In beauty gleamed the moon last night,
And brightly star lamps shone,
The wind among the lindentrees
Made music sad and lone;
The shadows of the firelight danced
Like sprites upon the floor,
As moon and star ray gently fell
Around the cottage door;
With breathings hush’d we sat around
The couch where Ettie lay,
And wept that one so beautiful,
So soon must pass away.
She wore within her golden hair
A mesh of changeful light,
And mingled with her dark eyes’ sheen
Were spirits’ gleams last night;
Upon their light and viewless wings,
The angels downward came,
And stole within the cottage door,
And quench’d our love-light flame.
So quiet were her slumbers sweet
On yester eventide,
We thought her dying when she slept,
And sleeping, when she died!