THE SULTANA

by: Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1906)

n the draperies' purple gloom,

In the gilded chamber she stands,

I catch a glimpse of her bosom's bloom,

And the white of her jewelled hands.




Each wandering wind that blows

By the lattice, seems to bear

From her parted lips the scent of the rose,

And the jasmine from her hair.




Her dark-browed odalisques lean

To the fountain's feathery rain,

And a paroquet, by the broidered screen,

Dangles its silvery chain.




But pallid, luminous, cold,

Like a phantom she fills the place,

Sick to the heart, in that cage of gold,

With her sumptuous disgrace!

• Pauline Pavlovna - Complete text of the play by Thomas Bailey Aldrich.
• Thomas Bailey Aldrich: Bibliography - A bibliography of Aldrich's poetic, prose, and dramatic works; includes a list of critical resources.
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