Rome in the Light of Dawn

The life of early light had faded

And, I thought, had gone,

Yet only to die a little,

And then spring up again at dawn.

The rosy pallored evening sun

Set Rome aglow in all her splendor,

And every street was a fruitful vine,

Ever ancient, ever tender.

And though I departed, my heart tore.

My home seemed a sparse vine,

And those I love could never know

What I had left behind.