A sea of foliage girds our garden round,

But not a sea of dull unvaried green,

Sharp contrasts of all colours here are seen;

The light-green graceful tamarinds abound

Amid the mango clumps of green profound,

And palms arise, like pillars grey, between;

And o'er the quiet pools the seemuls lean,

Red-red, and starling like a trumpet`s sound.

But nothing can be lovelier than the ranges

Of bamboos to the eastward, when the moon

Looks through their gaps,and the white lotus changes

Into a cup of silver. One might swoon 

Drunken with beauty then, or gaze and gaze 

On a primevel Eden, in amaze.

Toru Dutt (1856-1877), was an Indian poet who has written both descriptive and narrative poetry. Her poems have rich descriptions of nature. Much of her short life was spent in two spacious garden-homes in West Bengal. These gardens shaped her keen sense of observation and her response to colour.

foliage : the leaves on a plant ; greenery

girds our garden round : surrounds our garden 

unvaried : without changing

abound : exist in large numbers

clumps :  plants growing close together 

green profound : dark green

seemuls : silk-cotton trees with red flowers

swoon : feel dizzy 

in amaze : in wonder