To the wild woods and the plains,
And the pools where winter rains .
Image all their roof of leaves,
Where the pine its garland weaves
Of sapless green and ivy dun
Round stems that never kiss the sun;
Where the lawns and pastures be,
And the sandhills of the sea;—
Where the melting hoar-frost wets
The daisy-star that never sets,
And wind-flowers, and violets,
Which yet join not scent to hue,
Crown the pale year weak and new;
When the night is left behind
In the deep east, dun and blind,
And the blue noon is over us,
The frailty of the ‘pale year’ may be significant in that their love is tenuous, illicit. They can only enjoy temporarily this ‘new year’ that Jane brings.
To Jane: The Invitation