TO MISS S. W. ON THE RIGI

Edelweiss , Edelweiss,
Edelweiss was she,
Budding on that mountain top
Far above the sea!
Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Edelweiss again,
Scarce a new moon later
Blooming in the plain.
Edelweiss upon the Rigi
Lilienweiss upon the lea,
Fifty years have dug the chasm
That divideth her from me!

In the valley as I stood
Gray and owl-like by the wood,
She a lily 'gainst the green
On her stately stem was seen;
A child's the heart within her bodice
Yet in face and form a goddess,
I could pray, yes, pray and kneel,
Die, if need were, for her weal.
Gamblers rather lose their all
Than forsake the mocking ball,
And to love is greater gain
Than not being loved is pain.

Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
On the Jungfrau steep!
Snows as pure as where I pluck thee
Shall thy starry petals keep;
And a happier lot betide thee
Where thy sister fair shall hide thee
Than amidst the snows eternal
Of thy glacier home supernal!
For this bettering of thy fortune
Let thy gratitude importune
Her to breathe a gentle Ave ,
For the soul of him that gave thee.