Henry Timrod (1828–1867)

MARY! I dare not call thy charms divine,

But all the sweetest qualities of earth,

Which constitute an humbler, holier worth,

Grace, gayety, and gentleness are thine.

A grace more glorious than the grace of form,

And moulding less thy motions than thy mind;

A gayety not thoughtless or unkind,—

Wild, and yet winning, womanly and warm;

A gentleness of heart that is not weakness,

Persuasive, potent, beautiful in meekness:

Only at times, in some excited hour,

A flash that lights the darkness of thine eyes,

Reveals a secret and a deeper power,—

A spirit he has hardiness who tries.