June Sunset

Here shall my heart find its haven of calm, 
By rush-fringed rivers and rain-fed streams 
That glimmer thro' meadows of lily and palm. 
Here shall my soul find its true repose 
Under a sunset sky of dreams 
Diaphanous, amber and rose. 
The air is aglow with the glint and whirl 
Of swift wild wings in their homeward flight, 
Sapphire, emerald, topaz, and pearl. 
Afloat in the evening light. 
A brown quail cries from the tamarisk bushes, 
A bulbul calls from the cassia-plume, 
And thro' the wet earth the gentian pushes 
Her spikes of silvery bloom. 
Where'er the foot of the bright shower passes 
Fragrant and fresh delights unfold; 
The wild fawns feed on the scented grasses, 
Wild bees on the cactus-gold. 

An ox-cart stumbles upon the rocks, 
And a wistful music pursues the breeze 
From a shepherd's pipe as he gathers his flocks 
Under the pipal trees. 
And a young Banjara driving her cattle 
Lifts up her voice as she glitters by 
In an ancient ballad of love and battle 
Set to the beat of a mystic tune, 
And the faint stars gleam in the eastern sky 
To herald a rising moon.

~ Sarojini Naidu, June Sunset