Marriage Bells

Whether you recognise her name or not, I would say most of you know of the poet Emma Lazarus. Her most famous poem, The New Colossus was written in 1883 and includes the line:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

This poem is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. The entire text can be found here. That is not the poem of hers that I am interested in sharing today.

Today I am interested in a poem of hers entitled Marriage Bells. You see we had some fantastic news in our family this week - my daughter and her boyfriend are engaged! It's all very exciting and very emotional. One of the things I love about poetry is that there is a poem out there for every occasion and emotion known to man. So here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Marriage Bells

by Emma Lazarus

Music and silver chimes and sunlit air,
Freighted with the scent of honeyed orange-flower;
Glad, friendly festal faces everywhere.
She, rapt from all in this unearthly hour,
With cloudlike, cast-back veil and faint-flushed cheek,
In bridal beauty moves as in a trance
Alone with him, and fears to breathe, to speak,
Lest the rare, subtle spell dissolve perchance.
But he upon that floral head looks down,
Noting the misty eyes, the grave sweet brow--
Doubts if her bliss be perfect as his own,
And dedicates anew with inward vow
His soul unto her service, to repay
Richly the sacrifice she yields this day.