play,
                And palm-trees cast their shade;
                                Thy morning light
                                Is rosy bright,
                And when thy beams depart,
        Still glows with charms thy latest ray,
                Sweet sunshine of the heart!

The Deev Alfakir

Originally published in The Keepsake for 1828 (Hurst, Chance, and Co.; Nov 1827).         In the vine-surrounded city of Shiraz, under th...