The Kingdom

Behold I bring a Kingdom in my hand,Oh bend your eyes upon it! . . . Ways of peaceLead by its rivers. Fields of rest are theseAbove the endless skies of God expand.Oceans of dear delight kiss on the sand,And azure islands lift their waving treesWhere virgin forests' twined intersticesShadow the pools of sleep, deep inland seas!This is my lovely Kingdom. . . . Tho' you reignOver an empire, proud, imperial,Annex this land of beauty to your part;Else, like a mirage, seen, then lost againIt fade forever! Kingdoms vanish all—Immortal is the land of love, Sweetheart!