· an ld y l o f the sun. ardo. above the white crown of our sacred tree, whose roots are watered...

DYL OF THE SUN

O TH E R PO EMS .

O RR lN CE D E SMAN STEVENS .

HO L YOKE , MAS S .

G riffith , Axtel l Cady C ompany .

1 8 0 1

COPY R IGH T , 1 891 ,

BY 0 . C . STEV ENS .

CONTE NTS .

Idy l o f th e S un40 Com m o n M an

T he M usic o f GravesT he Ch r istm as T ab leT h e Two D isco ver ies

T h e V al kyr ies

T h e D ead D ayT he L aggardT he Two Claim ants

T h e L ast PrayerT he Wonderfu l l Vo rkm en

T h e T ram pD em ocracyT he Sub jec t S p iri t,T he Whole T ru t hL ove in the L igh tT he L ost ClueA gain st. the W indA P rayer to M orningT he M odelA n A rrow h eadPeace i s b ut Weakness o fM orning SongT h e Bri degroom

T he L ost F lowerA H om ely F aceT he L eaderT he Perm anen tT he V ei lT he Sout h Winds .

T h e B lind B irdS ongL am en tM i sgiv ings

A n A pologueN o B eauty T h ereT o H . M . A .

T o J . E . L .

T he RunnerO l d N ew -Y ear’ s D ay

COA ’TE N TS .

B razi lT h e T alking T ests the S ong"O pposedM idnunn ner

Be tween th e E arth and S un

M y S ongstressL o ve

s Ret rospec tT o a N ob le. Wom an

W h ite CloverS econd C h ild h oodL ove S onnetT o

S leep’ s S tained mas s

M em o rv

T he [Tueq ual L overs

AN IDYL O F TH E SUN

A N 1)

O TH ER PO EMS .

ERRATA .

46 , l ine 2,for read

7 3 , l i ne 6 , for besides read beside.

98 , l ine 8 , for diso rd'

ezz’ read

1 0 5 , l ine 1 5 , for Izas read hast.

AN lD Y L O F TH E SUN .

ARDO . Above th e wh ite crown of ou r sacred tree,

Whose roots are watered by th e seven streams

Wh ic h i ssue from one fount,le t u s ret i re

And let th e rad iance of i ts lum inous leaves,

Which fu rn ish l ight to earth,afford u s shade .

And we wi l l leave una ided,fo r awh i le

Our dear compan ions of th e forcefu l r i tes,

And mingle new with s impler,anc i ent j oys .

See 1 as I k iss thy lov ing l ips again,

That n ew,red rose hang qu ivering on i ts stalk

Before the window of that far earth h ome .

T I N TA . And I wil l th ink of thee,and breathe thy name

To give i t deeper fragrance .

ARDO . I wil l take th y hand

In mine,and hold i t long and restfu l ly

To make th e flower cl ing fi rmly to it s stem,

Unt i l some lover asks i t as a mate

To h is beloved ’s heart .

TINTA . I give th ee thanks,

0 lover,hu sband

,prince

,that thou dost yet

Give though t to me,and st i l l th e jo y dost find ,

10 A A’ [D YL OF TH E S UN .

Which thou d idst pu t into my heart on earth .

For when I see those seven chromatic bands

The symbols of the seven solar powers

So c l ear upon thy rad iant wh ite arm,

And then look down upon mine own,to find

One only sh in ing d imly in it s p lace,

I sorrow inconsolably and wou ld

That al l th e glories wh ich beset m ine eyes

Were changed for store of common,earth ly tears ,

Which may not be found here . Sti l l dost thou stoop,

As ever thou hast done,to g ive me love .

ARDO . Tinta,there i s no h igh or low to h earts

They ever rock upon th e same sea- level,

Feel th e same t ides,and in the frequent calms

Moor the i r l igh t kee ls with raptu re side by side .

Speak not of tears in al l th is wizard world

There i s no craft sman who can make a tear

Nor in th e universe,might there be found

E ssence so fine,hue so immacu late

(Not even if we sought amid the dreams

And v is ion -daring purpo ses of gods)As m igh t be mou lded into fi tt ing tears

For thy pu re eyes . Think nevermore of grie f "

G rief is a cripp le who can never move,

Save when supported by two subj ec t h eart s,

One on each side . Ah,sweet

,apostate sou l

One cannot mou rn withou t another ’s a id

And I alone migh t a id thee and I wi l l not .

A N l D Y L OF TH E S U N . 1 1

Again I say,

I love thee be thou glad

T INTA . Oh , that word love , when spoken by thy l ips ,Doth shape i tse l f into a trumpet ’s cu rves ,Through wh ich the vo ic e of some far de ity

Doth storm the last earth rampart of my heart ,And take i t prisoner to a death le ss th ral l

Now, fi rst I look upon th ee withou t fear

Since thou didst shore for me,with th ine own breast ,

The boundless stream wh ich bore me h ith erward

Whereon the earth danced l ike a w ithered leaf,And al l th e stars seemed wh irl ing molecu les

Of phosphorescent frenzy . Now,

I dare

To note how thou art changed 5 how thy new l ife

Seems l ike a crysta l sheath upon the old,

H id ing no lov ing l ine,bu t add ing to it .

I t i s as though th ine older,le sser form

Compressed by mu sc le bands,wh ic h grooved the arms ,

Girt close the struggl ing waist,and t ightened down

The m ighty shou lders ’ buoyancy,

Had l igh tly,when the corded thongs were cu t

By force of it s d ivine,expansive energy

Sprung up to i ts balk ed sta tu re,and revealed

I ts natural maj esty al l unrestra ined .

As now I gaze,thy broad

,brigh t bosom seems

A golden stream,deep in whose l igh ted depths

Are imaged clearly al l the godl ike deeds

And tender favors o f’

erhanging arms ,With shadowy

,d im shapes assoc iate

A N l D Y L OF TH E S U /V.

O f future fondness brooding in thy heart .

Upon its peacefu l currents are m ine eyes

Borne on,with wonder

,to the wh irlpool face ,

Which draws mine own into i ts bl issfu l charm .

Here,in a sp ir i t trance

,I trave l round and round ,

Tapering the large de l igh t down to a po int ,That I may ever again look away .

0 speech d iv ine that,l ike a cleans ing storm ,

l )oth sweep from seraph l ips al l vestiges

O f fau lty human uses , and leaves bare

The prints of love alone . Thy l ips are changed ,Yet are th e l ikeness of the l ips I kissed

With freedom on the earth . So sent ient

I n every point thy l igh t—absorbing face,

V is ion doth never weary thy calm eyes,

But leaves them fresh for form ing lov ing looks

E l se m igh t I never look upon th ee thu s .

ARDO . R em em brest thou , dear Tinta , how ,on ea rth

A l it t le th ing grew larger when advanced

Close to th e eyes ? and canst thou now bel ieve

That,the vast spaces of material th ings

D i spelled between u s,and thy very self

Brough t near my sp iri tual v i s ion,there i s room

For my glad s igh t to pass thy broadened beauty ?

Nay then it stops in th ee,and is fi l led up

Contented , to i ts farthest boundarie s

Th inkest thou that th e d iver finds the pearl

As lovely in its shady place,as when

A N 1 1 ) Y]. O F TH E S U /V.

The sun shal l d ry th e moistened gem in h i s hand ,Above the water ? Shal l not th e obscu re ,But match less fabrics of nigh t ’s labrato ries,When se t in morning ’s open gal le r ie s

E xtract new wonder from our stricken si ght 3

0 thou who wert the fai rest thing on earth

By bath ing in ou r i ridescent st ream s ,Thou hast imparted to thy gathered grace

The mermaid ’s dripping beau ty . Scarce I dare

To look upon one p lace,so dangerou s

I t s v iolent sp lendor to my care le ss eyes,

Re laxed and rest ing ; but , secu re , I tu rn

Them to th ine own,wh ich he l ike peace fu l i sl es ,

Twinned in a sea of glory,and now st i l led

By the soft wavele ts of th y sooth ing l id s

To an enchanted peace . How vast th e space

From those young worlds to th e old grizz led earth

Toward wh ich th ey tu rn l

TINTA . My wonder cannot cease,

When I look down upon the earth,and see

How changed sh e seems . See now,how du ll sh e is

As she doth bl ind ly stagger on between

Those c lose and c ou sinly d iv in it ies,

Twil ight and D awn . How earnest ly th ey strive

To rou se the memories of an earl i er l ife

Of star- l ike energy See,how the wind

l )oth beat her heavy temples,and thescourge

Of l ightning ’s pass ion strik es h er sensel ess back

14 A N l D Y L OF TH E S U /V.

E ven the sleeping Titan in her heart

Starts va inly in her dreams,and fitfu l ly

Doth struggle,though unconsc iou s Bu t , alas

The stupor l ingers . Now she dumbly tu rns ,Unti l th e sunrise warms th e very spot

Where we fi rst loved . There m ust be fee l ing i/zere

ARDO . O sunri se of th e earth , what i s thy pain

How dost thou mou rn for al l that thou dost m iss ,E ach morn ing

,from th e open t reasu ries

Heaped bv th e last day ’s potent indu stry 1

What traveler of the sh ining,si lv ery road

O f l ife and love,when he fal l s headlong down

The frequent chasms dug by Night and Sleep,

Drops noth ing from h is bru ised and ach ing hand ?

0 how may one fi t on the broken sta lk

O f yesterday,new flowers of th is day ’s happ iness ?

How may h is span of love reach far as that of l ife ,When darkness h inders not the one

,but coi ls

The other back upon weak memories "E ver, on earth , i s day

’s love- ripened fru it

Pecked by the Vu lture N igh t I

TiN TA But one who loves,

Wil l sl eep so l igh t , and keep h er h eart so wh ite ,That no nigh t bi rds shal l find th ere any perch

And day shal l add i tse lf to day,and love

Stretch far and flawless .

ARDO . Yes , when that one be as thou .

But yet , how bl ind and weak we were , at best

A N l D Y L OF TH E S UN .

How h idden from ou rse lves ou r sp iri tual i t ies

And how we a ided ou r own hindrances

O ften , when thou d idst offer me , with sm i les ,Thy righ t hand ’s t reasu res

,I wou ld seiz e th e le ft ;

O r when the very symbol of thy sou l

Sat on thy si lent l ip s , mine own have broke

The holy th ing with m issi l e word s ; and when

Thy solar -work ing heart bu i l t round mine own

Halos to bless i t,

I have broken th rough .

O ft in th e wh ite fl ower of thy love I saw

O nly the earth honey ; from thy purest word ,Have tu rned to k i ss the l ip ’s red sta in

,and thu s

Defrauded thy sweet heart . And many t imes

Those star songs that do sound alone th rough l ips

( )f fortunate moments,hav e been fi ercely scorned ,

For those coarse st ra ins,whic h onl y may be struck

F rom strings of sensuou s days .

TINTA . But,even then

Thou lovedst me as now ;’twas ever pla in

E rror ’s tortuou s path led ever to that goal .

The widening c i rcle s in th e troubled deeps

Sprung from a golden stone . Pain cold not p luck

The one wh ite feather from her raven wings

And every horrify ing th ing was wreathed

With v isions of thy name . And many t imes

The i ron bal l of inconsiderate speech,

iy the swift fervor of love’s afterthough t

Was melted ere i t struck ; whi le , frequent ly ,

1 6 A N l D YL OF TH E S UN

I wronged th ee with mistaken est imates

O f th ine own worth . That m ighty wi l l of th ine

Seemed often bu t th e body ’s u rgency,

The downward plunging of th e waterfal l ,I nstead of the strong geyser ’s l iv ing leap

Yet wou ld I see th e ra inbow of thy love

Upon i t,and feared not .

St i l l bl ind were we,

And bl ind rema in ou r fel lows of the earth .

Yet naugh t gropes there but man ; th e flying c loud

Keeps wel l i ts path at m idnight ; th e l ith e stream

Makes it s long pract iced leap from rock to rock,

When darkness d rapes wi th doubt th e changing

As su rely as when sunl igh t l ead s ; each fl ower

Finds i ts own place upon th e popu lousstalk,

And fi l l s th e secret channel s of t he ai r

With flowing fragrance and the whole earth ’s

Dense barriers tu rn not th e emera ld streams,

Which hasten to th e“

founta ins of th e trees ;But man must trembl ingly and in the dark

Contest h i s sp i ri tua l foot ings ; be content

To touch,with bl ind and bafiied finger

- t ips,

Only some earth ly th ing h i s sp i ri t -mate

Has worn upon her h eart to wander round

And round the sh rine wherein sh e lonely kneel s

Bu t find no entrance door on any side

Nor h ear th e name of that d ivini ty

She worsh ips da ily in her wh i spered prayer .

IN l /H’

I, TH E S UA ’. 1 7

H i s senses seem bu t sheaths of some d iv ine

And vibrant energies l ike promontories ,Which j u t into the deeps of th e d iv ine ,Are the vast c loud - heaps o ’er h is stormy thought ,Where in h i s sp iri t -vo ice i s fai ntly heard ,Like mu ffl ed thunders vague ly terribl e

The cold,c lay hand le s of the infinite ,

Alone meet everywhere his'

own clay hand 5

T I NTA . But love,the subt le , incondensable ,

Doth flow abou t h im,l ike an atmosphere

And golden -winged bird s fly evermore

From sou l to soul , with myst ic messages

Not whol ly written in unmeaning signs .

hu sband of th e two - fold unity I

Had I not learned,wh il e yet upon the earth

The outl ine of th ine inne r worth iness

And guessed the beau ty of thy sp iri t face,

Could I have traced thee here But when lone D eath

With strange inversion of ofli c ial power,Did come and k il l th e whole material world ,To make thee l ive the pla iner in my heart

Saw I not th ere th e very image of thyse lf ?

Thy luminous face tu rned h ither,and thy hand

Stretched backward after m ine ? And when I walked

Across the earth ly ru in Death had made,

And fol lowed thee in space,no need to ask

“Where went th e spi ri t stronger than the earth

With solar fl igh t and backward turn ing face ?

IR —l .V 1 0 17 . OF TH E S U /V.

No need to seek the s ignal plumes le t fal l

From thy flame wings along the unknown way I

Thy d istant goal I knew before I d ied

And I bu t tu rned my longing eyes that way ,And

,on the currents of e theria l l i fe

D id simply float aga in into th ine arms .

ARDO . O swee test drift tha t ever comforted

Those awfu l t ides Wonder of woman ’s love

That i t had power to gu ide thee safely h ere,

And charm the deeps to render up the ir charge,

While st i l l such rayless vo ids de lay th e ir currents,

Such drear,dead space s Oh I for th is one hou r,

Would I l ive myriads of darkened years

Upon the earth , in caverns unexplored

By al l save N igh t,and where the baffl ed s igh t

Withers away in her black float ing sand

O r be enc losed in countless folds of rock,

Bent for the purpose or be ages wh irled

Upon the t rackless,u

nprogressing wheel

O f some air vortex Bright were that deep cave,

Where I migh t tunnel through the stagnant years

To find thy l igh t Unfeared the rocky cel l

Wh ich opened at thy fee t And there were peace

With in the wh irlpool,i f the last revolve

Should draw thee in

I t i s a grace unmatched

In al l I nfin ity ’s love- laborings,

That ou r superior rites are not a l lowed to one

20 A N l D Y L OF TH E S UN .

The nak ed blade of vi s ion,yet unfleshed

I n the warm body of materia l th ings ,Back to i ts scabbard of the inner l i fe ,They stop

,appal led

,before that awfu l v iew

O f darkened ru ins , l ike a dead star’s face ,

Of ray less peaks and chasms probeless, black ,And mi sts of m i sery ensh rouding al l .

0 I am glad that I may ever l ive ,Where many sp iri ts

,in t he neighboring space ,

Pass my weak thought along from point to point ,And speed its travels to the unseen God

May l inger in the midst of th i s abounding l i fe,

Wh ich crowds th e sky up to i ts noblest a rch,

And bid s it cal l upon the watch fu l stars

To c loser stand , and c ross the ir uprigh t spears ,Lest someth ing shou ld escape the i r care .

TINTA . O Ardo,as thou spokest of those sou l s

So far from God , becau se they are alon e ,I t seemed as though some smal lest stalk of fear

Long with ered in the h eart,had suddenly

Shot forth a sh ivering,black flower

,that cast

A s h adow on it s open fount of peace .

0 l et me lay my head upon thy breast

That I may not forget th ee for th e length

O f one brie f moment I Now I fee l secu re,

And can aga in commune unfrigh ted with thee .

When from th is dear and sovere ign seat of v is ion,

All v is ible th ings seem subj ec t to my sigh t,

A N ID I’I. OF TH E S UA’

I am not ch iefly glad that I can look

So fa r away th rough th i s transparent a i r,

And ’cross th ese sh immer ing fie lds of ra inbow-harvests ,Where flowers seem only as expanded gems

With stems of lengthened pea rl that I can see

Unto the farth est verge of th i s sph ere opu len t .

Whereon,mayhap

,some busy si ster stands

And di ps her ever dripp ing cup of flexile gold

Into th e nearest spring,to quench the th i rst

O f some exhau sted p i lgrim from a world

Whose founts are s lowly fa i l ing nor,i n sooth,

That my strong sigh t fl ie s on beyond al l spheres

Like th i s,to where a world l ie s spread

As I may guess by those broad,wondrou s rays

Wh ich match the mountain peaks upon ou r own

So brigh t , so l im it le ss , that al l th e se orbs

Wh ich form ou r lum inou s community,

Are but d im tapers at h er massive gates ;Nor i s th i s s igh t most dear

,that i t w i l l go

D own and st i l l down— so far,th e fal l ing sta rs

Have never reached th e p lace— and d im ly t race

The shadowy boundarie s of those orble ss sou ls,

Whose be ing is so large,so unrestra ined

T hat the ir least deed i s vaster°

than our sun,

And no world yet i s bu i lded strong enough

To bea r th e bea t ing of the i r strenuou s h eart s,

O r broad enough to make a worthy stage

For the ir explo i ts bu t mostly give I pra i se,

A N l D YL OF TH E S UN .

That,whether thy h eart tu rns in my love ’s breezes,

O r th e pu re j u ice s of my sun - l i fe ’s passion

Fal l in th e cha l ice of thy wa it ing wish,

O r miss i t,

I do see and know the tr y /Ir.

And if thy sp iri t dons i ts sh ie ld of reverent awe ,And tu rneth inward to the seven Powers

That l ie,concentric

,round the fiery globe

Where in ou r namele ss and inv is ible King

D wel ls in h i s long creat ive lonel in ess,

I know,and cease to babble of th e th ings

Wh ich make the gladness of ou r ou tward l i fe .

ARDO . Wondrou s c la i rvoyancy of woman ’s love i

And ch ief of wonders , that such regal g ift

Shou ld be indentu red to a single h eart,

And that h eart m ine 1 Oh , my c lear eyes ,That seemed up

- rounded on the earth,to let

The fai rest th ings sl ip off th em unobse rved,

And now impression of supernal l ive s

Take from al l s id es I— though they may pla inly see

How H eat and Ligh t are wedded in one ray,

To be the sun ’s resp lendent almoners

Mav see the ind raft of that un i l lum ined dust

Attr i t ion ’s t ribu te from those ravaged world s

Where tha t fa i r twa in has been again d ivorced

Though I may look far th rough our severa l pla ins

O f l i fe down to that glowing,central sphere

Wh ich i s ou r sovere ign ’s home,and see thereon

B right flashes of imperfect images,

A 1V l D Y L OF T H E S UN .

Fire h ints and burn ing,fl ee ting flush of shades

As i f the god with in,had

,in a careless hour

Thought fitfu l ly of h imsel f, and j eopard ized

The awfu l sec ret of h is sh rouded l i fe

Yet how thy love i s interblent w ith m ine ,That see I not . The myst ic t ie was wrought

E re l igh t was given to th is shutt le h eart ,Or by th e artificer ’

s shad ing hand

Was cunningly concealed . But if to -day

Thy love hath such a power,what wi l l i t be

When i t may work in al l th e seven hues ?

Now, as I speak,t hy loving though t doth prin t

Upon the subtle substance of th i s ai r

So sens it ive to lovers— al l th e host

O f upsto red grace s fu l ly perfected ,And fi lmy marvels of incept ive a rt ;So that I seem the only c i t iz en

O f Love ’s e therial,bl i ssfu l cap ital

Bu il t by beni gnant spe l l upon the peaks

O f h ighest moments buoyed aloft by j oy

Bu t le st I lose my way in those bright stree ts ,D o thou unmake them by a gentle though t

A lien to A R UO . Wherefore te l l m e now ,

What thou wi lt do the rest of th i s long day

To further tra in th y finely-working hand ?

First,wil l I take a steal thy , potent charm

Unto a heart upo n the earth unloved ,That i t shal l so bewilder

,daze and draw

24 A ZV l D Y L O F Tf l ’i S U/V.

Some random love -prospec tor , hap ly near,That he shal l see th e fl i tt ing

,coaxing shapes

Which I commingle with it s d iamond deeps .

And,after

,I wil l le t selec ted rays

l ’ass freely through my open,love—c lear heart ,

And with accret ion o f resi st le ss fi re ,Burn into noth ingness the barriers

Between attracted souls . And what wi l t thou ?

ARDO . I wil l instruct Desire to c irc le round thy head,To take h is cou rse from th ine own gent le thought ,And wing an even fl igh t with i ts wh ite plumes ;And I wil l strive to -day and every day

To so d iscumber m ine own heavy l ife

O f every sta in of gu il t or se lfi sh though t ,And so ass ist my brothers at l ike work

That th is l igh t - loaded orb may l ightly vau l tInto a h igher place

,and j oyously

E xpand , unh indered ,to a nobler cu rve

And make more room for seraphs ; constantly

Wil l I look th rough the armories of the sun,

Confer with foremost breth ren,c losely search

Our lum inous arch ives ’ every crowded leaf,

And down into the d immest plac es of th e h eart

Urge on the que st— study the faintest s ignsYea , I wil l even waken Prophecy I

To learn th e secret of a large r ray,

By wh ich our gi fts m ight grow to greater siz e.

T IN I‘A . Then , husband , we wil l ever j o in ou r hands

.4N [ D Y /Z OF TH E S UA’.

To fash ion every gi ft ; thou shal t be stow

Its centra l core and ampl itude of form ,

And I wil l borrow of my purest j oy,

. To add th e ou tward beau ty . But,awh i l e ,

L et u s st i l l ta rry h ere soon , ve ry soon ,The double yolk of th i s sec lu sion ’s sh el l

Shal l a l t er to th e broad,unrest ing wings

O f common l i fe ; and wh i le I keep my head

A l itt le longe r on th is breast st i l l m ine,

Tel l me th e story thou hast p rom ised oft

To tel l me when my h eart was wel l prepared .

A R D o . As thou desi rest ; l i st en Long years ago ,Before the oldest m in ist rant now h ere '

Had h i s brigh t bi rth u pon some d istant world ,"

is sa id a splend id apparit ion streamed

Into our l ightning - vaporou s atmosphere,

St il l sh in ing with pu isan t l ight u nd immed

When very near . I t was a sp iri t born

O n that far orb incontinent o f l igh t,

Whose fu l lness overflows in c i rc l ing band sO f flam ing energy , which make i t seem

A prison - star bu i l t round with wa ll s of fi re .

H i s name was V ivero— for it i s st i l l prese rved

Beh ind the pri son bars of wh it est l ip s

Whose wh i spe red ut terance seems i t s very gho st

And a s he c love h i s way with slow,spent wings

And face that reeked with to i l of h i s long fl igh t’Twas but a pa ss ing

,starry m ist upon it

20 A N 1 0 17 , S UN .

The startled watchers from the i r a iry he ight s

Forgot the ir office,cou ld bu t gaze in awe ,

As did the whole sun people si lently .

No be ing of such m ien,none c lad as he ,

Had ever come before unto the sun ;H i s statu re equalled eas ily th e he ight

Of that strange p i l lar of translucent gold

Some earl ier race d id bu ild upon ou r sph ere ,Which we have seen at sunrise from the earth

H i s wings spread ou t l ike i sland s of the sea ,Pu l sed by the sea into a crimson flu sh

No shadow-moth had ever found a perch

Upon h is rad iant face,whic h bl ind ing shone ,

As if the l ight,o

erflowing from the eyes ,Suffused i t wi th a glamor of the grace

Wh ich we are taugh t to gather in th e sou l

F o r inner v ision downward from the ch in,

The mighty veins of h is unh indered neck

Were slu ices round of l igh tning—driven fi re ;And all th e vast recumbence of h i s form

Seemed l ike a val ley p lucked from parad ise,

Wi th al l i t s mighty,s i lver tentac les

Stil l c l inging to its und ismembered mass,

And mill ion - t inted h erbage undi stu rbed .

As near he came the poi son - stricken ai r,

Which ti l l that day had been a motele ss sh een,

Writhed with convu lsions of a moth er ’s pangs,

Brought forth from qu ick gestat ions unperce ived

28 A N [D Y]. OF TH E S UN'

The lofty V ivero had,one by one ,

Acqu i red the u se of al l the seven Powers ,And bore the c ircl ing emblem o n h i s a rm .

Proud ly,but vaguelv, spoke he of th e past ,

O f Titan st rifes and angel hero isms

But from the fata l fabric of h is speech ,H i s spel l - instructed l isteners ever bu i l t

Visio ns'

o f sta rs despoi led and temples sacked ,O f shadowy forms d isl imbed and sph eres unrol led

In plains of even,uninsp ired l igh t

To break the weak delu sion that a ( iOd

Lived in thei r sec ret cores . int,dav by day ,

Did V ivero ’s h eaven -chal lenging des ire

D raw h im st i l l inward toward s th e flawless home

O f ou r benignant Lord unt i l,at last

H e passed beyond the farth est boundary

O f reverent l i fe,and stood unharmed and proud

With in th e regions of bold b lasphem y .

Beh ind , the horror of th e watch ing host s

Closed l ike a parted wave before h im shone

The star of sta rs unchanged onward he went,

Unt i l the l engthened si lence,wh ich i s n igh t

Upon the sun,began ; but st i l l advanced

That st rong adventurer . The new day came ,But slow and feebly

’twere st ricken old,

And could not bear th e daring enterpri se

D evolved upon i t low the waters sank

In al l the springs ; th e current s of th e st reams

A N [ D YL OF T/IE S UN .

Ceased flowing,and the sou lfu l flowers strewn

Upon the i r banks,down to the water ’s edge

Drooped plaint ive ly and al l th e sun race moved

AVith langu id steps and sad abas‘

ed head ,As though the ir strength was gone

,and hope bes ide .

Sti l l watch ing towards the c lose of that wan day

“ 1th desecrated eyes and st ifl ed hearts ,They saw that arch - in truder pause

,and tu rn

O ne moment towards them with a scornfu l sm ilc .

Then spread h i s gloriou s wings and rai se h is hands

Tha t were enfeoffed wit h“sinfu l sovere ignty ,

And,l ike a winged avalanch e in a i r

Hu rl h imse lf stra igh t upon the awfu l goal .

O h i then as i f to spare th e o ’

erstrained sigh t ,A wonder happened for that gaz ing hos t

For scarce ly had the impiou s V ivero

Chosen h i s cou rse,and fixed h i s forc efu l a im .

When 10 l h e vanish ed l ike the th innest flake

O f tenuou s snow upon a sea of fi re .

Long days th ey watched i n va in for any sign ;

They knew not whether h e d id reach and pierce

The glowing cover of that orbic shrine,

O r had been quenched forever from the world .

One morn,when Mus ic ’s c ircu it was aga in

Complete,and truant Peace once more rest ra ined

With in th e magic l ine,they saw on h igh

Above the ir rescu ed world,a smal l

,dark c loud

A th ing not seen before in sola r skies ;

30 A N l D YL OF TH E S U /V.

And as i t floated o’

their rad iant head s

There shone upon i t seven blended rings

O f sacred co lors , of such wondrous s iz e ,They knew they were the same that V ive ro

Had worn upon h i s arm . They watched the cloud

Fal l s lowly down into the ne ther deeps,

Bearing that pu re,immortal emblem st i l l

Upon its fo lds,unt i l i t sank entombed

Into that darkened world we cal led the moon

When we su rveyed i t from the earth and St i l l

That fadeless c irc le t may he often seen

Coi led round that starry grave in largest woe

O r, sh red le ss , groping in the wastes of storms .

O’t is a wondrou s tal e 3 What o ther or b

Hath such a h istory that its excess,

Wh ich l iveth o n lv i n remembered speech

Holds stories such as th is ? Poor V ive ro

Were i t no wrong to our be loved L ord,

H ow I cou ld pi ty th ee 2 int gods are stern

To gu i lt of arrogance ind they forgive

Thei r erring people an y faul t but th i s .

Tell me , dear teacher , sha l l we ever see

That be ing we adore — I mean not here,

Nor so on , but shal l we ar'r r see our L ord ?

In some far t ime,and from some d istan t sph ere

I f that inv io late ve i l were d rawn away,

Should we dare look,with fu rt ive

,t im id eyes

Downward upon h im ?

A /V 10 V], OF TH E S UN . 3 1

ARDO . Nay,a nearer plac e

Crave I for thee and me 2 Be reverent,

But fear thou not,nor overstretch th ine awe

For I bel ieve that ou r great Sovereign ’s sh i eld

l )oth slowly waste between the cross ing heat

O f h i s own central and our ou tward zeal

That i t doth furn ish'

stu ff for ou r good deed s ,And wh en al l good is done

,wil l fade away

And leave reveal ed the perfect one with i n,

Who henceforth shal l rema in as one o f u s .

But now,refresh ed

,we must once more to work

Put on thy sandal s of embalmed flame ;Bind up agai n th e loosened amber fi lament s

U f th ine abundant ha ir,le st thou appea r

Too gloriou s amongst th ine e lder si sters

Let go the h idden rudder o f th ine eyes,

Which makes them ever keep the i r cou rse toward s me ;And I will p luck Love ’s pharos from mine own

Which thou art sa i l ing by . And now those eyes

T0 0 long reduced to v is ions of one sou l,

Again must gauge themselves to mu lt i tude s ;And from the verges of d i spers ion ’s d eeps

Stra i n afte r gods . Now take my hand and come

We wil l away to my most prec iou s spring,

And thou shal t drink one draugh t from mine own hand,

And there together wi l l we,s inging

Such potent l iquor for th e earth ’s d ry cup,

That none shal l be th ere more ath i rst for j oy,

And al l be thence informed of our sweet love .

TH E CO MMO N MAN .

Behold he da ily does th e worl d ’s wide wi l l ,Makes what i s good

,and masters what i s i l l ;

Lives not obl iv iou s of earth ’s blessed ways ,Nor clogs h i s progress with d i sordered davs .

H i s st rength is a s the braces of the sky ,And as the salt sea ’s breath h i s bravery

H i s own worth knows he and its t rue intent s ,Although he counts not its const itu ents .

H i s arms are round and fu l l with deeds unwrought ,H i s shou lders mighty and abased by nought ;For they can hear

,nor press u pon th e heart .

What cowards cast th ere with elud ing art .

ju st ice and mercy do in h im concu r ;H i s t ru th is as the .day

s diameter ;Ai nd Peace between h i s eves doth have her seat

L ike to a queen between two handmaid s sweet .

What man has ever done he doeth now

Be i t to forge , to bu i ld , to sow or plow

And round the forefront of h i s last act sh ine

The cumulate beaut ies of the long des ign .

TH E COAIM ON M A A ’.

Not in the new alone doth beauty sleep,

For o lden things a h igher import keep ;That stream is pu rest wh ich doth longest flow

And what i s best wil l aye the farth est go .

The common man is slow sees not afar ;Must keep h i s ey es where e r h is fu l l hands are

E nj oys the common hues of near-by th ings

Stops at th e blu e of myst ic qu iverings .

H i s goals are near,and one the sun each day

Drops warm with l i fe and not too far away

Bu t ere th e n igh t he grasps th e baub le sweet,

And i ts sun-warmth i s blent with h is h eart ’s h eat .

Yet not th e slave of despot day i s h e,

But the free servant of th e Centu ry

And though sh e wears h er ve i l upon her face,

H e somet ime s fee ls h er hand ’s imperial grace .

H e sees th e measu re of h i s last ing migh t

In every work h i s hand concludes arigh t

And each resu l t h i s wi dening sp i ri t frees ;The houses h e has bu i lt bo ld but h is fam i l i es .

H i s l ip s have s imple songs,wh i le Music ’s art

Doth only st i l l th e groves about h is h eart

That when her chosen chantress s ings , at last ,N O rival songs shal l ’gain st t hat stra in be cast .

34 TH E COM M ON“

M A N .

Not from rare moment s ’ tenuou s chal ices ,Flame-fi l led and flash ing with infinities,But from a common cup of cumbrou s c lay

Drinks h e the last ing j oys of h is long day .

N 0 fai rie s l ight upon h is steps attend ,But giant

,heavy-handed forms

,that bend

And pou r fo r h im th ick l iqu ids , amber-c lear ,Slow drip of sweets long stored from some dream year .

Yet there is set with in h is heavy frame

A secret t ru th wh ich hath on earth no name

And though h i s l ip s shal l speak wise th ings and t ru e,

H is words have one side dark and give no c l ew .

He i s the keeper of al l permanenc ie s

On h i s acceptance wait d iscoverie s

Though one shou ld force a gift from H eaven ’s h eigh t,

The common man alone can keep i t brigh t .

He has long le isu re,ye t h e waste s no t ime ;

H e waxes old,bu t st i l l enj oys h is prime

And what anoth er in despa i r has sough t,

H e finds,at last

,withou t one troublou s th ough t .

Behold h e da i ly does th e world ’s wide wi l l ;Makes what i s good

,and masters what i s i l l ;

And wh en th e race ha s reached i ts earth ly span,

The comm on shal l appear th e perf ect man .

TH E CHR ISTMAS TABL E .

Now bring the ample table out ,And have the c loth wel l l aid

3i nd load the board , i f so thou canst ,With what thysel f hast made ;That every guest

Shal l find the best

For which h is heart has prayed .

Then set thou,at th e table ’s head

A chair o f sable sta te

And le t each one,with reverence say

“ Come Christ,here is no hate

And the Den ied,

The Cruc ified ,Shall leave H i s c ross

,though late .

But set thou,at th e table ’s foot

A chair of equal grace

That the new Christ of perfect l i fe

May see,with sh ining face

See,from some heigh t

I ts spotless wh i te,

And come and take h i s p lace .

TH E TWO D ISCO V ER IES .

’Twas wit h such eyes

As every mortal hath,

When c lear su rprise

Lightens th e path,

That she beheld

H i s sp i r it ri se

That sh e d id see

I ts august s iz e

Match ing nobil i ty .

was only as

The others saw

The man he was,

That she,with awe

Beheld L ove pass .

I I"Twas with the s igh t

The few possess

Who see the righ t,

Who know to ble ss

That she beheld,

38 TH E TWO D IS COVE R /E S .

After th e glory waned ,The glory st i l l

That there remained ,After the th ri l l

The consc iou s h eart

To know and c la im,

From h is great deed apart,

The m an i n shame .

’Twas not what oth ers see

That now she saw,

Splendor and maj esty,

Th ings withou t flaw ;But

,with a finer s igh t

Than takes the swi ft d el ight,

When in fu l l V iew,

Grand Love goes by

She subtly knew

P lain Love who wa ited n igh .

TH E VA LKYR I ES .

Directors o f the lau nched death

Rece ivers of the latest breath I

How d id ye choose the guests for Od in ’s hal l ?

O n whom were your fi rst favors wont to fal l ?

Who ’er i t be tha t answereth ,

Say why ye chose a k ing and why h is th ral l .

Loved ye the most who sl ew the most ?

Was that fi erce one you r chosen ghost,

Whose bat tle axe always the deepest went

Whose bloody spear was aye the farthest sent ?

Who,be ing dead

,st i l l made h i s boast

And cheered the weary fl igh t wi th fu ry yet u nspent ?

Had ye no though t for h im whose blade

Shone l ike a th ing that hath no shade,

And fi rmer temper took at every blow,

From subtle cu rrents wh ich therewith d id flow

And not alone the hand obeyed,

But st ruck most r ighteou sly,th e gu i lty foe ?

And spared ye any in that t ime

Of bru ta l deed , of blood and grime ,

40 T H E

For that they were beloved by lad ies fa ir,And sent sweet songs across th e trumpet ’s blare ?

Nay seemed it not a crime,

To h inder tho se whose loves were al l t he i r care ?

How choose ye now your sacred dead ?

Where once was war is peace instead .

Have you r own heart s not gathered newer clews,

See ing how earth ly ma ids th e l iv ing choose ?

Are not you r wh ite l ips turned more red ?

Have not you r eyes been purged with sweeter v iews ?

Yea I hath not Od in,you r great Si re

Been tu tored to a new desire ?

Hath not some signal from a human hand

Start led the warders o f that ghostly land

That now a new and softer fi re

They burn,with reverence

,al l a long th e strand ?

TH E DEAD DAY .

I made a tryst with a com ing day ;A day ye t far away

And I sa id

I wil l meet thee, O day , on the h i l l s

When thy glory the east overfi l ls.

Let thy s isters be fo re thee regre t

And thy s isters beh ind thee despa i r

For I ’ l l br ing thee a j oy wh ich the world cannot fre t ;I wi l l show thee th e worth wh ich the heavens dec lare

A po ff ert lzca r t wil l I bear .

But the red o f her com ing tu rned gray ;For I was far away

And she said“ Let me d ie with th e longing that k i l l s

Wh ich through the dead heart ever th ril ls l ”

Then upon the low bierwas sh e set ,And borne th rough the sh ivering a ir

By her maidens al l darksome and wet ;While wai l s of defeat were st i l l echoing there

And a broken heart was in prayer .

TH E LAGGARD .

swift passed by h im th e peop le,so se ldom looked

they around,

They saw not th e face of the laggard , whose fee t on the

covetous ground

Found rest and a l ingering l ightness and del igh t as of

last ing good,

And slower and slower proceeded unt i l i t seemed that

he stood .

But hurried the many onward in broken masses and

groups,

And the hollows and empty spaces of the ir frenz y’

serpent - loops

Seemed spectral hearts of exc itement wi th the ir fever

and force pul sed o ut

The ir bi rth the death o f a moment , th e ir death the birthof a shou t .

At ease the lo i te rer fo l lowed,untouched by the st rug

gl ing throng,

For mult i tudes feel a repu ls ion from souls that are

si lent and strong

And noth ing is half so defended as the s imp le peace ofth e heart

44 TH E LA GGARD .

H i s heart was a de l icate l i fe-boat with a roseate sai l

unfurled ,And sav ing one j oy undim ini shed i t sa i led the whole

of the world .

Their desire was a passionate c rav ing to feel al l th e

forces that are,

So long as was left on the ir sp iri t s one spot for sensat ion

to Scar

Whi le to fathom the single impres sion and it s subtle

folds unwind ,Was enough for h is t ruer longing , enough f o r h i s single

For he kn ew that h is spac ious be ing , unloosed to it s

farthest curve,

Lacked room for that one reve lat ion,t hough h e held i t

al l in reserve .

The fu tu re to them was a st ra igh t th read spun from the

m ists of the past,

Which,miserly

,marked ou t before th em the way wh ich

they traveled so fast

And the present had no ex istence,or seemed

,past any

dispute,

But the l itt le l ine that lapses ’tween the rai sed and

lowered foot

Wh ile t ime to the leal - h ea rted laggard had no d ispers ion

o f soukCou ld only, starl ike , around h im its widen ing c irc le s

rol l ;

TH E LAGGARD . 45

And th e growing plane of i ts orbi t was the present unto

Where l i fe in a lu strou s glo ry stretch ed calmly away

to it s r im .

But th e running‘

l ine of the i r hast ing,l ike th e chain in

the deep,cool wel l

At last drew speech from the s i lence wherein such

sp ir i ts dwel l

And turn ing about to th e nearest h e showed them the

peace of h i s face,

And by the power of h i s purpose ch ecked the speed of

the i r fevered pace .

Then suddenly ended the ir rav ings,with th e shock of a

sharp surprise,

As a storm migh t hal t in i ts fu ry with qu ick reverence

in i ts eyes,

I f right in i ts path there sh immered,with no watchmen

stat ioned around,

A co lony'

o f gloriou s ange ls j u st arr ived to inhabit the

ground .

And these are the words h e u ttered unto such as l ingered

anear,

Amazed and afraid and att racted and half unwi l l ing

to hear .

Why haste ye on Change ’s worn p in ions to th e eyry

of lu st ing and madness ?

Why float in th e storm -winds of laugh ter to th e dreary

expanses of sadnes s ?

46 TH E LAGGA R D .

Do ye have the deep heavens for you r h ast ing , as t h e

birds in the ir j oyous proj ect ion ?

Are the white doves of H eaven abandoned , with the i r

burdens of mystic reflect ion ,To the c lutch of the hawk or the falcon or some othe r

feloniou s captu re ,While the heart that is look ing and longing shal l m iss of

i ts infinit e raptu re ?

Can the racers of commonest c rav ing run as fast as th e

coursers etherial

Which the heart sends afar i n i ts calmness,and gu ideth

with re ins immaterial ?

Ye bu t fol low false bi rds of i l lu sion from the nests of

your own l iv ing treasures

And ye gather from fa l sehood ’s begu i lement that wh ich

falsehood ’s memory measu res .

Ye are fol lowing vanish ing p ic tu res and dancing shadows

and splendors

By a mock sun scornful ly scattered,when the spiri t

unwitt ing,su rrenders

Both the earth and the sky of its be ing,where the forces

c reat ive are h idden

And the th ing ye m igh t form into beau ty,unto h ideou s

shapes shal l be bidden .

L ike as golden whee l s ye are wh irl ing o ’e r h ighways

po lu ted by pass ion ,And the mud -drops ever th rown forward seem to you of

an exqu is ite fash ion

TH E LA GGA RD . 47

Were they drops from the car of old Neptune ere th e

waters of ocean were bi tte r,

Or a shower from a c loudle t begotten where the m ists

with d iv ini ty gl i tte r,Ye cou ld not more eage r pu rsue them or struggle th e

harder to catc h them

And th e th ings th at with th em are m ingled to i l lum ine

and v is ibly match them,

Are the float ing sparkle s and rel ic s of your though t ’s

fi rst pure creat ions,

Comminuted and mangled in fol l y and left for th e

laughte r of nat ions"

But what is the gain of your hast ing -al l you r c raving

and env iou s mal ice ?

Doth not v io lence sp i l l wi thout scruple the sweets of the

spi ritual chal ice ?

Yet al ly you rse lve s with th e wh irlwind,le t rio t fecundate

th e sp i ri t ,And the th ing that is brought forth in frenzy , though ye

shuddering strive not to rear i t,

Shal l for ages ravage you r be ings,uproot ing and smit ing

and rend ing,

Unt i l th ere is l eft a mere desert,and death or dark

horror impend ing .

But i f what ye are seek ing i s prec iou s,and it seemeth

dearer and dearer,

Wil l th e smoked glass succor you r v is ion ? or your

breath on the pane mak e i t c learer ?

48 .T H E L A GGA A’D .

Have ye fear that some others shou ld gather your

del ights ere your hearts have possessed them ?

Then,in truth

,were th ey yours by the i r nature , from

the demons themselves ye cou ld wrest them I

Oh unseemly these struggles and racings, when to lov e

is the whole that i s needed

Since the heart knows to carry you farth er than the fee t

of man e ’er proceeded .

Doth befit your false fury a be ing , who hath th rough the

empyrean wh itened,

And o’

erflown the sun in h is sp lendor nor endured that

h i s garments were brightened ?

Who hath dared to th e hazardou s borders of the regions

starless and rangeless,

Where the breezes so friendly to fly ing l i e as dead at th e

feet of the Changeless ?

Fear ye now to repose in th e ether wh ich is st i l l in you r

spir its ’ recesses,

And i f lu l led to the st i l lness of H eaven,with th e passage

of angels st i l l blesses ?

D o ye fear, unle ss always i t’s flash ing

,that th e h eart ’s

fiery lightnings shal l with er,

And when summoned to shatter some darkness be too

feeble to carry you th ither ?

But , behold how th e passionate pat ience of th e flower

by the roadside there growing,

In the colorless a ir finds and fixes th e shy sweets that

forever are flowing

TH E LA GGARD. 49

Let u s s it down there in th e coolness and su rround i t in

reverent wonder

We can love that flower together and migh t fa i l to so

love what is yonder

We shal l hear i f we peaceful ly l i st en,as th ey cord ial ly

signal each other,

’Cross th e d reary space s of c lamor,in such tones as

noth ing can smother,

The bright band of immacu late lovers,with a sweet and

solemn insi stence,

Mou ld ing ever to trumpet ing act ions th e clear meta l of

perfec t ex istence .

And at n igh t shal l we tent u s secu re ly in th e st rength

wh ich belongs to endurance,

And the l ight of th e undying sp iri t shal l bu rn for th e

p ilgrim ’s assu rance

And shal l frigh ten the forces of darkness,wh ile aga inst

a l l th e tempest ’s assa i l ing,

From th e heart ’s st i l l recesse s shal l i ssu e counter-blast s

of command never fa i l ing

And soon shal l th e lover-gues t find us,

— shal l approach

and the sleepers awaken

And th e fear i n the heart st i l l abid ing,from its loosened

beats shal l be shaken .

THE TWO CLA IMANTS .

Two spi rits late were po ised above th i s land ,Mother of Nat ions

,Spiri t of th e World

And l ik e a mist ac ross th e h eavens ’ sh een

Spread the effect of counter-work ing wi l ls .

For not agreement ’s sweet convergences

T0 some effulgent embouchure in a i r,Had brough t these m igh ty be ings face to face

Bu t d iscord ’s h idden snare at c ross ing ways .

A skyey winter grew about the spot ,And the ch i l led l ight fel l th rough the boreal a i r ,In ghostly flakes wh ich drifted round the i r feet .

And she,th e Moth er of Nat ions cal led

,did hold

A chart of States before her,and across

The fold ing glory of her v iv id dress

Less ample than the other ’s though i t seemed

F l ickered dark l ines that made a ghast ly web,

And seemed reflections of the sh i fting boundar ies

Wh ich c ircumscribed her daughters ’ earth ly rea lms .

Her eyes also seemed weary with th e chaseO f those elu sive l ines wh ich were as seams

Upon the mended vestments of th e earth,

And when she spoke,the crysta l waves of speech

5 2 T H E T IVO CL A /J/A ZVTS .

Then answered her the strong World Spi ri t thu s“ Thy boasted righ t hath never been denied

And,yet

,meth inks

,thou hast asserted it ,

As though that perfect - sa i l ing orb had been

A sink ing wreck,and some swift a id of th ine

Had gained a cease less righ t of salvage to it .

Yet hath thy doubtfu l c la im been e ’er al lowed,

Opposed by none , though acqu iesence made

A grief too large for Sorrow ’s greate st gauge .

What hast thou done with th is vast priv i lege ?

What,save to weave thy web of boundaries

Around a world des igned for l iberty ?

Thou cou ldst not even see thy spheric prey,

E xcept as i t d id , cu rve by curve , revolve

Across thy narrow sigh t thou cou ldst bu t be

A slow explorer there,and

,one by one

Inscribe the parts u pon thy needfu l c hart ;O r catch thei r ou tl ines on thy su l l i ed robes

More spac iou s than thy narrow vis ion was .

And thou d idst qu ickly drive lorn wa ifs of space

Down through the earth ’s c lear a i r and through

O f earth ly generat ion to become

Thy misbegotten offspring,and the bane

Of man enmeshed for them What righ t hadst thouTo cu t th e bond of human uni ty

And put th e separate ends with in thei r hands,

To tangle them with enm ity ? Bu t know

TH E TWO CLAIM AN TS . 5 3

Now,for I say i t , that thou hast done i l l

Thou hast ou tl ived thy righ t To me doth fal l

Thy forfe i ted estate Go now, d ism iss

Thy ch i ld ren from the ir p laces to again

Roam restless th rough blank space as ye t unstrewn

Wi th worlds . ”

Now for a long space d id I hear no word ,And then the other spoke the untried speech

O f pa in .

“ O States and E mpires of th e earth ,Ye are my ch i ld ren slow - transformed ,In th e vast womb of Cycles

,into shapes

Which bear my image —ye are very fru i ts

O f my materni ty What mother else

Hath reared in such alarms her progeny ?

How in you r separate and remote abodes

Have I protected,e ’er unfai l ingly

All you my nu rsl ings how,from th e fi rst hou r ,

Have I endeavoured to tear wholly off

All ta int of former vagrancy in space,

And train you to the regions defini te

Of sol id and enduring happ iness

How have I run to sh ie ld you at al l t imes

When spitefu l demons have made war on you,

What side have I left withou t sav ing guard ?

Though they have m ined the qu iet earth and dropped

Germs of convu l sions th ere,to rend apart

Your rocky fastnesse s ; though they have bent

54 TH E TWO CLAIM AN T S .

The mounta ins to a bow,to launch at you

The ir frozen thunders,or have stamped

The soft a i r hard,to hurl w ide furies down

Upon your heads ; yea , though most imp iously

They have unloosed those sei zures d ire o f strange

And dreadfu l malad ies,wh ich spread ’mongst men

Destruct ive frenzies — yet i t was my j oy

To ever be with you . But al l my fl igh ts.

Around you r cheri shed realms,have left no loops

O f l iv ing concord wh ich a hosti l e word

O f tyrant - sp iri t breaks not 1 Nought remains

But t hat far fel lowsh ip of space,wh ich seems ,

To those who have bu t played at human love,

Only as sol i tude . I canno t hold you I

Ind ia who dro opest so the head ,And thickenest th e a i r into a du sk

With the dark fragrance of thy favored flower,

For m id -day dreams ; wake not for my farewel l

O wou ld that I m ight j o in thee in that sleep

Which feeds alone upon sweet memori es,

And wil l not pass at touch of present grie f,

Though grief shou ld tu rn i tse lf to burning suns .

And thou I tal ia,who sitt’st a t ease

Upon the sun -ward s ide of thy vast ru ins,

And id ly watchest swarms of l i t tl e fo lk

At play before th ee ; hop’st thou sti l l

, 0 ch i ld ,For future h eroes to del igh t those eyes

TH E TWO CLAIM AN TS .

Which only sh ine for demigods ? Nay,tu rn

Thy face around and chase the migh ty sh ade s

Who fly from th ee I Haste now,and fare thee wel l I

Farewel l to th ee Britan ia , . eve r young I

Thou who hast made a never- end ing pact

With dawn and sunset,equ i -d istant powers

To keep the i r h eart -hu es on thy face at noon ;Who hast pu t port ions of th y realm far off

To show how eas ily thy regnant wi l l

Can leap the vast and host i le intervals,

Or to enj oy perpetual,interchange

Of sweet sa lu tes with the remote— th e dark

And train the heart to tender prophec ies

Oh,boundless woe I that t hou must now forsake

These eyes and go where ne ither sound of vo ice

Nor d ivinat ion may take hold of th ee .

And now to thee Columbia,I speak

Subl ime and dreadful offspring of mine age I

Thou wild,unfil ial ch i ld I Keepest thou st i l l

That face turned from me ? H id est i t fo r shame

That sorrow hath no faint impression there,

Or art thou e ’en unconsc iou s of my vo ice ?

I feel a mystery of reverence

Creep,l ike a vapor

,o ’er th e luc id streams

Of th e affect ions,darkening the ir cou rse

But vagu e and doubt ing guesses of thy though t

Haunt the vast spaces of my unfi l led l i fe,

And bid me st i l l to love thee,though in fear .

5 6 TH E TWO CL A I/WA N TS .

Now let Farewel l drop her dark cu rta in down

Between thy secret and my augurie s

Yet wou ld I,that

,in some far

,sec ret t ime ,

Welcome migh t r ing that cu rta in up again,

And show thee true protagoni st of earth .

Now al l my ch i ld ren whom I have not named,

Farewel l I farewel l I Fade,s ink away I henceforth

Ye are but ghosts — wan spectre s wh ich wil l haunt

A ll drear domains of space,and on the a ir

O f that new world I soon shal l go to seek ,Work dim alarms and subt le sh iverings . ”

Soon as the griev ing sp irit ceased her pla int,

The Spirit of th e World,with p i ty moved

Spoke thu s “ O'

erring siste r , be consoled I

Let such a change go o ’er thy sudden globe

Of woe,as thou shal t see pass pleasantly

Around the c ircles of th e qu ickened earth,

When I shal l speak to i t . Soon shalt thou see

How sh runken man hath sore offended u s,

Who had the power to see h i s de st iny .

And thou shal t find new j oy,when he doth turn

H i s perf ect face unto th ee thou shal t know

The beauty of a human face,when al l

The glory wh ich has sett l ed round the heart

Shal l rise l ike wh ite flame th rough the eas ‘ed l ife,

And pour immortal graces in th e fount

O f sm i les ; when al l th e sun-glow d rench ing earth ,

TH E TWO CLAIM AN T S .

And all th e crimson fervors of its h eart,

Combine in fert i l e j u ices wh ich shal l feed

No growing th ing,except .th e flower of song

Which reaches ever to man ’s sacred l ips .

There i s bu t o ne humani ty and man

Yea I every man— must have the whole of earth,

To be h imse lf as whole . Thou hast done i l l,

To so d iv ide men into host i le groups,

That each mu st keep h is eyes fixed on the f ew ,

And no one is a l lowed to tu rn h i s face

Toward the s low- shap ing wonder,tru e Mank ind

And force that darksome giant to d isc lose

The perfec t image worn upon h i s heart .

Thou hast restra ined th e i r s igh t to vort ic es,

Whose ou ter rim is boundary of th e i r state,

And al l whose lessening ci rc les end,at last

In the sunk centre - point of selfi sh appet i te .

But I wil l tra in men ’s v i s ion to the curve s

O f earth,and

,l ike a sea-fowl o ’er the waves

Shal l i t,with d ip and rise

,fly ’c ross the land

And I wil l teach them to restore th e earth

To i ts fi rst beau ty,and to add the i r own

Unto i t ; ye t wil l te l l them that al l space

I s the irs ; and that they must so fl ing th emselves

Into that larger realm,and so transfuse

I t with th e i r buoyant ble ssedness,that soon

Their l i tt le earth shal l seem a flowery bal l

Wh ich t rooping sp irits carry in th e i r hands .

TH E LAST PRAYER .

To the bare summit of a wooded h i l l ,Close to the chu rch whose al tars he had served

The years s ince manhood had dethroned the gods

Of pagan infancy , went h eav i ly

An old pr iest,sorrowfu l of heart and sore

With frequ ent recoi l of unanswered prayer .

There,fo r a long t ime

,stood he si lently

With eyes that turned them many t imes around

The circ l ing scope of sky,as i f th ey wound

Some l ight coi l of th e h eart ’s expectancy

Round the inc luded world to prison i t,

Or hold i t for h is l e i su re ’s after- search .

At length,with tearfu l face uprai sed

,h e spoke .

God,I have waited with st i l l l ip s

,for fear

M ine own words m igh t irreverently invade

The chambers of m ine ear,and c la im the space

Th ine own wou ld share with none,unless d ivine .

Now speak , I pray Thee , lest m ine ear do feed

So long on si lence that no sound aga in

Have power to waken it I

How many yearsHave but the wasted echoes of Thy voic e

60 T l LA S T P/i’A Y E A’

Mine ears grew weary with the lengthened chase,

And E cho was aggrieved for want of new ,

Sweet words ? But I have p it ied her, and brought

The strong restorat ives of lu sty shou t

And robust laugh and song such as th e street

D oth often feed her wi th .

And I have prayed

To E cho before now,what t ime mine ear

Was strained with striv ing for Thy d istant vo ice,

Think ing that sh e migh t take some subtle sound

O f message wh ich mine ears took not,and wou ld

Repeat i t louder unto me .

O (j od,

I know Thou a r t .

’ al th ough Thou shunnest me,

And speake st not,nor show ’

st Thy face ; bu t yet

I thank Thee I am no ph i losopher I

I do not care to make a name to stamp

My ignorance on ; I wou ld not undertake

To placard mysteries and th ink th em better known .

To bu ild a wal l a round the night,wou ld not

Make any star more brigh t ; and why then bui ld ?

I cannot stop to m ake Thee ere I speak,

O r make excuse for Thee as one who lacks

Some godl ike qual i ty men may d isc ern ;I wou ld not v iew the shadow of mysel f

Thrown forward on the bank of mingled glooms

TH E LA S T P l i’A YE R .

That i s th e futu re,and pay homage to i t ;

I wou ld not so m isprize Thee as to cal l

Prev is ion o f th e perfect se lf,t rue God

Nor wou ld I so d i spers e Thee th rough the world

That Thou art robbed of that sweet attr ibu te,

Dearest to man,th e personal l i fe o f sel f ;

I only feel Thee God,and see Thy power

Work ing superiorly bes id e m ine own .

There may be h igh er Gods than Thou le t be

That makes the need of Thee no less for earth

Where Thou art dom inant . Yet know I not

What righ ts and offices exc lu sively

Are Th ine in th i s commingling l ife I fai l

To d isentangle,fai rly

,Th in e from mine

When,in h is every task

,Thou deign

st to be

Co -laborer with man I cannot find,

With in me,or withou t

,or anywhere

The simple,pure

,e therial e lement

Of God,d issoc iate

,and H i mse l f alone .

I cannot see Thee ; bu t Thy presence h ere

Moves on some subt le r sense than sigh t,wi th touch

Broader t h an mine own be ing— larger far

Than natu re wh ich su rrounds and only seems

But as Thy finger on me ; t i l l t h e sou l

Th ri l l ing with al l the beaut ies of th e world

Assures i tse l f of Thee exu l tant ly .

62 TH E LA S T PE A Y E R .

Yea,God

,I know that Thou art beau tifu l I

The faded images of Thee wh ich men

Have drawn upon the surface of the rough

Conglomerate of the ir m ingled hopes and fears,

How can I own them ? how can I revere

The phantom shapes of s ickly ecstasi es,

Where in some human worth doth often d ie,

To leave a ghost to figure as a God ?

How less than hate those color-c lad conce it s

Wh ich stare at me so bo ld ly from the walls,

When I reh earse Thy sacred mysteries,

And touch the symbols of Thee,in th e hu sh

Between loud heart -beats ? E ven in the free

And bound less treasury of sweet t h ings

Where now I stand,I dare not contemplate

These earth ly charms and sky dependenc ies,

As types of Thee or any part of Thee ;Th ink ing

,mayhap

,the flowers

,fi elds and bird s

And c loud accompaniment of t he days

Progress ive pagentry, might c loser be

Unto the beau ty of th i s human h eart,

Than unto Thee— for I do here maintain

That man has h is own beauty e ’en as God

But my best witness to Thy beau ty,stand s

The sou l interpret ing each beau teou s th ing

As bu t a gu ide to Thee,al though Thou yet

Dost h ide Thysel f before me as I seek .

But dost Thou so love si l ence that no word

TH E LA S T PRA YER.

May be vouchsafed to me,who wait so long ?

Live there th en other Gods to ta lk with Thee,

And canst Thou not forsake,for but th is once

The long entrancement of the ir speech to say

One word to me,who hearest bu t earth ly words ?

I s ’t th en that th e large import of Thy words

Ou t- reaches the d ivided day of man ,And that to hear Thy bri efest utterance

st one l ive on uninterrupted ly,

In a broad plane of open consc iou sness,

Whi le n ight and sleep,forced back by migh t of se lf

Mount slowly in black dri fts on e i th er hand ?

Or i s Thy vo ice d ispersed in separate tones,

Throughout th e whole of natu re,so that each

That ut te reth sound in al l t he l iv ing world,

Doth speak the wo rd '

o f God ? 0 t hen recal l

The scattered and d isordered fi lament s

Of fluent speech , and reunited , pou r

T hewhole supernal flood upon my sou l,

Though there be s i lence in both earth and H eaven,

And speech comes never more from these old l ips I

I t i s bel ieved that Thou aforet ime spoke

To chosen men,who heard Th ee reverent ly

Del iver now one word to me,that I

May show Thee how those patriarcha l saint s

D id shorten h earing to a vu lgar mark

And offered Thee contempt of common ear ;

64 TH E LA S T PRA YER .

For I wi l l l i sten to Thee as a god ,Although my speech is spott ed o ’er wi th earth I

Shal l I bel ieve th e sacred h istorie s ,Which say that T hou d id st real ly speak to t/rem ,

I f Thou refusest now to speak to m e ?

Had olden men the watchword to God ’s hou se,

And I and other men of th is new t ime,

Not ga in admiss ion for communion there ?

Was then Thy speech a favor of Thy grace ,O r qu ick concess ion to d iscovery

O f sec ret , subterranean ways to Thee ?

Lingers there yet,with latent potency

Am idst the debris of d i srupted speech

Some magic rel iquary of old word s

Which once were fitly u sed to summon God with ?

What lack I th en of that su ffic iency

Which pleasedst Thee in them ? I s i t aga inst

O r f o r u s of to -day,that what was thought

Thy very word,hath m ingled with th e world

These many thou sand yea rs ? th a t I have heard

I t th ree score years and more,and reverent ly

H ave worn my l ips with i t,dost Thou adj udge

Me now less worthy o f an aud ience ?’Twere better

,Thou hadst newer spoken then

Dos t Thou att ribu te i t as gu i l t to me,

That when my l ips have u ttered forth th e words

Al leged of Thee,I d id not v is ibly

Pu t on th e aspec t of d iv ini ty

TH E LA S T PR A YE R .

The awfu l sp lendors of a god that grew

More godl ike in th e work o f put t ing tru th

O f Heaven in earth ly words— to th en and there ,Perform the m irac le of making speech

Of man transp ierc e man ’s sh ie ld of habitudes,

And reach the sou l,as reached i t that fi rs t word

That th rough the c learness of the v irgin ai r

D id fal l upon i t ? Nay,I cou ld not help

That men should see th e common man that stood

Beh ind Thy words,and give a care less ear

Unto Thy m in ister I I cou ld not help

That men shou ld come as i f to see Thy face,

And only see some unetherial l ight

Upon the far s ide of the ir s ins,and shamed

Thee,being sat i sfied th at i t was God I

Yet be not wroth with me,Thy serv itor

For the i r insens ibi l i ty ; or that

They left th e du st upon me of dead hearts I

St il l s i lent,God I or dost Thou speak in va in ?

I s th en my “sou l so bounden to mine ear,

That i t s choked channels stop Th ine ample vo ice ?

Nay,now I am as one d isbod ied qu ite I

I have no past I I am become a ch i ld,

With fl igh t of eagle added I from the wh ite

Sel f—l igh ted burning of my ris ing heart,

E xperience,l ik e a smoke

,doth rol l away

And every fond remembrance of o ld joys

6 6 TH E LA S T PRA YER .

Doth d ie to send an incense unto Thee I

I make clear space around m y naked sou l ,That Thou mayst drop one word into th e void I”

H ere ended h i s wi ld prayer ; and fol lowing ,Was no sound manife st of any kind

Save only h is own sobbing as i f awe

O f that assuageless grie f held al l t h ings mute .

At last th e old man tu rned h i s wh ite face down

Toward s th e great c hu rc h he had ascended from,

But recognized i t not for fo re ignne ss

Then down the h i l l ’s remoter s ide d id pass .

68 TH E WON DERFUL LVORKM E N .

The ir sp i ri t s ’ to i ls d id never stop,

And when the ir rude tools th ey la id by,

They se ized the ones th e ange ls drop

When they draw near th e Dei ty .

E terna l power flowed away

From th ei r greati

hearts on every s ide ;The labor of the ir hands by day

Was bu t the d rift upon that t ide .

The li fe they knew was unconfined,

And so su rpassed th e frame that de lves,

That they appeared to human—k ind

As cord ial comrades of th emselves .

N O weight of se lf was on the i r hands,

And l igh t as l i fe th e ir potent touch

For Nature hears th e heart ’s commands,

And al l th ings earth ly y ie ld to such .

And al l the varied implements,

Which fel t each day the i r noble grasp,

Answered the fi rm hand s pure intents,

And knew at once the'

do uble c la sp .

These workmen never to i led for bread,

Though l iv ing bread they never lacked

I t grew where ’er th e i r labo r led,

And sent a stalk from every ac t .

TH E WON DERFUL l VOR A’

tI/E N .

They worked for j oy,for wel l th ey knew

That j oy but marked the ir sp iri t s ’ sway

And i f they took th e wages due,

They took that th ey m igh t th row away .

They worked becau se the i r h eart s were strong,

And others seemed more weak than th ey ;They worked to lessen every wrong

On-k indred heart s that h eavy lay .

They worked to break the bands of need ,That drew th e fai re st sou l s awry

They worked to subst i tu te,with speed

The le i su re of love ’s sunbeam t ie .

They worked to fash ion s i len t road s

From ou t the i r pent h earts ’ deaden ing d in ;That from the i r far-off

,blest abodes

Th e peacefu l sp ir it s m igh t come in .

How great th e j oy,as th ese men meet

Flows ful l into th e i r be ings ’ core I

E ach as h i s ne ighbor he doth greet,

Feel s al l th e perfect j oy of fou r .

They know each oth er at fi rst sigh t,

And the i r embrace endureth long ;They hear each other w it h del ight

And each doth tel l h is tale in song .

7 0 TH E WON DERFUL WORKM E A’.

SON G OF TH E SH IP-CARPENTER .

H ere me well I dear brothers th ree

My craft i s good and my heart i s free

I bu i ld sh ips of firm est plank,

And many have stroked the sink ing sea,

But never yet one sank .

Many voyages have I gone

Upon each sh ip before ’twas done

Many a t ime have spread the sai l s,

And travel led swifter than the sun,

Afar t i l l ocean fai l s .

There was no crew upon the deck

I only,manned my seem ing wreck

Unbu i lded yet to perfec t form

No rock beneath the wave cou ld check,

Nor ever any storm .

Thu s afloat each vesse l grew,

Sea and storm tried each p iece new ;And the i r p rotec t ion fi rst was given

And love was sworn and pledges t ru e,

Before a bol t was d riven .

The winds and waves accept my float ;Their nature brea the in every boat

Breathe speed and scorn of docks

TH E WON DERFUL WORKM EN . 7 1

And many gentle gu ides devote,

For risk of rocks .

Upon the apex of th e sea,

Where al l th e waves do wel l agree

To not abandon any shore,

But flow each way impart ial ly

There often do I moor .

And al l th e waves I t i e togeth er,

Tie with a loose and lov ing tether

Wh ich yet shal l ho ld l ik e bands of stee l,

In summer or in winter weather’Neath my sh ip ’s keel .

Then speak I to th e wi l l ing waves,

And tel l them what my sad heart craves

And bid them say to every beach,

A sh ip shal l come that noth ing saves,

Bu t hath a gift for each .

And bid them cry to al l sou ls th ere,

To hasten with cont inuou s care,

To find the fre igh t that ne ’er was told

By hand that hurts or makes despa ir,

Into a vesse l ’s hold

The freigh t wh ich once a sh ip of state,

First bore away from H eaven ’s gate

7" YHE WON DERFUL fVORK/VIE N .

Life ’s love - enc irc l ing zone

Bu t lo st upon some shore of hate,

The p lace unknown .

T H E SON G OF T H E WEAVER .

My work i s weav ing,and my k in

Are those who weave and those who sp in

Bu t most of al l my k indred are

The lo om less weavers near and far ,Whose fabric s pu re and bright and th in

Would c loth e a hope or robe' a star .

There ’s one who weaves th e rain - bow wreath

Which dying fu ries do bequeath

To the depart ing storm -c loud ’s h ei r ;And one who weaves th e flushes rare

Which fl icker o ’er flam e’

s lambent sheath,

And ’cross th e rest less l ightning ’s la ir .

Beneath the moon ’s low canopy,

Some slumberous weave rs l ie

I n dreams th ey weave the raiment brigh t,

By fairy worn and favored sprite,

As down to earth th ey rad ian t fly,

To consecrate the fane of night .

Another, the dawn weaver, weaves

The sacrific ia l d ress th e earth rece ives

When comes in person the adored one

TH E WON DERFUL IVOR A’M E N .

To tend h i s al ta r of th e sun ;And pen itence aga in ach ieves

Day fresh a s th e fount o f H el icon .

And one there i s,who

,near the sk ie s

Weaves glamou rs for al l lovers ’ eyes,

And weaves,oh

,wondrou s art I besides

White v is ions of th e sanct ifi ed

Wh ich swifter than th e eagle s ri se,

And widen as th e heavens are wid e .

E ach i s my comrade,each my teacher ;

The sun al so,the downward - reach er ;

Who blends in Natu re ’s cease less loom,

The earth ’s sad shade with h i s own bloom

And helpeth most the pale beseecher,

Who kneeleth in her western room .

And though I may not weav e as th ey,

Yet work I in my c loth each day,

Some cunn ing threads wh ich ne ’er were spun

By flower-whee l from th e heart of th e sun ;And many subtle p lans I lay

That al l my c loth be fai rly done .

I wou ld that al l who shal l i t wear,

Might fi nd that i t w i l l never tear

That every h eart wh ich beats below

The fabri c I have woven so,

74 TH E . [WON DERFUL IVORK'

M E N .

Shal l touch th e spring and fee l th e snare

And swift ly al l th e others know .

From Morning ’s face or E vening ’s mask ,I take new v irtue for my task ;

And better th reads I often gain

Where saints have wept or angel s la in

And every gentle th ing I ask

For floss from its soft ske in .

Al th ough I can , with al l my care ,Weave not what pu re immortal s wear

I yet may form the fabric meet

To l ie beneath the ir hovering feet

And that shal l k eep me from despa i r,

Unt i l I d ie,i f death be fl ee t .

SONG OF T H E F ARM ER .

I n the hou se of th e fol iate forces ,I am only a favorite servant

Bu t my serv ice is free as the water -cou rses,

And my love for my lords i s fe rvent .

See these arms and these h ands that in seasons unnum

My masters wi th treasu res have cumbered

Strong to swing l igh t ly the ir ponderous doors,

St rong to sweep often th e ir measu rele ss floors

And with ease l can manage the broad furrow- shut te r,

Through wh ich the i r fringe-flowing draperie s flutte r .

7 6 TH E WON DERF UL

From the i r seats in th e shade of the moon

Or on the wh ite wings of th e noon ,With greet ings and grace magisteria l ,They come

,when they hear the l igh t fal l

Of the seed , as th e i r subtle recal l .

Confused i s the wh ir of t he ir answering wings,

And count less the gifts wh ich every one brings

All pou red in d i sorderly masse s around,

For Confu sion st i l l makes th e fi rst c la im to th e

ground

But I am the foe of the mad Miscel laneous,

And oppose with my weapons extemporaneou s

And I hou se l ike a sh epherd the al l holy Kinds,

The images pure of infini te Minds .

Bu t ev il gets mixed with the i r gloriou s fre igh t ;As they sweep through the regions of far- spread ing

They catch from its seas th e venomous drift,

And defi le i n its froth th e most sac red gift ;But I hear

,as I l ist to th em speed ing along

How they heal i t wi th blessings and purge i t w ith song .

Bu t alas I how fate fu l and past th ei r pu re knowing,

That the ir sacred touch i s somet imes too glowing I

That th e th ri l l of the heart and the speed of the though t,

May oft on the earth -dest ined fabric s be wrough t I

But I know , and I labor wi th m igh t and wi th zeal ,

TH E IVON DERFUL WORK'

M E IV'

To draw from the gra in what makes th e brain ree l

To draw from the fru i t what shal l blast wit h de l ight

Since the bl i ss to th e gods may to u s be a bl ight ;But strive as I may

,they wi l l never endure

That a mortal shal l su l ly what th ey have made pure .

Far d ifferent th e harvest take from my lords,

Ineffable motions and rav ish ing words ;The m any i n one i s revealed in each act

And mult ip l ies ev er each rad iant fact ;E ach face I behold of that seraph band

Speaks th e love of a legion,and each sac red hand

Thril ls wi th th e touch of the v ibrat ing w ire

Wh ich soweth th e songs of some angel ic cho ir ;E ach word is a poem

,each sound a swee t song

And each blessing seems dropped from a glorified

throng .

And learning of them,I interpret th e world ;

I see in each bu'

d how the petal s are curled

From each flying sound I loosen a tr il l

From each drop of dew l ibat ions I sp il l ;E ach kerne l of corn

,which in fol iage flows

Bears th e ear on i ts currents with close topaz rows

Al l the least -valued th ings have the ir halos of glory,

And the commonest word conveys a ful l story

E ach star that revolves on its del icate cogs

Wh ich ne ’e r with th e load of i ts mysterie s c logs

7 8 TH E IVON D E R F U L

Cou ld people th e sky with as splend id a host ,I f a l l who now roam there were hopelessly lost

Through the portal of o ne the m any appear ,And the many may bloom though th e portal be sere

And the barren and dead into verdure wi l l start,

When gathered by Love and sown on the heart .

T H E M ASON ’

S so xo .

When winds the i r stormy d redges dropped to earth,

Deepen ing the channe ls of th e ir furiou s flow ;And each cloud monster

,round h is m igh ty girth

Tigh tened h i s gl it tering gi rd le for a blow ;There was a sound of many mortal s fal l ing

And solemn -voiced I heard the sad earth cal l ing °

My enep l ies prevai l , my ch ildren d ie

Winds,ra ins

,my armless breast attack

\nd all the rest l ess energies that fly,

G rudging the peace wh ich they must ever lack,

Murder th e dear ones whom I love alone,

And those who know my vo ice ’s large,low tone .

O bu ild me homes that evermore shal l hold

Those who come to me I bu i ld me treasu re -vau lts,

Straigh t as the sun ’s sheer prec i p ice of gold I

Strong as th e sky tha t ne ’er i ts stars defau lts I

Pure as th e new moon ’s curv ing waterfal l,

That breaks in s i lvery m ist i l lu siona l I”

TH E WON DERFUL WORKM EN .

The vo ice was p lead ing,yet i ts power such

That with th e wh irlwind ’s sp iral draft,

Fell on m y' heart

s calm atmosphere i ts touch ,And drew it to th e summit of my c raft ;

Th is was my cal l as from a sacred tongue,

And I became a mason wh ile st i l l young .

When fi rst th e scaffold ’s narrow ledge I walked,

I seemed awakened to some old de l igh t,

Vague and mysterious,wh ich my senses balked ,

Yet d imly p ic tured to th e inner sight ;Sun

,clouds

,the Winds and wing

ed wanderers ,Were to the steed beneath my heart as spu rs .

But down I looked upon the grave,st i l l earth ,

Whose sol i tude d id seem to cover prayer ;And

,l ike a fert i l e loam

,gave ready birth

To qu iet verdu re wh ich I found most fa ir

In va in sough t winds to blow my love away ;Though i t were du st

,yet on my heart ’

t ou ld stay .

So to my wal l I c leave and wi th i t r ise,

Til l I am h igher than the trees ee ’r c lomb ;D etec t what th ey hold upward to the sk ies

And learn,besides

,how keeps her crysta l home

E ach wing ‘ed inmate of th e a i’

ry spaces,

Where noth ing su l l ie s and where naught defaces .

And I have bu i ld ed many homes and fai r ;Have often led my hollow squares of stone ,

80 TH E IVON D E R F U I. WORKM EN .

I n many a charge against th e foes of ai r,

And conquered room to chamber peace alone

For i f the space we win hold not repose,

"Fwere better that no place we shou ld inc lose .

O f every home , I love the most to bu i ldThat one for wh ich some loving pa i r shal l wai t

In every other enterprise unsk i l led

To lead young Love with in the unpassed gate

But qu ite as sacred as where brides shal l l ie ,I s where the good are born

,and where they d ie .

But h igher than my wal l s of brick or stone,

I bu i ld l igh t st r uctures based upon my heart

Reach ing as h igh as ever bi rd hath flown,

Bright as d issolveu stars in every part

And rock ing on th e pu lses of m y days ,Softly as shadows on the waterways .

There i n doth l ie as in a wizard palace,

A sweet,young spi rit

,sunk in charmed sleep ;

So lu l led by craft of elemental mal ice,

Since I refused to hear th e winds that sweep

But I shal l ki ss and cure that charmed brow ,

When earth shal l loose me from my early vow .

CON CLU S ION

Thus sang they through th’e lessen ing l igh t ,And reared upon the p i l lared stra in

To sh ie ld them from the growing night

The choral dome of a refrain

TH E WON DERFUL WOR A '

A/E N .

Which was not shaped o ’er meager word s,

Nor ribbed by speech in any part

But bore aloft,l ike song of bi rds

The perfect arches of the h eart .

So far was sped that fou rfold song,

So h igh that blended music wen t,

E ach seemed precentor of a throng

O f those whose song i s never spent ;

But pours unwast ing through the a i r,

Through space unreached by other power

And aid s th e human vo ices rare,

Which only holy Love doth dower .

Such migh t was in that s inging band

Such migh t may perfec t song d isp lay

That though the n ight lay on th e land ,Where those men stood ’twas l igh t as day .

I know not whence that l igh t was sh ed

I only saw the quench less glow

Wheth er from some cele st ial head,

That s tart l ing,lum inou s force d id flow

O r whether music ’s essence i s

A steady,wh i te and l impid flame

That fades whene ’

r i t go es amiss,

Through earth ly h earts of darkened aim

82 TH E WON DERFUL WORKM E /V.

I know not,though I somet imes dream

That lov ing h earts may keep the day

And keep a l ive th eir fiery gleam,

I f long in music ’s draft they lay .

But in that l ight,where ’er i t sprung

I saw revealed a wondrou s sigh t

Before each heart of those who sung,

Lay fu l l d i sp layed i ts secret migh t .

And far across the land there stretched

T he‘

perfec t product of each craft

As i f the craftsman ’s dreams were etch ed

Upon a migh ty s i lver shaft .

Oh,earth and sea and man were dressed

As they were never dressed before I

Unless i t were,when they expressed

The l ife that leaped from every pore .

The sh ips that l ived upon the sea’

Seemed waves that broke not when up-cast

The sai ls that with th e wind s agree ,Were fl owers that bloom upon the mast .

The fi elds before th e farmers ’ feet,

Had verdure that for e ’er abides

The harvests that th e whole year greet,

Were fattened in the solar t ides .

TH E TRAMP

Some ch i ldren p layed before me in the street,

And,in my thought

,they tripped o ’er si lver wires

H eart - fash ioned of the past,and music sweet

Ro se from the stones in m ists of rare desi re s ;When 10 I with shou t of “ Tramp I they ran away

To take e lsewhere thei r never-a l ien play .

The tramp came slowly in th e ch i ldren ’s wake,

As though he walked,with awe

,on holy ground

And in those empty realms o f joy d id shake ,Aghast at having slain such happy sound .

Come back I” he cried,

“ people again th is place I

Come back, 0 Joy, with al l thy rad iant race I

He nearer came,and I beheld h im plain

A slender figu re,finely wire -drawn

As if to carry messages of pain

A face that seemed a qu ivering,wh ite dawn

And eyes l ike beacons on a dangerou s coast,

That l igh ted bu t th e sh ip s already lost .

But coming near,h e turned h is eyes on me

And th ere appeared such largeness in h i s looks

TH E TRAM P . 8 5

As could not l i e in se lf’s smal l boundary ;And

,l ike th e sunfi sh in the sunny brooks

Inqu i ry swam with in those rest less eyes,

And doubt upon them dropped her floating l ies .

H e paused and spoke to me,st i l l stand ing there

With vo ice that sank before th e feared reply,

And st ranger word s were n ever sa id,I swear I

Since earth fi rst shuddered at a human cry .

“ I seek,

” he sa id,

“ what othe rs do no t need

If thou dost know it s place,O th ither l ead I

“ Far have I come , s ince I began th e search

My days seem strung,l ike beads

,upon the way

And yet,I fear me

,that beyond death ’s perch

Must l i e the goa l for wh ich I ever pray .

I know I have not passed i t on the road,

For everywhere want ’s c ry haso

been my goad .

“ And ever have I quest ioned those I met,

For t id ings of th e th ing for wh ich I sought ;Have asked th e laborer with h is face of sweat

The idler in h i s dreams that come to nough t ;The old

,beneath the shadow of the i r aims

The young,who scarce are schooled in the i r j oys ’ names ,

“ E nter,I said

“ strange man,for rest and food ,

And tel l me,after

,al l thy wondrou s tale .

The strong flow of my heart to Hunger ’s brood ,

86 T H E TRAM P .

Sweeps food from mine own l ips,as by a gale

I am not weary,and my tale i s brief ;

And thou shal t h ear i t for m ine own re l i ef.

Twere better to be born on some bare rock,

Or’neath the c lamorou s cyclone ’s dervi sh feet

O r by the doors at wh ich the l ightn ings knock ,O r in th e poi soned p lace

where serpents meet ;Than draw from Wealth

s hot teat of bl i stering sand

Her dead—sea mi lk,by the S irocco fanned I

“Wealth is a fortress bu i l t against th e sun

An ambush set for angels a d efence’

Gainst the world ’s love an op iate cord ia l won,

When H eaven ’s face wou ld be the watcher ’s recom

A draft from Styx a duc t from that black st ream

To irrigate the regions of a dream .

I was born rich and al l a father ’s ga in

Was stored away,with al l th e marks effaced

O f h is strange inst ruments— once printed pla in,

And every purpose and resu l t there traced

The weal th was but a cavern home for me,

Beneath th e sunny he igh ts of indu stry .

I l ived as in a cave my treasu re vau lts

Seemed fi l led by secret channels reach ing up

To where creat ive labor never halt s

TH E TR A /kI P .

Seemed dra ining stealth i ly h er humble cup

The very drops upon my cavern wal l

Were but th e ooze of labor ’s pressing th ral l .

“ And when I sat withou t that dark recess,

I saw the workmen passing to the h e igh ts,

With lowering brows and bod ies comfortle ss,

And hand that hardens slowly ere i t sm ites

And bearing banners oft i nsc ribed wit h “Want,

Which they turned towards me with a frequent tau nt .

I f down I trave led to th e shaded deep,

I found there bu t the ghost of th e despoi led

People whose names were wh i spered in my sleep,

As hav ing once upon my treasu re to i led

Til l I cou ld find on every co in and“ stone

Some other ’s name — on none cou ld see m ine own .

O h,why is wealth establ i sh ed were i t i s

Al l to i l above,and everywant be low ?

Why can it not be bu il t in realm s of bl iss,

Beyond th e h eights wh ich toi l doth crown l ike snow ?

But yet,i f i t were there

’twou ld fade in mist

For in that holy air wealth never cou ld ex i st .

I had not learned to cl imb the lo fty steep,

And saw but horror in th e vale be low

I knew not where the v ines of pleasu re creep,

O r where th e summer draws her breezy bow

88 TH E TRAM P .

Across th e s i lvery streamlet ’s t ightened strings ,And through the v iol of th e pine t ree s ings .

“ Oh,wealth i s l ike a lone ly

,mate l ess bi rd ,

That d ip s i t wings not in the common a ir I

Deep in the earth i ts heavy fl igh t i s heard,

Where only i t and reck less m iners dare

What company for me in al l th e land,

When al l arou nd me had a d ifferent hand ?

I seemed a dam upon the s treams of j oy

A l igatu re upon a rounded ve in

Or cl ot that m igh t th e baffl ed h eart destroy ,That i t with l i fe shou ld never beat aga in

Yet al l t hat flowed before m ine a l ien face ,Was marked for others in an other place .

“ And why was I not there? Why was I placed

So near the fountain,that i ts forcefu l flo zv

Swept al l th ings past ere ever I cou ld taste ?

So near to Nature,that her m igh ty bow

Sent al l h er arrows far above my head,

And al l h er blessings far beyond me sped I

“ But I can give, I though t , i f not reeeirre ;And I wi l l d raw my bow of generous deed

And every arrow shal l some want reprieve,

Til l one doth drop the th ing wh ich most I need

And if i t be what makes none other poor,

Then shal l I take i t,and it sha l l endu re .

TH E TRAM P . 89

With eager hand I brought my treasures forth,

And spread them in the sigh t of al l who passed

What way so e ’

er they traveled,sou th or north

O r east or west whatever greet ing cast

To each I offe red what he most d id crave ;So long as one had want

,I nought wou ld save .

“When al l was gone my weary ques t began,

To fi nd,somewhere

,the good none el se d id need

And as I j ou rney,everyth ing I scan

Nor doubt bu t tha t I shal l at last succeed ,Although my way has ever been among

Th e th ings to wh ich some private want was hung .

H e tu rned away,and wou ld not be restra ined

I bowed my head,as i f before a grave ;

For wel l I knew th e land had ne ’er conta ined,

Nor ocean borne upon h i s h ighest wave,

The prize he sough t I bu t yet I knew,indeed ,

H e soon would find what others do not need .

DEMO CRACY .

N o t on the c ru st of earth,Democracy

Wert th ou begotten I but wi th in the core

O f some fai r, glowing world , al l sea

And sunny mot ion to the bound le ss shore,

Whereto i ts balanced waves d id s ing and flow,

Poised bl i ssful on i ts cent ral un i ty

T h ere wert thou born there d idst thou freely grow,

Thou perfect infant,mothered by a world

Whose crowded l ive s,from every part

D i scharged thei r j oys u pon th ine even heart

And round i ts spheric longings cu rl ed,

That made th ine earthward fl igh t

Sweet th ings of sacred l igh t .

Before man ’s foot had touch ed th e earth ’s hard marge ,I t had advanced its h igh

,wh ite peaks

To make for th ine a welcome large,

In sign of what it mutely seeks

And thou,as tender as a foam - ch i ld born

On H eaven ’s sea when su rgefu l Mu sic speaks,

O r l ike the image on i ts bosom worn

When it i s st i l led to the star—pebbled shore,

92 DEM OCRAC Y .

As h is new shadow from the sun was spu rned .

And wh i le bewi ldered and afraid he lay,

H e saw aloft a hatefu l bird of prey,

That,l ik e an auger

,bored wi th sp iral wings

The clear a ir towards h im and h i s swee t heart-spr ings

And from the clouds he heard the houseless thunder,

And wild beast s raging in th e forest under

But Natu re ’s qu iet explanat ions made

With song of bird and sunl igh t ’s a id,

And flowers stat ioned ju st beyond the shade,

H e knew not,s ince he was not brave

For Beauty even shuns a slave .

Art thou unmoved,Democracy ?

So l i st lessly thou m ovest toward the Spot .

H as the cold strangled thy d iv in ity ,O r h eat engaged in some mal ic ious plot

To foi l thy fleetness ? or,in sudden freak

Hast thou th e swift wind chased,that now so weak ?

But 10 I I wronged thee,s ince thy gloriou s face ,

O f earthly weariness reveals no t race

But th ere before thee in the untried way,

R i se foes whose strength i s l i tt l e le ss than th ine

Who c la im o ’er man the fi rst de lu sive sway

And must oppose thee and thy though ts d iv ine .

There stand Oppression,Hatred

,Igno rance

And Fear, th e phantom ,with h i s looks askance

Bu t on thy face one only image l ies

DEM OCRA C Y .

is that of Pi ty writ ing thy resolve

And thou dost look in longing toward the sk i es,

To find th e spot where shal l aga in revolve

Man ’s golden world,wi th man h imself restored

H i s lord ly head no longer lowered .

Hark I does that sacred v is ion turn to song ?

O holy Pythoness , was that a ch ant

Wh ich from thy laugh ing l i ps rose u p so strong,

That Tumult ’s tangle were a break er scant

For that fu l l flood,wh ich cou ld not be confined

By aught save mu s ic of a nobler k ind ?

Like seraph s ’ songs heard round the ir perfect sph eres,

The w i ld stra in flows I E arth ’s captu red h i l l s

No more keep guard I th e l igh tn ing’s broken spears

Strik e down the airy powers of host i le wi l l s I

The free winds aid,and sco rnfu l ly rej ec t

A ll oth er messages bu t th ine protect,

Unti l they s tr ike th e ears of m en enslaved,

And tu rn aga in to vi s ion I Men are saved I

And now,thy foes elu ded

,I behold

Thee m ingl ing watch fu l ly among men

Confus ion fol lows on th y footsteps bo ld

And thou dost sm ite th e despot, O rder , when

H e only ranges men in graded rows,

To walk in single fi le and not oppose

The mandate of th e foremost man in l ine .

And thou dost te l l men not to look on one ;

94 DEM OCRA CY .

But turn th e ir eyes wh ere ’er th e sun doth sh ine

To show a man or wh ere there now is none,

I f onl y once h i s shadow th ere h as la in .

And thou dost sh ow that fear ’s th e only s ta in

Wh ich cannot be wash ed off of human hands

That man ’s fu l l sou l h ath room for no commands

And that h i s brow had not been left so bare,

I f bu t Subj ect ion ’s name were to be printed th ere .

Where hast t ho u learned that look of wrath fu l scorn ?

Has t th ou seen brawls afore t ime among gods ?

Oi H eaven desecrated , wh en some demon -born

Intruder,sm ite s th e seraph h e defrauds

Of h is exa l ted righ ts ? Or hast thou seen

An aweless seraph do some common task,

Nor raise h i s ey es when near h im gods unmask,

And leave unbared th e ir glory—shedd ing m ien ?

For when thou seest man sord id,cheat ing

,raging

And ch iefly,when before thee

,man str ikes man

Thy fea tures show no longer mercy ’s p lan

Bu t mark a pass ion that i s long assuaging

Bu t when thou seest a man erect

A pal try structu re wh ich h e ca l l s a th ron e,

For h is lone seat,and calm ly doth expect

Mank ind to be it s base of l i fe less stone

Th en laugh ter loosens bu t thy l ight contempt,

At what from seriou s care i s wel l exempt

Thy hand bu t ri ses and th e th ing is gone .

DEM O CRA CY .

Thou speakest not to al l bu t fi rst dost choose

Thy t ru sty confidants men of rese rve,

O f hearts world -modeled,and of th ews

That might have bent a mountain to it s cu rve,

Yet wou ld have feared to crook or cramp

The slender column of anothe r’s wil l,

Firs t ra ised to hold the insp i red lamp

Of consecrated though t in m ists o f i l l .

To them thou needest no interpreter ;For thou dost eve r speak the i r anc ient speech

Which they h ave learned where de i t ies confer,

And st il l doth echo in the sou l of each .

How dost th ou tu tor th ese,th ine own elec t ?

What grace bestow from th ine abundant store ?

Dost thou the ir h ardened l imbs with charms pro tect,

O r on the ir eyel ids dreamy lo t i ons pou r ?

Nay I th ou dost s imply show that one free sou l

Ou t-weighs the whol e of Natu re ’s beady bowl,

I f base submission mixes with the drink ;And teachest th ese devoted ones to th ink

I t good to perish for th e i r cowering race,

And crowd the i r bound less l ive s into a moment ’s space .

I s Death ’s th y servic e then ? d idst thou appear

To only show the mortal how to d ie,

And from h is latest , l iv ing though t to rear

The standard of a di m etern ity ?

To leap at one strong bound al l l i fe ’s extent,

96 D E A/OCR A CY .

And dwel l one fi ery moment on it s verge,

And then spring l igh tly to h is bani shment

I nto th e dark abyss— th e unseen su rge

And hold ing in h i s hands upraised,

A l i t t l e snow snatched from l ife ’s h ighes t peaks, .

O r winter rose by icy breezes glazed ,To charm away the demon vu lture -beaks ?

Thi s i s thy m ission then ? Nay,never so I

But th e free sp iri t housed in every man,

Thou wou ldst,fu l l—statu red and res ist less

To feeble thou sands who cou ld never scan

I t s noble image in the ir sh runken thought,

Nor u se th e powers to th ei r fingers brough t .

But in th e splendor of a great man ’s death,

The darkened p laces of th e m ind are l igh t ;And with th e flutter of h is l a test breath

The earth i s shaken by a th ing of migh t ;And the world -cu rrents wh ich were lately c hoked

Break down all dams wh ich se lfi sh strength hath made,

O r wrongfu l pu rpo se ha th invoked

To stop the stream of Nature ’s equal a id ;And in the qu iet of th e afterflow,

Thy vo ice i s h eard again ; and thou dost teach

That Natu re i s d i st ru stfu l,and cl oth countermand

E ach perfec t gift,unle ss th e whole shal l reach

The dest ined port of every empty hand

That though a man may rise to h i s fu l l h e igh t,

DEM OCRA CY . 7

To lend her momentary a id,she knows

To pu t h im st rai gh tway from mate ria l s igh t,

Til l man no longer sha l l a man o ppose

That there ’s no sceptre save the unc logged arm,

Nor any crown bu t that wh ich fi ts a ll h ead s

With equal grace - reflec ts to none a harm,

But glory of enfranch ised eyes i n s tead,

And bounds dominion by i ts c i rc l ing l ine

That Freedom i s th e l igh t o f th e D iv ine,

The sou l ’s t rue gladness and it s starry glow

That man shou ld pa l /re, i f Freedom may not go

Shou ld scorn a seat,though gods shou ld pass th e place

I f he migh t not be free to tu rn away h is face.

Yet,O thou godess, one ignoble art

Thou teachest I for thou goest among those

Who gather up the overflow of Nature ’s h eart

Who watch whene ’er th e careless hand s unc lose ,And drop th e ir h old ings and who steal thy catch ,With ready bas ins and expert d i spatch ,The very drops wh ic h fal l from l ip s that prai se

The sweet el ix i rs of laboriou s days

T0 such,and to the ones who save with greed ,

The flying atoms from th e sharpening blade

O f efl'

o rt’gainst th e wh irl ing stone of need ,

Thou sayest a th rifty word,and givest a id

To count and to d iv ide the shameful gains

Oh I sh ow not thy wh i te fingers last ing sta ins ?

Better,0 stooping one , hadst thou , instead ,

98 DEM OCRA CY .

Cal led up a flood at c lose of every day,

Wakened a wh irlwind from i ts sp ira l bed ,And washed and blown the s ta ined hoard away I

O Democracy,rec la im th is erring crowd I

Show thyse lf to th em in th y pri st ine m igh t I

Unfold the grace wherewith th ou art endowed

Ra i se thy maj est ic form to i ts fu l l heigh t I

Set stra ight thy struggle - torn, diso rded dress I

Take up the symbol of a hum an heart

Carven from gold and purged of i t s d istre ss,

Which l ies upon th e ground th ere wh ere thou art,

And very near thy fee t I Sing thou again I'

O s ing of Jo y and Tru th and Love I expla in ,That j oy is l ike a sea whose t ides do dash

On th e broad beaches of a race,and not

On capes of favored beings cra sh I

O take from off man ’s h eart Fear ’s fingers hot,

And turn i ts t remors to th e p leasant th ri l l

O f music I Show,that though Joy counteth hearts,

Whene ’er she opens her fine t reasu ries,

Natu re,more wary

,counts bu t honest hands

E re sh e permi ts th e lessened gifts to pass "

And say or sing where Natu re doth conceal

The gath ered glories of fecundate t ime,

Wh ich she orda ineth never to reveal,

Til l al l men gather in some gent le c l ime

And round the spot a perfect c i rc le shape,

Lest one smal l gap should le t th e whole escape I

100 TH E S UB 7 E CT S PIRIT

’Twas a wondrou s dwel l ing of substance fine,

O f a changefu l form and a fickle hue,

With as many rooms in it s st range design

As the h eart has plac es for pleasu res new .

But th e hou se was empty except for o ne

And the shadows wh ich h is choked heart d id spi l l

For th e structu re was bu i lt by h is hands alone,

And was girded around by h is s ingle wi ll .

And th is ghostly hou se where she d imly dwelt

With the lord sh e served with abased head ,Would d i late with the l eave of i ts magic be lt

O r sh rink to the smalle st space instead .

But expand or d im in ish,however i t m igh t

The bounds of her slavery never were crossed

And the sway of another to her seemed righ t,

Since the way of a separate l i fe was lost .

Oh I a piteou s sight was th i s he lpless slave

As she flitted abou t in an a imless way

B l l t only advanced where her master d rave,

And only rema ined where he bid her stay .

Yea I her hand in the wake of h is own hand moved ,And her deed was h is doing

,wh ile ever h is need

But her own need unto her d im thought proved ,And her pain wi th h i s own pa in fu l ly agreed .

TH E S U B j’E CT S PIRIT . 10 ]

H er voic e only fi l led th e old mou ld of h is speech,

And the dross in ' th e draught of h is eyes,

Alone fed the eyes th e blank days d id leech

With the drou thy l ips of a fal se sunrise .

I f alone she was le ft wi th her phantom househo ld,

While he flung h is glad h eart ’gainst the upper

most sky,

With a wild,free wing and a j oy unto ld

Her own wings qu ivered she scarce knew why .

H is exhausted emotions rev ived in he r heart,

And sh e fondly bel ieved he r own heart was al ive

And the music that from h is tense be ing d id start,

To repeat on slack str ings she d id strive .

There i s such a de l igh t in a sou l ’s free play ,That one i s not sad who can merely repeat

The motions that p ic tu re that consummate way,

And the mere im itat ion seem s wondrou sly sweet

Just as if some imperia l flower shou ld grow,

Whose shadow i tse l f was a d im,dusky bloom ,

And sent from the wel ls of i t s hal f- smoth ered glow

The del icate h int o f a subtle perfume .

Now had passed a long t ime s ince a prisoner came

Th is weak,wronged sou l to he r pri son—house wierd ,

And sh e lov l ier grew notwith stand ing h er shame ,And unto h er l iege more and more was endeared .

102 TH E S UB_

7E CT S PIRIT .

For ’t i s easy to love what resideth so nigh

To the love -beat ing heart,that i ts echoes return

The loud stroke of sel f wi th each lover-swee t c ry

Wh ich leaps from the heart wh ich has sel f ye t to

H i s love was as sure her own love to find,

As the rainbow i s su re to come up with the ra in,

For i t bowed bu t th e m ists of h is masterfu l m ind,

And its hues were entwined l ike the l inks of a

chain .

But the world - heart true has a world -old cure

For a h eart ens laved and a heart that sways,

And the t ime soon comes when i t wil l not endure

That a l ie shal l d i sco lor th e deep s of th e days .

Then she sends her t ides wh ich are ch ristened death

The wh i te,keen t ides wh ich d i sso lve al l dece i t

And tu rn to the stuff of the l ightest breath

The bonds that her t ru th and her love defeat .

And these t ides arose on th i s mate le ss pa i r,

And the shadows shrank and the falsehoods fe l l,

Til l be tween the flood and the crysta l a ir

Were two naked sou ls and a broken spel l .

Then at fi rst , l ike to two leash ed darts , th ey fly

Straigh t u p from that s il ent and wave less waste,

104 TH E S U By E CT S PIRIT

And apart,and as dead

,t h ey were c arri ed away .

By the winds that sp rung from that tenantless world,

With the ir sad,sh in ing wings al l in d isarray

And their wh i te breasts up,they were therefrom

wh irl ed

And were left to drift in th e vast unknown,

Past the drift ing moon or a fixed star,

Ti l l rece ived on some sphere of a lower zone,

They migh t l iv e again in tha t world afar .

TH E WHO L E TRUTH .

“ For Anthony,my husband

,was i nscr ibed

The packet found u pon th e woman ’s breas t,

When women came in prompt apprent icesh ip

Of death , to dress her fitly for th e grave

And,underneath

,was added , “ To be read

At once,and p laced aga in where i t was found .

With in,th e wretched man fi rst read these l ines

“O blameless man , t ru e friend , wise counsel lor,Look once upon the face that thou has loved

After th e t ruth is known,and in the wh ite

Soft sp l endor of thy heart ’s benignity,Let th e dark flake of th is my secret si n

Be melted and consumed or i f thou must,

St i l l yet recal l from that white,helpless face

A l l th e fond,fa i th fu l looks wh ich thou has le t

The l i e there snare from th ee,le st there remai n

Some li tt le spot not fal se,some sl igh test t rac e

Of olden sm ile upon i t,to front God with .

Thou th oughtest not when thou assu ringly

D id st k iss th e last breath forth from th ese weak l ips

For so I see my l ife shal l pass away

That thou d idst sow a seed in that black ground,

106 TH E WHOLE TRUTH

From wh ich shou ld sp ring such bitter, bl igh ting words

As are here writ . But nay I i t i s not so

Though I being dead yet speak,I speak not now

With l ips that have lea rned ph rases or bestowed

Translat ions of th e heart ’s black - let ter past

To fal se impress ion of new happiness

But I do now announce the very son],

As one deprived of every earth ly th ing,

And standing in the s ingle element

O f h igher worlds where noth ing do th exi st

Whereby a fals ehood may be signified .

H ere fol lowed a long space unwri tten on,

A s though she fain wou ld le t h is fancy bu ild

A gradual sta i rway of h is r i sing dread

Unto the awfu l h e ights of h er next words .

The fol lowing sheet began abruptly thu s“ L ove i s a bal l of sh rouded fi re le t down

Invisibly between love ’s cand idates

Thy subtle in st incts only gave th ee power

To draw the covering from th e s ide towards me,

So that dark - lanternwise,i t only shone

Upon my heart,and left th ine own obscu re .

Thou cou ldst bu t s ing the morning song of love

The sun rose later . Thou cou ldst early wake

Love ’s ange l tented o ’er the qu iet heart,

But she d id waken bl ind,and d id mistake

Thy hand for that of h er tru e mate,unt i l

TH E WH OLE TRUTH

A sp iri t wi th a strange and potent spe ll,

That may be u sed but once a de ity

Who shows h is ichor-ve ined breas t,h is arms

Force- t i ssu ed out of l igh ts incomparable,

And world -em pic tured palms to one marked sou l

Tha t i s a lover, when that common word

Slips from its rags of u se and shows pure fl esh .

’Tis one that shows the o ld d iv in ity

I s stronger than the new humanity .

Such seems me that I had . When fi rst he stood

Ins ide the room where I sat si lently,

I t seemed he was a messenger for me

And I fe l t wronged when he looked not my way,

But spoke to others unconcerned ly .

Yet,as he talked , the fai ry oars of speech

Sent subtle ripple s th rough the sea of sound

To my ears only— music ’s mysterie s

And fine,del ic iou s sympath ies .

Later,when he fi rst spoke to me

,i t seemed

There was a sudden l igh t turned on,and th rough

The cavern world,where in I long had l ived

Went myriads of sprite s along the wal ls,

Waking embedded gems wh i le I though t speech

Had ne ’er before been put to such a u se,

But l ike some strange u tens i l of th e gods,

Left carelessly on earth,grotesque ly fa lse

Had been men ’s doubtfu l,ch i ld ish touch

,unt i l

The wonder fel l into h i s hands,and now

The t ru e i ntent— righ t touch,and th u s

TH E WHOLE TRUTH 109

I wil l no t try to trace

The days that fol lowed,nor make v i sible

The d ifferent beau ty of each passing face

Let th i s be al l with song and seraph voice

E ach d id announce to my enraptu red h eart

The new force thril l ing th rough the universe .

E i th er th e world sank round it,or my sou l

Rose l ightened of some coarser element

I fel t as though some secret agency

Was work ing ’gainst th e earth ’s at tract ive power ;The sun and stars seemed forc ibly to draw me

The l ight,free winds and wonders of the ai r

D id make me of the ir mov ing company .

B efo re, I had enj oyed some l i t t le th ings I had

Close pressed against my c la im -dec laring heart

Bu t now was al l d iffu sed and whol l y free,

Yet was th e whole enj oyed unceas ingly

And day became al l sunrise,and the n ight

Was dayl igh t starred .

There was a strong sou l near

To hold m ine own,inv inc ibly

,against

The vo id around,where in th e single sou l

Unless so hedged,i s oft t imes d issipate .

H ere was the one th ing I so oft had lacked

The c lose qu icks i lver to th e pure glass

O f being,mak ing i t a m irror wh ich

Reveal s that coy and covert wonder,S elf .

1 10 TH E WHOLE TRUTH

Blame not o ’

erm uch,i f in th i s v iv id l i fe

Of our two sp ir i ts , so prec isely set

I n correspondence that each l igh test though t

Was echoed back in happy emphasi s,

That the plain u tterance and attributes

Of others not so su re ly re- inforced ,Should be but faintly fe lt and soon effaced .

But slowly d id a change grow man ifest

A change so fine,impalpable indeed ,

That twi l ight ’s ra re and subtly-mov ingmi st sCou ld scarce have noted i t by sorcery .

Would a cloud ’s shadow weight a swal low ’s wing ,And make a seriou s acc ident of fl ight P

80 l i t t le was ou r coming i l l fi rst fel t .

I t mu st be that some facu l ty of love

I s baffl ed in our mortal atmosph ere,

E re Imi tat ion can find any room

To set her earth ly m irrors in,and fl ing

Into the m ingled lucence of two sou ls,

Dim,haunt ing shadows of the incomplete

H ints of th e human,common

,fal l ible

And maddening phantoms of the world ’s wi ld way .

The bond was not so close that fore igners

Crossed not th e boundarie s of our crystal world,

But rather were brough t in,because of want

In our own fai ry popu lace wh i le these

Were driven fort h . I t seemed my lover now

1 12 TH E WHOLE TRUTH

But ever was I c lose ly canop ied

With echo of that sad conju ring cry

Yea I i t was wri t upon the wal ls , and lay

Upon the floor to th ri l l my very feet

Whene’

er I walked . Some wizard wall d id shu t

Th is one though t from al l other though ts,unt i l

I t seemed a bu rn ing i sland in a mental waste,

And only one cou ld bu i ld th e saving mole,

To bind i t back unto th e cont inen t

O f universal though t and sani ty

And be was ever at my door in wai t .

But qu ick ly wi l l I tel l the rest that fe ll

D isgu i sed I met h im e ’er th e day was near,

And rode afar,before th e glowing moon

Had coyly pu t her morning wimple on

Rode swift ly down the eastern slopes o f n ight

And up the grand crescendo of the dawn

Unti l we reach ed an unknown wood,and there

Upon i ts margin d id awai t the day .

Then spoke he,and hi s sweet

,expressive eyes

D id seem to fol low al l h i s forcefu l word s

To my heart ’s door,as m ight

,in sooth

,attend

Some holy handmaids on d iv inity .

‘For th is one day,

’ h e said,

‘I wou ld that thou

Shou ldst love me only and exc lu s ively,

Unt i l al l other loves,al l other men

The world i tse l f to misty softness turn,

TH E WHOLE TRU TH.

Becom ing but th e unseen fragrance shed

From out th e v is ible,red rose of love .

Then I wil l show thee my heart openly ,And I wil l teac h thee

,sweet

,to reconstruc t

The world in qu ivering forms of i t s own longings . ’

Then as th e sun was ris ing,tenderly

With sm ile s he mooted where the day began

Whether th e place might be the upper r im

O f the sun , or lower ; whether her fi rst fl igh t

Was over or beneath that bu rn ing sphere

One doubt ing moment— then we faced the wood .

At m idday,look ing through the trees

,he said

‘See how the sun doth a id th e stooping day,

Lift ing the arches of h er c rystal cave,

That,stand ing at fu l l h e igh t

,her haloed head

May touch the mark of noon .

’ At n igh t he sa id,

Watch ing the sun go down,

‘See,as he s inks

That qu ick,black dragon of the sea of n ight

Leaps upward fiercely to h is droop ing breast . ’

And speak ing so,h i s last k iss l ikewise sank

Below the fl u shed horizon of my l ips,

Which nevermore in al l my l ife shou ld glow

With passage of those burn ing spheres of love,

Sun - ri sen in h i s h eart,sun- se t in m ine .

I saw not that they soon shou ld r ise again,

E j ec ted from the s ick ened heart,and stained

With i ts red blood,l ike dreadfu l portents

,cross

1 14 TH E WHOLE TRU TH

The dul l,bare sk ies of hatefu l after-days,

I n c ruel i terat ion of my sin .

What need to speak of the return ? What need

To speak h i s name ? h e named h imsel f anew

For that one day,and swore h is old name was not fi t

To mate with such a j oy and cal led the new

To H eaven,that in the fi rst amaze of death

H e migh t be greeted by it,and so caIled forev er .

Be ing at home,at fi rst there was no change in me

You came not back,my lover came not near .

The l ife with in,st i l l h eavy and o

ercharged

With dangerou s chem ic fu lm inants wh ich gave

E xplosive splendor to i t,st i l l control led

As stronger than the steady l igh t ou tside .

That lawless,dar ing day

,too large at fi rst ,

Dilated wi th the growth of t ime,unt i l

I t seemed ’twou ld ever dome the temple bu i l t

Of common days , and through its riot -wrought

And crystal-prisoned hues and traceries,

Give colors and del ic iou s l ight to l ife .

But ’twas a day misp laced and overstra ined

With bu rden of too strong sign ificance .

One day alone,can crown th e whole of l i fe ,

And that,th e last

,wh ich Death shal l hold for u s

And help u s work our final fanc ies on .

My lover came not near,and i t grew hard

To hold that magic vau lt of inte rwoven j oys

1 1 6 TH E WHOLE TRUTH

That lone and deviou s h ighway of su rprise

Between the hedges of my close-se t looks,

Which h e had laid before unto the marge

Of my unwatchfulness . Nay,th en ’twould seem

That only in th e common,open avenues

Cou ld he again come near me al l th e world

Had been transfu sed with ou r wi ld,bu rn ing love ,

And there no more remained the unseen th ings,

I l lu sive beau ty,dear obscuri ty

And shy , ve i led essence of del ightfu lness ,To work surprise with

,but with bold accla im

Of every sent ient th ing and rabble cry

O f gu i lty memorie s, would h i s approach

Be coarsely heralded .

And then I knew

H e wou ld not come aga in ; that he wou ld wai t ,Til l in th e fine and stai nless elements

O f some new world , h e’d work that wonder o ’er

And find me subtly -consc iou s,yet su rprised .

And then a new mood mastered me,and gave

A new sign unto my c la i rvoyant heart .

H e wou ld not come aga in ; he the refore must

Be going farther from me every hou r ;And al l th is ebb of l igh t and spl endrou s l i fe

Was but h is footstep far with in th e dark .

How , what ou r two sou l s had made right , was now

A growing gu i l t to my unaided sou l,

TH E WHOLE TR U I H .

And cou ld not be enforced to rad iancy

By its lone l ight I Oh , how inexorably

Condensed in pain and reso l idified

Th e actual world to o l d fami l iar shapes,

Wh ich had d isso lved and been etherial ized

I n ou r love ’s fervency I How far from me

Must h e have traveled certa inly,to make

Those mountains take aga in material ways I

How far,before that bare fi e ld

,half way down

The ir p l iant side,seemed not th e open page

Of some Titan ic regi ster,where in

A ll float ing wonders of th e a i r inscribed

Thei r names,in pass ing

,bu t again became

The h ighest record of the t ide of to i l I

How far,before that h ighway ’cross th e vale

Let pass d im memories of th e common flood

That flowed th ere ere h i s coming struck away

Al l footprint s save h is own,and l i fted up

A purged way towards th e h eavens I But how

H ow very far,was he before th e wal ls

O f my own room unvei l ed the p ictu red th ings

Upon th em,and revealed

,close to my eyes

You r portrai t hanging there with l i fe in i t I

You tel l me I was sick when you came home ,And that wh ic h fol lowed

,from th e hour I saw

You r face come back unh indered to the wal l,

Was but th e natu ral sequence of theshock

1 18 TH E WH OLE TRUTH

Wh ich flung the eerie flam beaux of the mind,

From the i r prec i se adj ustment with the sight

Confused ly upon i t . Yet,how smal l

The exposi t ion for so vast a fact I

No I No I for those few weeks of earth ly t ime

My sou l was recommitted to th e elements,

And l ived out eons of maj est ic su ffering .

Ages I lay bes ide a stream of fi re,

With bo th sta ined hands plunged in to bu rn them pure

For centuries,my l ips d id spou t hot springs

And st i l l remained unclean for longer t ime

Than earth ’s m ost l engthened records mark,

I groped through gloomy space,i n wild

,waste search

For someth ing nameless bu t imperat ive

And every star I neared grew dark and sank

As though it were a stone,t i l l I wou ld rend

My breast , and with my frenz i ed fingers

Tear away the coverings of m y ou traged heart ,To let a black stream forth wh ich only drained

An ever-fi l l ing s in , and poured i ts fatal t ide’Cross count less leagues of sky immacu late

To mingle with th e M ilky Way and tu rn

I ts lustrou s cu rrents to another Styx .

At last,upon some dread and desolate strand

Amid the wrecks of stars and dreary drift

Of noble enterprises cast ’gainst sp ite,

I t seemed that I d id d ie or fal l asleep

The next I knew,Was you beside my bed

Physic ian - l ike,with fingers on my pu l se .

120 TH E WHOLE TR U TII .

Fear ’s ev i l sorcery or s imply there

Was j u st uncovered by that passing flood

Some h idden force imbedded in the mind

When 10 I th ere lay a th ing unseen before’Twas new dece i t I se ized i t and dece ived .

First‘

th ought I of th at magic room wh ich you

Had left me guard ian of wh i le you were gone,

The chamber of our coupled l ive s,enriched

With j o int c reat ions of converging m inds

Now,l ike a hol low she l l

,i t lay despoi led

Upon that shore from wh ich love ebbed away ,Hold ing but ghostly murmurs of the past .

How qu ickly I invented counterfe i ts,

To garn i sh over those weird,empty wall s I

Afraid,that by some subtly-knowing smil e

Some remin iscent look or secre t word ,You might make qu ick demand of my fal se h eart

To show some bauble of the scattered charge .

How cunningly I strove to cheat you r eyes ,And baffl e al l th e cunning of the heart

By my assumpt ions and false att itudes I

O ft- t imes I wou ld cloth e common th ings in Love ’s

Habi l iments say,

‘This and th is i s Love,

And thu s have I seen Love look many t imes

Mal igning Love with false resemblances,

Lest you might real ly know how fai r sh e was,

And what a fal se pretender then was I .

TH E WHOLE TRUTH. 1 21

From then to now my aim has been . to dupe

To break the truth and shape the parts to l ies

But every l i e that showed smooth face to you,

Did have a sharp s ide pressed agains t my heart .

’twas not al l in vain I say that from out

Those black and bit ing mists of nox iou s thought,

One pure drop o f joy was yet d ist i l led ,To give you j u st one moment ’s blessedness

And I wil l swear each l ie was very good,

And H eaven shall hold it e ’en as righteou sness I

But what shal l I say ti me abou t my s in,

The love,and that Wh ereto it l ead ? The love

T lza t v‘yas of God the error compreh ends

The form it took . The common,human mou ld

Who has prepared i t and conceal ed the th ing

Under i l lu s ion and th e subtle net

Of myst ic longings towards the infinite ?

I own not that I loved my love too much

My fau l t was that I loved h im not enough

Our neighboring sp iri ts cou ld not qu ite bu rn th rough

The barri ers of coarse,earth ly habitude

And through th e charred and shapeless apertu re,

Caught only broken v iews and fickle fal lac ie s

Of s igh t,i n p lace of ful lest revelat ion

O f each immortal countenance,with al l

I ts t ru e,d iv ine exp ress ion unm istakable .

A l itt l e more of love,

—he wou ld have seen

122 TH E IVH OL E TR U TII.

You r shadow on my face he wou ld have seen

M ine eyes had been indentu red unto th ine

To give them j oy he had not fa i led to know

That al l th e twice -enk indled and abound ing l ight,

Wherein ou r h earts d id l ie,l ike ruby spri tes

That bath e i n floods of b leachen pearl , shou ld fal l

On thee for yet a l i t tl e t ime,unt il

Thy heart d id feel the double love in i t,

And be adv ised thu s,soon and pa inlessly ,

Of that fu l l l ife of h ighest excel lence

Which we had found withou t thy h eart ’s consent,

O r contribut ion of i ts sl igh te st beat ,But yet was drained of its supremest j oys

To pay a wrongfu l tr ibute to th ee . Then

Thou hadst been fortifi ed against the loss

O f fau l ty fel lowsh ip,by see ing ri se

The lum inou s shadow of the needed one

Thou wouldst go search for .

Pardon me,lone man

That I have been but only pi ty ’s shade

Bes ide thy lonel iness I give me th i s praise ,That there was gri e f wi th in my grief

,becau se

Your h eart d id topple l ike a leaning tower,

Being unpropped by other,fel low heart I

God wi l l not blame me that I cou ld not love,

Bu t that , what t ime I loved , my rad iant love

D id not so beat on th ee,and thee i l lume

LO VE IN TH E L IGHT

0 Love,stand forth from the midst of th e others

Who are mim ick ing thee with i rreverent eyes,

And th e shadow-gloom of whose h inderance smothers

The l ight that of righ t on thy sweet face l i es .

But vermil ion the cumbrou s shadow of one i s,

And i t heav i ly droop s t i l l i t l ie s in thy way

And it c lasps th ee low down as at earl iest sunri se

The low-kneel ing Dawn clasp s th e wh ite knees of Day .

I s i t t ru e,as they say

,that th e drift of t he sp ir it

Has heaped thy wh it e breast s l ike the sands on th e

beach,

When the hot land -winds blow o ’er i t and sear i t ?

Do the bones of ou r heart ’s dead l ie there and bleach ?

Nay, rather declare , as thy sm il ing avouches,They are sacred guests of th ine innocency

Who are rest ing in peace on their ivory couches

There are th ree of yo u now whom I see .

L OVE IN TIIE LIGHT. 1 25

Th ine eyes are no t domes of the imp iou s temples

Whose al tars with sinfu lest sacrifice reek ;But

,instead

,they are only th e sweetest examples

Of ho l iest h e ight and sun -po inted peak,

Where the fearless exp lorer easi ly ral l i e s

The fa iry - l ike tra in of h is sou l ’s ret inue,

That has l ingered too long in the s lumberous val leys,

Where the fol iage droops with a sweet-scented dew .

Like ripple s of wm e in an over-fi l led beaker

Are thy l ips that rev ive al l that s ickens in me ;Not as qu icksands are they to the Infin ite- seeker

Who i s lured by the p ink shel l s cast from the sea .

Thy brow doth resemble th e far,west horizon

When the sun has left nough t bu t h is breath in th e a ir,

Whi le anothe r sun lays h is eth erial dyes on

The changeable m ists interfusing thy hai r .

How thy breath doth d issolve,l ike a sky -fi l tered ether

The smoke -breath of Passion st i l l near to thy feet I

Which i s th ick from th e fi re s wh ich mortals bequeath her,

When they d ie with th e ir h eart ’s flame st i l l incomplete .

Oh , how animate I art thou though thou art stand i ng ,And my slow heart exu l teth to keep pace with th ee,

126 LOVE IN TIIE LIGH'

As thou trainest my feet to obey thy command ing,

And old Lethargy taketh h is mantle from me .

E l ix i rs do fl ow in th e founts of thy be ing ;And thy heart i s th e sh eath of a del icate star

Which di st i l led fi re ’s essence ever i s free ing,

And beat ing to concurrent galax ies far .

How d ivine i s thy power I wh ich so easily fo ileth

The art of thy foes and pain ’s sharpest pangs

And when round us the N igh t l ike a b lack serpent c o ileth ,With what cunn ing of hand thou drawest t he fangs I

And h is scaly sk in thy magic art tu rneth,

By an instant touch,to th e swan ’s neck of Day

Where supernal j oy i ts wh ite l igh t ever burne th,

Til l i t seemeth the curve of a heavenly way .

O f al l who have v i s i ted u s from a far sphere,

Thou alone doth reta in thy natural dress

And bringest th e glow of thy untarni shed star-gear,

Wh ich lose th no l ight in th e dark-o f d istress .

For thou only cou ldst carry beau ty ’s vast burden

Through the measu reless fl ight and the infinite space,

Til l thou gaines t a world for thy unequal led guerdon,

And givest an infinite j oy to a race .

TH E LO ST CLU E .

Can sound he l inked to sunbeams ? or the hearts

Of men be tethered to a god ’s desire ?

Surely,some god hath passed too near

,and I

Must ever fo l low,charmed and dream i ly

As in h i s wake the drafted stars m igh t ro ll .

Or i s th is though t a mask of madness only ?

May i t not be a phosphorescent fi lm

Over th e shal low sea whereon I float,

H id ing the h ideou s monsters of my brain ’s

Profound d isease,unt i l th ey are fu l l grown ?

What man before,so daring that he scorned

The pole - star’s fixed and serv i le ind icator ?

Den ied that there was north or sou th or east

O r west to human dest iny,but made

H i s l i fe th e flam ing center of a bold

And rad iant purpose,which i nsphered in l ight

Al l human k ind ?

The l i ly of my hope,

I t seems,had risen h igh above it s root

And spread the petal s o f i t s vast intent

Upon th e waters of some l i fe d iv ine

TH E LOS T CLUE .

My thought has been to do some mighty deed,

Wh ich wou ld includ e al l men in it s effects ,And show a man ’s fu l l power unto men .

That dream I had so very long ago,

When I seemed stand ing by the loud sea ’s shore

And a soft,subtle vo ice

,not l ike m ine own

Nor i ssu ing from the h eavy l ips,and yet

Pulse-driven from the vocal h eart,d id flow

Away from me unlessen ing, unt i l ,On - swel l ing to most d istant worlds

,i t drew

Sweet answers from them was i t th en,I ask

But the mere ph antom of nigh t-feeble eyes ?

O r rath er of such stable elements ,And of such large extent as fronts unharmed

The fu l l pu issance of th e wak ing l ife ?

Where ’er th is pu rpose had i ts secret r ise,

I t now is stabl i shed on each sovere ign peak

And prom inence of strong material l i fe,

With bed - rock of e xperi ence underneath .

1 find each man is l ikened unto al l,

And dare not doubt bu t that th ere i s a way

For each to send impress ion of h imsel f

Unto the rest . And therefore have I made

Long search among the myst ic agenc ie s

Wh ich,widely scattered and unused

,weigh down

The gl immering floors of inner consc iou sness,

For h int of that,— the universal vo ice

The universal deed,wh ich I requ i red .

1 30 TH E LOS T CL UE.

Again,for long hours have I

,anxiou s

Beside th e gate of the Unseen,with none

Save those twin - s i sters who its warders are,

Si lence and Sol i tude,for company

Wh i le th ey wou ld cast upon my qu iet heart

The ir shadows l ined with l ight etherial,

And,wi th a world —obl iviou s touch

,wou ld c lose

E ach open pore and earth - sta ined aperture

Wh ich migh t leak exce llence but al l in vain

For I was st i l l unhelped in my design .

Then I have passed long t ime ’mongst men to watch,

In stealth,the i r meetings and voice- interchange

Habits of speech and speech ’s acc idents,

Con tac t of common word , or the bl ind touch

Of unaccustomed rage for some dim S ign

Of that se lf- l igature wh ich leash ed the ir th ough t

Unto an aim so near , or that repu lse

O f counteract ing wi l ls wh ich st ifled it

Bu t noth ing have I ga ined save strength of hope .

And though I st i l l can speak bu t brokenly,

Or act bu t weakly as the others do ,Yet have I found it good to make the search .

1 32 A GAIN S T TH E PVIN D .

There i s breath for a song I

There i s h eart for a race

Qu icker meet

The new sweet,

Or the wrong I

How fl ie s from the mind

What maketh one bl ind I

From the heart,

The cau ses of fear I

A fresh start I

Now the end is so near .

Gods inv i te

Whom th ey sm ite

Give a cheer I

A PRAYER TO MO RN ING .

Morn ing,sole fugi t ive of earth ’s F irst Day

Who dwellest st i l l i n th e Beginning,

Between th e l igh t and darkness h id away

Pursu i t bu t fe ints and flushes winning

A simpl e boon I ask,in s imple lay ;

Waken n o t al l who now in slumber l i e,

But spare thou some,and

,Morning pass th em by .

What i s the ch arm wherewith thou wakest man ?

D rain’st thou the stars to water h is dry heart I

O r do th ine eyes wh ich sunsets never scan ,By simply bidd ing

,make th e n ight depart ?

Whate ’er th y power i s,be th is thy p lan

Search thou al l hearts wh i le ye t in sleep the y l i e,

I f some are st i l l aweary,pass th em by .

Sleep hath so brief a t ime to work her wi l l

G r ief works so fast,and hath such length ened days

Though to the sorrows which th e heart o ’

erfi l l

Night sa ith “ Ye are but phantoms,t ruant fays ,

Come I fol low me unto my home ’s dark s i l l,

Yet shal l some wak ing eyes bu rn as with lye

Morning,in mercy

,s imply pass them by .

134 A PRA YER T O M ORN IN G .

But th ere are some who,wakened

,look so far

That day seems bu t a l igh t spot at the ir feet

Whose hearts are bru i sed aga inst the sunset ’s bar,

And sleep i s dea th unto some v ision sweet,

And blots th e h ope of th ings wh ich never a re

To such,a double gift do not deny ,

Or, Morning , show th em grace and pass them by .

And,Morning

,take thou heed I there be a few

Who find the flood of s leep a shal low stream

Whose sou ls are st i l l erec t as fi rst th ey grew,

And are not al l submerged as others seem ;One such I know ; and , i f thou dost not v iew

Some spo t awake whene ’er thou drawest nigh,

Then,Morning

,weep and slowly pass me by .

1 36 TH E M ODEL .

The forms of free -winged puri t ies,

Which flutte r, shadow-wise,

Round secret- hold ing eyes,

Conceal ing al l th e ir ec stas i es .

Nay I they shal l win in faery races,

And snatch the ve i l s from angel faces,

Nor anywhere be bl ind

For eyes not bent in backward glances,

A forward force of see ing find,

Which,past th e common

,st i l l advances

Into the land wh ere s igh t i s unconfined

Where hol i est tru th s are ever common,

And sweet sc enes summon .

Doth now she see or dream ?

From wh ich s ide of th e sou l

D o these scenes rol l ?

For i t doth seem,

That as a babe upon her mother ’s breast

Sh e l i es in infant i le content

And for her nou rishment

As beau ty ’s holy eu charist

That mother passes back and forth h er hand,

And wondrou s p ic tu res in her s igh t do stand

And wh i le she st i l l i s see ing,

The sigh t grows into be i ng

Ti l l she i s twin with her who feeds

And,s i sterly

,th ey wander now at wi l l

TH E l k/OD E L . 1 3 7

In gloriou s meads

Pass groves who se coolness has no damp or ch i l l,

And streams whose waters do so smooth ly gl ide,

That images that fal l there e ’er abide .

But in her heart a si lent sorrow grew ,

Because,among the rad iant be ings there ,

Some d id not look on h er,nor knew

H er pre sence,nor

,with what despair,

H er heart d id beat her beau ty i n the i r faces ,Or fl ing before the i r feet h er newest graces ;Ti l l near she seemed to death

When her companion said unto her “ See I”

And far away she saw,with bated breath ,

One com ing towards her potently

A gloriou s m ien he had,and

,o ’er h is h ead ,

A star blazed wh ich i l lumed h i s way

And coming stra igh t to h er he calmly said“ I see th ee as thou a r t

,from th is day ,

Thou art m ine own and shal l be seen of all ,Since thou art seen by Love who i s perpetual .

Sure ly she d id dream ;F o r now the j oyous pa inter comes to her,Hold ing a canvas whereon naught doth err ,And al l her beaut ie s beam“Waken thou perfect one

H e said,

“ the work i s done

I have painted thee .

AN ARROWH EAD .

Sole rel ic of a race wh ich once was here,And broke earth ’s o lden sol it udes before

A gentler peop le gained her friendl y ear ;With lengthened h istories art t hou wri tten o ’er

Thou who wert wrough t to bear in flinty text

A passioned moment ’s keen and forcefu l score

With what hast t hou death ’s du sky hol lows vexed,

That back upon the summ its of the world

These ghost ly shape s are numerously hu rled I

0 wild , fi rst ch i ldren of earth’s ec stas ies I

Brood of a bi rd who bu i lt h er nest in storms

Whose lu l labies were roared from o ff th e seas ,O r thunder-dropped from tempests to the arms

O f boi sterou s spi r its ne ighboring in woods

The though t of you old Natu re ’s h eart new-warms,

And cal l s her from those ca lm and sil ent moods,

Where in,with finer forces

,sh e doth now create

The modern man who knows to conquer hate .

Where hast thou la in concealed these hundred years,Dark p iece of fl in t ? who bent t h e bidding bow

PEACE lS BUT WEAKN ESS O F SPlR lT

Peace i s bu t weakness of sp i ri t

Rest bu t th e sleep of dec ision

Sleep but a death - fal l or near i t,

Div in it i es ’ scorn and derision .

I s a l l you r desi re conceded

By the powers o f giv ing and keep ing ?

You r longing never impeded ?

A road to be traversed wi th leaping ?

Bui ld thou th y bed at i ts end ing,

On th e fu rth er s ide of deny ing

Rest t/zere,and gods wh i le attend ing

Shal l guard and hal low thy ly ing .

MO RN ING SO NG .

Wake"wake,my dreamer

Let Sl eep no longer s lake

H i s th i rst in thy fu l l h eart,

But,sat isfi ed

,depart

For my l ips ’ sake

Wak e I Wake I

R i se I r i se I th e day i s near I

Long since,each crimson p ie r

Was bu i l t for her pu re arch

L ist I hearest thou not the march

Below the ski es ?

R i s e I R i se I

0 le t th e Day ’s swift race

Begin from thy pure face I

And let that be her goal,

To make my gladness whole I

No m inu te waste I

Haste I Haste I

TH E BR I DEGRO OM .

H ere I si t,locked safe

in my room again I

How wel l I have fooled th em,priest

, Jack and’Ligh t

By the seat in the elm and the uncloaked pane,

Was I tru ly as one at the rite

Though I marvel to th ink I endured the stra in .

She is m ine and not h is by Love ’s own law,

Since her j oy wou ld last i f she came to me .

Though for me she th inks she cares not a st raw,

H er eyes are so ve i led that she may not see

The righ t of my c la im and h is false t i tl e ’s flaw .

But I ’ve married her fast i n sp ite of them all ;E ach promise I made ere h i s slow tongu e spoke

And ere he had sl ipped on her finger smal l

Th e ci rcle t of gold,with a myst ic yoke

I had girded her sp iri t beyond recal l .

And a husband ’s fa i th I wi l l keep with her,

Though another roof is above her h ead

From my chair th i s nigh t I wil l never st ir,

Lest i f once I shou ld l ie on my bride less bed

Hot tears those magic espou sal s shou ld blur .

TH E LO ST FLOWER .

I cannot say how fi rst I knew

O f that lost flower

Whether old legend left some c lue

In ch i ld ish hour,

Which I have fol lowed as I grew

O r other flowers of some great loss

Have wh ispered e ’en m ine ear across

Yet well I know that once was snatch ed

From earth ly fie lds a flower unmatched .

And I have heard or dreamed or guessed

I t thu s befell,

That of all flowers the fi rst,the best

O f fi eld or del l,

Was borne from reach of human quest ;A migh ty prayer which once was prayed

Like that by Laodamia made,

Wrought th is great marve l o ’er th e earth

And d immed for after t imes i ts worth .

A woman by her hu sband ’s tomb,

I n ceaseless grie f,

So sent her longing th rough the gloom,

TH E LOS T FLOWER.

So sough t rel i ef,

That al l th e flowers then in bloom

Did,sorrowing

,with her knee l

And urged h er iterate appeal“ Send h im not back a long the sk ies

But give one word from Parad ise .

The gods were moved,but fi rst demand

Desp ite th e i r cri es

The fai rest member of th e i r band,

For sacrifice

And they tu rned not th at dread command .

Thus was th ere taken,for al l t ime

The sweetest flower of purest c l ime,

To be translat ed to a word

Which by one sou l a lone was heard .

A HO ME LY FACE .

A homely face I sometimes meet

A woman ’s face that shou ld be sweet

Pa in ’s spectra l hand doth touch my heart,

And vagu e tones from i ts hol lows start,

As I pass by,with swifter fee t

The homely face that shou ld be sweet .

Dark ly I feel,as down the street

Some fairer face I chance to meet,

That h ighest wrong was somewhere done,

Upon that hapless,pass ing one

(A wrong that’gainst th e sou l doth beat) ,

Which home ly made what shou ld be sweet .

The hand div ine knows no defeat,

And st i l l doth fash ion al l th ings meet

But what most fa ir i t doth create,

I s set with in an earth ly state ,Where beau ty e ’er must beau ty greet

I f fai r shal l last what shou ld be sweet .

The face starts fa ir bu t if i t meet

With l ife ’s coarse forms ’twi l l th em repeat

And loath some labor,sord id aim

And hateful touch of deeds of shame,

Shal l make and mou ld wi th cunning fl eet,

The homely face that shou ld be sweet .

148 TH E LEADER.

Behold the foe,he said

,wh i le from afar

Came sounds of singing and sa lu tes of friends,

And soon a host l ike to themse lves drew near,

And every man a friend ly hand extends .

Again the leader spoke,and on h is face

Benignant sm ile s bu i l t garri sons of peace,

And old command was blent with newer grace

And wi th h is words al l l ingering murmurs cease .

A short march leadeth he who finds a foe

For man in man there is but one long course

I t l ie s the way tha t al l mankind mu st go "

Up I and away again wi th double force .

T H E P ERMAN EN T .

What th ing shal l last

The tree that slowly mounts in l igh t,

Til l th e span of a thou sand years i t shows,

And grasps from the last hou r ’s blaz ing he ight

Some priz e it saw when i t fi rst arose

More swift ly goes

I t shal l not last .

What th ing shal l last ?

Temples and monuments of e ld,

Symbols of fa ith both in gods and men,

H ave fal len and gone with the names they h eld,

And perfidy wanders where they have been ;Now darkens Then

These d id not last .

What th ing shal l last ?

Tempered in flame and su re of seat

And h i s grani te brow in scorn left bare,

The mounta in waits bu t th ere shal l beat

Time ’s change - sharp moments,and shal l wear

I t past repai r

That shal l not last .

1 5 0 TH E PERM ANEN T

What th ing shal l last

A sacred gift that one day rose

From the sou l I loved , when my love was told

A sm i le ? a look ? Let h im name it who knows,

But i t blent w ith my being,and behold I

Grows never old

Th is th ing shal l last .

TH E SO UTH WINDS .

From the centre of the year,From the sun -warmed h eart of growth

From th e to l l of i ts beat anear,The weary wind s come loth

Having no rest from thei r year- long labors,

Nor any re lease from the ir fragrant loads,

String-voiced with a murmur of tabors

Caught in the long,slow forest roads

Down-drooping with moistu re,smitten with song

Come they northward along .

From the depth s of l i fe they spring ;From the l ips of spring as breath

From th e lord of earth th e ir k ing,

Words of to i l th ey bring and a wreath

For to i l i s constant where th ey come from,

But Natu re ’s toi l,not man ’s

,I mean ;

Since often man has an id l e palm

When Nature herself i s bu s iest seen ;For Natu re and Sloth seem there in league

And Nature ’s to il is man ’s fat igue .

TH E S OUTH WIN DS . 1 5 3

But Natu re wearie s towards th e North

The weary winds,with fal ter ing fee t

Come and draw the whi te c loth forth

From the workman ’s task st i l l i ncomplete

They cal l to th e workman,

“ Renew thy strokes I”

Whi le th e streams in p i ty cry back Hu sh I

And trees beh ind the ir mask ing c loaks,

Grow mute before th e wild-birds gu sh

Man’s so le reply i s a sound of tool s

H i s sad heart owns that Labor ru les .

TH E BL IND B IRD .

A strange th ing happened to me one day ,As I walked afi eld in th e early May

I saw a bi rd al l i n crimson and black,

Who fol lowed with ease a wh ite bird ’s track,

While th e wh ite bird sang as though lead ing the way .

The second bird,al l in c rimson and black

Had no song of h is own as h e fo l lowed the track,

But often some stra in of the sweet,singing gu ide

H e repeated with awe,in a gentl e aside

As the tunefu l strokes of h i s wings grew slack .

But j ust as he passed,al l in c rimson and black

Fatigued, to th e ground he fel l downward , alack I

In my hand I took h im,with p iteou s m ind

And 10 I I behe ld that my fai r bird was bl ind

My bird who had fol lowed th e white bi rd ’s t rack .

LAMENT

Oh , what is th e earth’s endeavor

That i t ’s work i s year ly repeated ?

And what is man ’s,that forever

The work of h is hands is defeated

And the goal h e strives to at ta in

Must be reached again and again ?

0 Labor, 0 cruelest Master I

Why sendest thy angels of wast ing

Thy agents of woe and d isaster

Corru pting the fru it at the tast ing

And sett ing a term to the plants of the fie ld,

And weav ing ru in with al l that they yie ld ?

M lSG lVlNGS .

Like part ing lovers

Thy l ips part

Lik e gent le rovers

Loth to start .

By breath of pass ion

Never cu rled

In thoughtfu l fash i on

O ften furled .

I f k isse s find them,

Like a breeze,

Shal l th ey unwind t hem,

I f they p lease ?

O r furth er bind th em

In the i r ease ?

I f from th ei r sl eep ing

They are st i rred,

Does ’t fo l low weeping

Shal l be heard ?

I f love doth sever

Lips peace- locked,

By sigh s and fever

Are they rocked ?

Shal l i t be m ine

To trouble th ine ?

AN A PO LOGU E .

The seer gave unto the supp liant

A tender plant having a double root

Blessed h im as was h i s righteou s wont ,And sa id

“ Plant wel l,and great shal l be th e fru i t .

The seeker ’s prayer had been for happ iness

Th i s g ift the sole response the seer made

But since,

’twas said,h e did al l j oys possess

The suppl iant was glad that h e had prayed .

Then he departed thankfu l to h is home,

And crossed h is fi elds and found a lonely spot ,Where richest h erbage showed the fert i le loam ,

There set h i s p lant most carefu l ly I wot .

With stea lthy frequency h e sough t the place ,T0 watch the plant le t ’s steady growth

But none he told he wou ld i ts ripening grace

For h im alone— to pluck and feast on both .

A wondrous growth the cu riou s plant revealed,

And soon became a great and shape ly tree

So great . h e feared i t cou ld not be concealed ,And some one e lse its fa i ry fru it m igh t see ;

NO BEAUTY TH ERE .

I s there a p lace where darkness doth not lay

Her dewy mesh to snare th e earl i est ray

Where p lants stand ever bare of that swift - fru it,

Which needs no aid

Of petal- spade

Abou t its root

Then may one say and swea r

That Beau ty was not th ere ,I f he wou ld hope to sh i rk

A l l blame for h i s poor work

That earth was bare

Of al l th ings fai r,Where h e l ived lone with care .

Hath earth some hol low where the air-streams fai l

And perish,that th e flowers spread no sa i l

Unt i l a vamp ire mou ld

Consumes the fru i ty fre ight

Stored in each fragrant hold ?

Whoever l iveth th ere

May say and swear“ I t was my doom

To see no flowers bloom

Upon the air .

N O BEA UT Y THERE . 1 6 1

I f one hath never seen a fai r girl ’s eyes

Bu rning love -beacons,t i l l th e red waves rise

To pu t such fi res ou t ;Nor stooped some tender words to hear

And st i l led h is heart for very fear

I ts beat wou ld pu t them al l to rou t

Why,h e may urge the weak excu se

“ There ’s noth ing love ly for my use

How cou ld I work or rhyme

In such a cl ime

there a sky where c louds shal l never spral l

In sunl igh t ’s dreamy thral l,

On seamless , easy floors ?

Nor wake to float

I n luc id rote,

A flush with th e j oy that soars ?

Then le t one loud ly cry,

“ Pardon each id le year ;Art wi l l not flourish here

And here l ive

I s there a land where eyes can never c lose

E xcep t in s leep,and sleep bring no repose ?

Where the large sp i r i t wh ich the day has fi l led ,Has al l th e flying v iews

Which entered at those sp iral avenues ,By darkness sp il led

1 62 N O BEA UT Y THERE.

E re they have rest ed wing

Then let one say for do ing nought,

I have l ived there and l ife has taugh t

No song to s ing .

Perhaps th ere be some house of sob or sigh ,The sh rinking stars wil l not pass by ;

Or pass refusing

Thei r c la i rvoyant mu sing,

And thei r holy att ribute s ?

I f thou dost dwel l in such,

0 si lent , heavy one ,Was there not st i l l th e sun

Of sl ender,pleasant touch

Or dost thou grope where th e communion l ight

The universal speech of al l th ings bright

Tel l s not the river what th e heavens say

Tells not each tree h is brother’s h istory,

With qu ie t voice and sweet prol ix ity,

Nor carries subtle greet ings far away

Then mayst thou lack th e po et’

speech ,

And tru th fu l ly declare,

“ Oh I there was noth ing fai r

With in my reach .

O r hast thou a lways dwelt i n caves,

Where day about the th reshold raves

1 68 S ON NE TS .

TO J. E . L .

Disease,that

,l ike a cu riou s ch i ld

,doth break

The pebble s of ou r l ives,hath broken th ine

And hath behe ld the wh ite - faced fragments sh ine,

Beni gnant in the l ight of God,and take

Immortal beau t ie s for the fracture’s sake

As broken heavens of nigh t the i r stars resign,

Which through the day ’s completeness make no sign .

rare th e blow wh ich shal l such glories make,

Though blows shou ld shatte r every l ife that l ies

Upon the narrow beaches of th is world ;Oh I I would rather give to some glad eyes

One moment of thy gleaming,th en be hurled

Back to the ocean of eterna l fu l lness,

Than l ive,a rayle ss whole of pol i sh ed du l lness I

S ON N E TS . 1 69

TH E RUNN ER .

(DIED JAN UARY z rsr,1 884)

O wait , fl eet runner of the unseen track,

With snowy feet unso i led by what they smi te

So l igh tly in th ei r exqu isi te , pu r e fl ight

Wait for me only,t i l l I learn the knack

O f running free ly at thy swal low back I

For I am breath less,t i red

,and mine eyes

Are so unu sed,dear one

,to th ese brigh t sk ies .

Temper thy speed,tha t I may never lack

Thy footfal l ’s s inging sound nor fa i l a t last,

To have my heart beat so responsively ,That m ine own feet may fee l th e ecstasy

O f th ine th en fly thou slow or fly thou fast ,I shal l o ’

ertake thee,though I fal l asleep

I shal l o’

ertake th ee early,though I creep .

1 70 S OIVN E T S .

O L D N EW YEAR ’S DAY .

Pale,pat ient day I I doff the hat to th ee

In p i ty of thy mute unnot iced woe .

Who,see ing thee so humbled and so low,

Thinks of the t ime when thou,sweet deputy ,

Sto odst forth alone the New Year fi rst to see

And serve , as she unwound her ve i l of snow,Flu sh ing in al l th e Ch ristmas afterglow

And glad of face,behe ld humanity ?

Now when for twelve days sh e hath moved along

The common path s of earth,hath seen j oy d ie ,

Love lessen,wrath arise and d im the sky

And with her gift of l i fe,men do ing wrong

In mourn ing garb,grie f-drawn and tear-grimed

She fi rst mee ts thee and asks thy p i ty ’s grace .

1 72 S ON N E TS .

TH E TAKING TESTS TH E SO NG .

I f one wou ld learn th e worth of h i s own song,

I t s formal beau ty and essent ia l m igh t

Or wou ld behold with consecrated s ight ,I t s p lace of i ssu e and the holy throng

Which st i l l unto that pu re abode belong

Let h im unlock,with some soft

,minor key

That chamber of h is voice where h i s h eart be ,And mingl ing with its store the frequent

,broad dipthong

Of tender chords as sole accompaniment

Go sing to one song- deaf from very birth

The sorrow wh ich constra ins h im or the mirth,

Unti l th e ir sp i r it s are sufl‘icient blent

Let h im look after at the deaf one ’s face

I f that i s St i rred,h is song hath

,su rely

,grace .

S ON N E T S . 1 73

O PPO SED .

Two hapless spir it s were as east and west,

Where,l ik e opposing stars brigh tening the ir darts ,

Th ey sent th e pass ion of th e ir scornfu l h earts

Across the careless earth,peace - lover blest

Stat ioned between and migh t i ly at rest .

0 Hate,why doth thy dumb immensity

D iv ide so soon th e sou ls t hat angry be ?

Why mu st i t be so far from breast to breast ,When the ir opposing beats give a reco i l ?

Why may no power bu t Pain swim the abyss ?

Ah I i f the sound our tears make when they fal l

M ight cro ss,or sigh s repentant l ips d ism iss

B e ferried,somehow , to th e other shore ;

Who knows,but sou ls th emselves m igh t soon pass o ’er ?

1 74 S ONNE TS .

M lD SUMMER .

Th is i s th e balance of al l growing th ings

And Natu re now inspects her yel low scales

Po ised upon si lence,and secu re from gale s

Against man ’s to i l and care th ere fa irly swings

The equal valu e of h is harvest ings,

In perfect p la in of equal counter-weight

As E ast and West when skies immacu late

Unclasp each h eavy cloud that to them cl ings .

The mute alarm s of Natu re ’s noting cease

She doth remember al l the spring- t ime songs

Which freely fe l l,and counteth the ir increase

The scale d ips gently to th e heart that longs,

Loaded with au tumn ’s overp lus of cheer,

With hopes fulfi l led,heart-calms and courage c lear .

1 76 S ON N ET S .

BETWEEN TH E EARTH AND SUN .

0 sun and earth I th e spaces that d ivide

Your shores are fu l l o f rad iant voyagers,

H eaven-deserters and star-frequenters ;The glori es that upon your breasts abide

Are bu t th e wreckage of that sacred t ide

Sh reds from the garments of that c rowded l ine

Th e l igh t i s bu t thei r banner ’s beau teou s sh ine

Th e winds bu t answer to the i r onward gl ide

Th e varied hues that h ourly fal l and fade,

Are only flashings of th e ir search ing eyne

And heat th e force th ey cannot al l confine,

Since i n the ir hearts a boundless force is la id

Music is echo of their onward flow,

And love , the subtle , death less undertow .

S ON N E TS . 1 7 7

MY SO NGSTRESS .

I cannot love those bird s of shal low song

And painfu l consc iou sness,that perch aloft

And l ight ly,s ince th e sun is warm

,the a i r i s soft

Rehearse some common melody so long,

The sleep -curled ear heeds not th e no isy th rong

That beat i ts c lo istered ways with pebbly feet

I hate those birds of tau t,bow- string concei t ,

Who force afar,al ike on weak and strong

The i r sharpened stra in s but I love wel l the oneWho bro odeth mute ly in th e impat ient a ir,Bridging al l space with si lence

,t i l l most fa ir

Immorta l songs get m ingl ed with her own

Then fl ie s away to some dark cypress bower,And soft ly sings as one who counts h er store .

1 78 S ON N ETS .

LO VE ’S RETRO SPECT .

When fi rst I walked before thy strange abode,

I marve l i f th e ho l low of thy hand did no t

Appal l th ee,with a knowledge th en begot

O f sudden empti ness that seemed a load ;O r yet i f l ike a m any

stranded goad ,The fingers d id not meet th e st ricken palms

And l ips then sta rtled from the ir though tless calm s,

With keen present iment of another mode,Rend suddenly th e fabric of a smile

H ung from th e ir arch es . Fai le th every sign,

Found in the earth ly,seen in the d iv ine

I f th en the runnels of thy hea rt,so smooth erewh ile

Paused not acu tely,at a spasm ’s stroke

As if with double currents th ey d id choke .

180 S ON NE TS .

TO A NO BLE WO MAN .

Goodness,dear lady

,wh ich flows often d im

Through subterranean ways of other l ives,

Springs to the l igh t and pu re re freshment gives

In thee . But how may I th at goodness l imn ?

Since force of Springs by acc idental r im

I s measured not,how fair so e ’

er i t be,

But by the c louds wh ic h gather from the sea

I ts a iry globes to strew with fingers sl im

Upon the carefu l s ieve of earth . As long

As seas shal l toss upon the ir wakefu l beds,

And clouds shal l watch beside thei r storm - swath ed

heads,

T0 take from open hands— no longer strong

E scap ing treasures shal l th y good endure,

Unmixed with brack ish taste,or sta in impure .

S ON N ETS .

As far as music strays beyond its inst rument,

O r heat beyond the boundari e s o f flame

As far as wrong ou t - runs d im - sighted blame,

Or fragrance springeth past th e pu re extent

Of flowers s t i l l c losed,nor make the sl igh test rent

In the ir scarce -wove apparel ings of l igh t ,Or far as beau t ie s stre tch beyond the sigh t

So far,upon the p in ions of a pure intent

Thy goodness doth proj ec t its subt le force,

Beyond the compass of th e l iv ing fact

Breaks from the word,ou t-runneth e ’en the act ,

ertaking too th e sm ile upon it s cou rse

And meets with nought wh ich shal l not swift obey ,Becau se in th ine own heart obedience lay .

182 S ON N ETS .

Kindness enfolds thy sp i r i t ’s grac iou s form ,

As heaven ’s blu e transparency a star

No drop of ac id shal l such fabric mar,

Nor shal l i t ever come to any harm

From beak of flame or talons of the storm

And Hate shal l throw her v itr iol at thy face

And make no scar for to thy lofty place

Cometh no hu rt nor even vagu e alarm

Secure thou restest where no foes impugn,

Like some fa ir,foam - l ik e c loud

,beheld at even ,

Alone,far u p the ample beach of heaven

There where the sun d id meet the fatal noon

To show supremely to ou r uptu rned eyes,

How high th e luc id t ides of day d id ri se .

184 S ON N E TS .

SECO ND CH I LDHO O D .

Bees c irc le round unopened flowers,and seem

To bu i ld new barriers about th e old,

The fairy dwel lers th ere again to hold,

When sunl igh t ’s ransom doth the i r sou ls redeem,

And every cu rven rafter, board and beam

Of the i r pu re pri sons , tu rneth to a door,Their marble wal ls bend backward to a floor .

Thus we,approach ing slow the l i fe supreme

Find sleep expanding only to a dream

By the fi rst rending of the wal ls of sense

The ful l awak ing and the sigh t immense

And last inspired touches to th e theme

These fol low when we cross the second l ine

Where p layful spiri ts throw the ir shadows fine .

S ON N ETS . 185

LO V E SO NN ET

How doth thy flu te- toned sp i r i t mod ify

A l l u tterances o ’

erstrained that d isappear

With in the rose-rimmed orifice of th ine ear I

Ah,how I long that instrument to try I

And blow the sounds of my humanity

Into that artery of perfect song

So fee lingly,no heart ’s recurrent thong

B e needed to give pu lses or veloc ity .

For every tone shou ld have i ts central h eart

Of passion and omnipotence of fl ight

Th en wou ld I learn to touch each key aright ,That there shou ld i ssu e forth but fa ir report

Of regions d immed for h oly myster ies

For love,for music and mute ecstac ies .

186 S ON N E T S .

Thy worth adorneth my unworth iness,

As flowers of lovel iest dreams th e steep

E nvirons of the dark abyss of sleep .

Thy love ’s brigh t l i ly,l ike a pure caress

Floats on the waters of my l ife ’s d istre ss,And by the thread of thy tru e womanhood

Is holden to th e firm am ent of good

Thereunder fixed wh i l st from it s go lden dress

The winds of hate bu t smooth each petaly fold .

O I sacred flower,that wastest so thy sheen ,

By ever-watch fu l h eavens art thou seen,

And thought a star unri sen— unforetold,

Whose august path,as yet unbu i lt

,shal l r ise

From earth ’s low level s to the h ighest sk ies .

1 88 S ON N E TS .

What,sayest thou , would my l i fe be withou t thee ?

wou ld be the sun ’s ray fal l ing dark and ch i l l

A summer nigh t that would no dew d ist i l ,Or summer morn with no bird melody

An E ast that m igh t sleep on impass ive ly ,Whil e passed the unfe l lowed sun her c lose - shu t gate

I n solemn sp lendor and impress ive state

A sea that sh ou ld not feel eternal ly

A keeled foot or Morning ’s flash ing sk irts

Upon her vacant and appal l ing floors,

Nor ever cast a wave upon her hungry shores

A world wh ere love i s deadly,kindness hu rts

Waters where in the swan doth s ink,th e l i ly d rown

And flowerless fi elds that look forever brown .

SLEEP ’S STA IN ED GLASS .

Th is seems th e spot I la id me down upon ;There is th e tree my eyes last id led w ith

Awai t ing sleep .

I t h ink I must have dreamed .

O Sleep I O wondrou s s i lver coronal

Of th e dark-faced Fat igu e I Away I Away I

I wou ld not wear the flash ing c irc le t now,

For al l th e d reams that ever gemmed i t when

It l igh tly lay on love ’s too -ble ssed head .

Thou dost reveal too palpably and c lear

The weakness of th i s heart — too soon dost show

The deep,dark hol lows p i tt ing what I th ough t

The smooth and perfect sphere of Natu re

And with the ra i l le ry of demoniac sou l s,

Dost point ou t al l th e rents wh ich mar

The garment of that l i fe I though t so whole .

What strange and th robbing sights I have beh eld I

I wou ld forget,bu t I am driven to recal l .

I t seems to me that I lay watch ing the slow sun

Arch h is way downward m igh t i ly,

When,suddenly

,a du sky vapor rose

A nd stood between us,and pu t slowly ou t

1 90 S LEEP ’S S TAIN ED GLA S S .

Huge,sh apele s s and unp i ty ing hands

,wh ich se ized

H i s s lender rays and tu rned them back upon himself,

Unti l th e ir whetted flame t ips d id consume

H im u tterly and then the form dissolved,

And,d iss ipate in finest du st

,arose

Towards th e bare heavens,and d id overspread

Them l ike a fi lm and al l th e h eavens sh rank

As from the touch of drought . Thereat the stars

Appeared,but al l so changed I scarce ly knew th em

And a new dread appal led me as I saw

Their unfami l iar shapes ; and I beheld

Wi th awe that th ey no longer kept with fear

The sacred level of th e sky,but they

E merged and stood out bold ly prominent

And they d id seem like palm s and th rough the wide,

Disparted branches,shaken by the swel l

O f th e i r own swift expansion,gleamed th e i r fai r

Smooth , slender stalks , fa st rooted in the deeps

Of the Inv is ible .

Then suddenly

New energie s bu rs t v iolently forth

Around me everywhere the eart h assumed

An altered mot ion and the trees,with c loven trunks

Out- spread l ike wings , fl ew past me l ike huge falcons .

My prostrate form was winnowed by the shock s

O f an impass ioned longing to partake

The new del irium and pu rsue th e fugit ives .

1 92 S LEEP ’ S S TAIN ED GLA S S .

Been born upon the rim of earth,had d ied

And then been duly sepu lch red with in i t

And al l th e d istant phantoms ceased the ir weird,

Mysterious movements , and in unison ,Turned the ir wan faces towards me wh ile a few

Ra ised banefu l , beckoning fingers,wh ich arou sed

Such strong,convu lsive struggle s

,such concu ssion

O f th e eternal , e lemental Noes

With in me,that I woke am id the d in

O f vast exp los ions , loud , reverberant ,And found me ly ing here a l ive .

MEMO RY .

A F RAGM E N T .

H ere le t me rest with in th is qu iet grove I

These trees,l ik e belted sold iers

,shal l k eep watch

Around me wh i le I sleep . Oh,how th i s day ’s

H ard up-and -down of feet

,has shaken ou t

A l l my cru sh ed l i fe ’s brigh t grains,th rough dou ble si eves

Upon the dusty road,l eav ing beh ind

But husky coats of bran to fi l l t he sh rine

O f sleep I Oh,that a wind wou ld rise

,and blow

I t al l away ere I awake I

(Spirit s appear over th e head of the sleeper, and move

abou t in th e performance of some mysteriou s funct ion .)

F I RST SPIRIT .

H e sleeps too long I

H e draws too near I

O sweetest s inger of ou r th rong ,Go bend above h is ear,

And sing an earth—remembered song

O f love , to hold h im here .

M E /k/OR Y .

SECON D SPIRIT.

0 great i s th e power of Sleep ,And weary the to i l of n ight

Then only agi le sp i ri ts weep

For hands grow weary with so lemn rite,

From Sleep ’s broad door to keep the l ight,

Where mortals l i e with strained sight .

TH IRD SPIRIT .

H i s eyes are beamless ,Bu t h is sigh t i s c lear

H i s sl eep i s dreamless,

And he comes so near .

O swiftest sp iri t of ou r tra in

Haste I haste I to the th roned year

And fal l upon thy k nees and cry,

0 back into h i s sou l again

Send awfu l Memory I”

Memory (approach ing )I am th e s low pu rsuer

Of the rap id mind ;I am the qu ick renewer

Of th e undefined,

Sweet image - lu re,

That fl ie s to weave and wind,

And backward bind

E yes st i l l impure .

196 M EM OR Y .

Lie in a draugh t that sucks them from the spot .

Th e present and the near are as the dead ;Naugh t seems al ive

,except the past —th e old

Oh,I have drunk the l iquor of some v ine

Wh ich tra i led o ’er graves I or s ipped the witches’ wine

O f wild grapes born and nu rtu red upon ru i ns I

O r H i story doth wander here to muse,

And hav ing found me as I lay asleep,

Hath plunged her wi th ered hands with in th e vase

Of fresh,exuberant you th

,and passed

,by steal th

Them dripping ov er my closed eyes,to wake

Al l aged and faded th ings to l i fe,though age

And bligh t and death wrink le the sapped Present .

My eyes are sunken in my head — so far

Contracted from the i r na tura l cu rves,th ey l i e

Be low th e leve l of th e l iv ing day ;Yea I on the bottom of the sea of vi s ion

And see the many sigh ts long fal len there .

But yet , there are no wreck s of olden scenes

Strewing the si l ent floor of th ese strange depth s ;Noth ing i s broken

,ground or worn away ,

By the soft serges of the upper stress

And beat of l i fe ; a l l hath th e same c lear l ines

As when the sharp,su re blades of my young sigh t

Carved them from Natu re . E ffortless and free,

My mind seems swimming in it s fi rst brigh t v iews ;And al l have beauty printed on them plain

Like the ra ised let ters of th e bl ind .

TH E UNEQ UA L LO V ERS .

Hold thou thy l ife more fi rmly,carel ess one I

I t l eaves thy hand too l ight ly,and too oft

Doth play the truant to i ts sober nu rse

Si tteth withou t th e th reshold of i ts rest

Too often , in th e eager sun of longing

Hangeth on thy face,as ready

,at a word

To leap into mine own and perish there .

A l it tle farther from me,dangerou s girl I

Bind those strong,supple eyes or si t thou down

That th ey may sooner t i re,from l i ft ing up

Their glances . Set those lawless hands to ho ld

E ach other,lest the i r slender fingers braid

Themselves with mine and si l ence those smal l feet

Whose strokes upon the floor d isclose the j o ints

Of my hard -wrought resolve,and penetrate

The feeb le fabrica t ion with the ir wedges .

Leave thy heart only free for th is sad hour

D ischarge it s dangerou s ret inue of beau ty

For hearts a lone can grasp and str ive wi th pa in ,

And I shal l need th y young heart ’s help for m ine .

Thou art my ward and ye t thy keeper needs

O ne key to guard thee safely from h imsel f ;

198 TH E UN EQUAL LO VERS .

The key of thy d i sl ike ; but thou dost wear

I t ou t of sigh t,and leavest never c losed

The doorway of my care , and in and ou t

Pass freely,laugh ing at my fears yea I oft

Wil l seat thee in th e warder ’s room and smi le

To see h im try to fi t h is c lumsy keys

Of stem ness to th e u sele ss lock .

D id ever prisoner before so treat

Gruff jailo r ? or a bold offender turn

Sweet comrade of the offended in the ac t ?

And yet thou s it test h ere,audac ious one

Secu re and confident,in th i s c lose room

Of musty records,near th e ou ter door

Whic h opens on the carele ss mul t i tude,

And guardest i t so fondly , that th e du st

Doth sett le on the latch . So thou,with in

The violated chamber of my care,

Art free ; and I am capt ive of thy swee t ,Wild

,wayward love . Alas I what sacrifice ,

That the bright folds of love,too soon unrol led

From thy fleet you thfu l heart,shou ld ever float

Upon my r uined towers ? Bu t I must break

The weather -weakened cord of my mi stake,

Which holds i t,that i t blow away

,or l ike

A gauzy stream cast down from its h igh p innac le

Through al l the fine d i ssect ions of th e ai r,

Be given back unto its elements .

Yes , dear del inquent , we have been too much

200 TH E UN EQUAL LOVER s.

G ray hairs do not affr ight you and you say

Tis bu t the underside of th e leaf that turns

And brigh tens in th e sun .

” Alas I my ch i ld,

The winds of death have grasped the h idden branches,

A nd do shake them threateningly . You smi le each t ime

I speak of wrinkle s,and with haste ins ist

They are bu t “ welcome crevices wh ich show

The gleam and gold with in .

” Th is h ard dry hand

Would bru ise th ine own soft tender one,

Hold ing i t rigid l ike an i ron glove

Bu t you “ wou ld rub the metal t i l l i t shone

And showed your sm il ing,happy face in i t or k iss

The rugged th ing and c la im triumphantly,

That “ l i ps were feebler,softer th ings than hands

And yet th e touch had never inj u red them .

These arms that have been stra igh tened and out stre tchedThrough many years of st iff expectancy

Cou ld they be bended to th e pl iant cu rves

Wh ich rounded youth m igh t rest in eas i l y ?

Love would but warp th e ir rigid muscles,gir l

Cou ld never make them fl ex ible aga in .

What,wilfu l

,s tubborn one

,sti l l unconvinced ?

St i l l in you r twi l igh t blu shes find the c lu e

To speech,and say

,that you have seen my arms

“ Cross over and enfold the spac iou s couch

Of the breast,and could they not

,with lesse r stra in

Meet m idway and enc lose one l i ttl e sl eeper ?”

No , dear, fal lac iou s reasoner, ev er wrong I

TH E UN EQUAL LO VERS . 201

For they would tremble al l so fea rfu l ly,

That Sleep ’s ve ined onyx stones m igh t soon be j arred

From thy smooth brow and fal l upon the floor,

Break ing to frigh tfu l d reams ; th en thou wou ldst wake

And moan and welte r in thy tears t i l l day .

The Years that bu i ld upon ou r uprigh t l ives

Thei r fata l sta i rs,unt i l th ey reach the top

And tear away the banner-breath with scorn,

Bu ild ever on th e front and openly

And thou mayst see that they have mounted h igh

Already hang upon my breast,and make

M e bend a l i tt l e towards th em — pardon I ch i ld ,Th is stoop doth bring thy l ips so near m ine own

I cou ld not help but k iss them .

Twas th e Years

I spoke of cau sed i t . But i f th ou couldst c l imb

With them,secu re upon the i r fra i l supports

Such k iss were not a theme for peni tence .

Too late,thou camest

,l i t t le lo i terer

To bu ild of fairy stu ff th e bridal room with me I

Thy fragi le gems and dainty propert ie s—fl

How wi l l they match th e stro rig wel l -ch iseled stone ,Which I mu st lay with p lumb—l ine in the wal l s ?

How wi l l thy carele ss,discontinuou s touch

Thy gleefu l heapings of thy pretty toys

And handfu l th rowings on th e t rembl ing pi le ,Assi st my steady cau t iou s masonry ?

But i f th e odd,unlovely st ructure rose

Desp ite these sad d iscordanc ie s of hand,

202 TH E UN EQUAL L OVERS .

So h igh,i t needed cover st i l l th e work

Must stop from graver d ifference for'

Cou ld roof i t on ly with th e flat expanse

Of spl i t , d isj o inted memories , th rough wh ich

Obl iv iou s ra ins wou ld beat upon ou r heads ;Bu t t/zo n wou ldst take th e flawless

,perfect p iece

O f th ine undamaged presen t, and wouldst dome

The room luxuriou sly . Besides,th ere i s

The floor,my l it tle

,sweet incompetent ;

What wise,ingenious plan canst thou dev ise

That we may j o int ly bu i ld t he fi tt ing floor ?

For I am footsore,weary and worn out

With tread ing on l i fe ’s hard impossibi l i t ie s,

I ts sharp convent ions and discom fitures,

And su rging aspi rat ions frozen st iff

In early ridges,by some merc i less co ld

Of qu ick h eart - s ickness,and so left to stand

Like awfu l corrugat ions in th e brow of Doubt .

I have la id off my shoes and wou ld acquaint

My feet with softer ways,where God doth not

So fend H imsel f with peril s,wrap h is tru th s

In hard ungrac iou s obstac les,bu t leaves

The wondrous cou rse s of H i s be ing al l

Unclosed before us . Better shod art thou ,With wholesome energies wh ich sh i eld thy feet ,And strong enthu s iasms ringing loud

Upon the flinty ways, and strik ing fi re

O f fine exh ilarat ion every step .

2m. 7 1/E UN E QUAL LOVERS .

You gather,ch i ld . Nay

,hear me pat iently ;

The seed of love i s br igh t,l ike pearls

,and hued

With sparkl ing j oy s ; and it i s flung by Hope ,Far forward

,as the sower sows

,and sprou ts

And blossoms as i t fal l s bu t the hard gra ins

Thou scatterest were not tak en from th e keeps

And crysta l treasu ries o f lav ish you th,

But stolen from my granaries of sorrow .

Alas I the fru it th ey y ie ld has not th e glow

And bloom of th ine untarnish ed heart,bu t l ies

I n thy brigh t hand al l staled by trembl ing touches,

Streaked by frequent tears,and withered

by ho t s ighs .

But thou hast been too long here,fel low - h eart

And now thou must go from me,for thy peace

To places that awai t thee,noble tasks

That need thy l i ttl e e fforts,and to mi rth

That may not float on any voice save th ine

And thou must hasten,ere th e sh in ing tra i l

O f one who goes before th ee through th i s world,

Shal l fade away already doth the shade

O f my hard rocks fal l fa r along the way ;And thy young eyes have turned so oft with mine

Upon the migh ty out l ines of my nearer goal,

They may not se i ze and bind the broken l ines

And gl immering v isibi l i t ie s of th ine .

Continue s i lent,ch i ld

,and seriou s I

Let t ing my thought gl id e th rough thy though tfu lness,

TH E UN EQUAL L O VERS .

To reach the farth est tu rning-goal of doubt

And come back freely to thy confidence .

E ach age hath i ts own gifts and o ffices,

In fixed relat ion to the rest of l i fe

Man - l i fe,or God - l i fe

,round i t . Ch i ld with ch i ld

Must j o in th e margins of th e i r separate j oys,

O r leave the ragged edges so they wound .

Ch ildhood alone doth have the sacred art

O f mini ste ring to th e ch i ld — holdeth the clu e

To the near goods h e needeth,or the power

To hel p h im l i ft and fi t th em to h is h ea rt .

Youth only bea t with you th can make the foi l

The prec iou s writ ing sheet,whereon the h eavens pen

Th eir holy formu las of happiness

And man who strives alone with m an,gains augh t

O f God to demonstrate h is v ictory .

H ear th is I th e separate paral l e l s of st rands

Which make ou r song - l i fe ’s noble in strument ,Do lack a crossi ng

,v ibrant warp to bind

The upper and the lower S tr ings ; and thou ,So far away from me in th y tense you th

Canst give bu t faint ha rmon ic tones to -day

To my hard - smitten age so soon to break .

There is another meaning,earnest one ,

I n ou r fixed places here wh ich touches, too ,Our places el sewhere for i t seems

We .measu re h ere with careful , accu rate hand

200 TH E UN EQUAL LOVERS .

The fl ight we take hereafter from death ’s perc h .

With l ife ’s fi rst mot ions we draw slowly forth

From some d im,duct i le mass of prec iou s ore

A golden thread,and wind unceasingly

In even co i ls,and hold them on our arms ;

Death but unwinds th e thread and leaves u s d izzy

Where it ends . So thou must run to work,

And draw with swiftness,t i l l th e gathered loops

E qual m ine own ; fo r look thou at th ine arm

So near ly empty,— al l thou hast secu red

Cou ld scarcely serve thee for a wedd ing ring .

But when thou goest from me,I shal l lose

O f prec iou s th ings far more than I can count

Upon the fai l ing finger- t ips of speech .

My wondrou s ga ins in thee have al l been scored

Upon the lum inou s pages of thy presence

Naugh t that ’s prepared for wri t ing,i s so broad

As that,or offers room

,at best

,for more

Than t it le page of name and arabesque of smile

Forfi nz'

s to it . Absence hath no sage

Arithmet ic to sum my losse s by ;And leaves me bu t a l i tt le book to print

Thy changefu l image in . Let me but read

Some fi rst l ine s only of th e wondrou s volume,

E re thou dost c lose i t with thy part ing look .

H ere find 1 wri tten with a trembl ing hand,

The low,sweet song before th e evening prayer ;

as TH E UN EQUAL L OVERS .

And there are be ings who l ie down with u s at

Who slumber longer than the weary frame

Spirits that fi l l the eye and move the hand,

And u rge th e h eart into a qu icker pace

E ternal Beau ty,Asp irat ion

They wi l l no t waken at th e harsh complaint

A n 'l heavy voice of age, obscu rely h eard ,Like th e accu stomed rumble of th e stre et ;But one mu st come and wh isper tenderly ,Touch ing to motion th e l igh t whee ls of th e ear

With the fine dra ft o f mus ic,— load ing up

The sp iri t with the lu re o f morning ec stasy

And sweetest u tte rance,and qu icken ing

The drowsy l ids with s ilken wh ips of eyes

That play above them .

Thou shal t e l sewhere be,

Some morning when 1 r i se,alone

,to meet

The day withou t th ese fai ry m in i strants .

I,who have stroked thy pleasant

,loosened hai r

Unti l the h idden shu tt le of th e touch

D id weave i ts fluc tuant flo sses into c loth

O f float ing gold,must grasp th e sl ippery th read s

O f incoherent energies to work

Them , somehow,into decent burial c lothes .

These eyes t hat have so -often la in at ease,

With in the peaceful Satu rn-rings of th ine,

To intercept th ine own brigh t v i sionings,

TH E UN EQUAL LO VER S .

Must early feel D eath buck le u p the l ids

And press th e l ingering l igh t ou t ruth le ssly .

Thou weepest,but ’t is less from th ine own pain

Than from thy sympathy with m ine .

Ah,ch i ld

’t i s p leas ing to d ispute th e po int

With thee,and I am happy that to - day

Thou th ink est i t i s peace,to hold thy place

O f cramped and painfu l att i tud e and po ise

O f labored equ i l ibrium upon

The harsh proj ec tions of m y shattered walls

Bu t th e rel ie f of pl iant muscl es,ease

Of unstrained wishes and the l iberal grace

O f natural ac t ions led by apt itudes ,Shal l safe rece ive thee i n the ir gentle arms

When thou dost loose thy ho ld about my neck,

And fall upon the lower,broader -ground

O f you thfu l fe llowsh ip . There thou shal t find

Creatu res with fine,smooth

,tender hands l ike th ine ,

Whose c lasp shal l be love ’s sure cohes iveness,

Not the false hold ings of my roughened ones

Wh ich caugh t th e fluttering fabric o f thy youth

Upon th ei r bramble touches . There thy feet

Sha l l don th e holy shoon of pu re Love ’s footprints ,As she gu ideth th ee along the doubtfu l way

To perfect t rea su res stored for thee by H eaven ,I n open coffers of supreme embraces ,

210 TH E U LVE Q U A L LOVERS .

O r beneath dark stones of sad experience .

But thou mu st never cease to fo llow her,

Nor ever fa i l to pu t thy wil l ing feet

E xactly in the traces of her own,

Unti l thou gainest so th e fash ion of her step,

That th e hard earth shal l soften under th ee .

And thou shal t se t thy fingers Only where

Love ’s cunning hand hath made a place for th em,

And l ined i t w ith th e bless ing of her sm ile .

Yet fear to be too eager i n pursu i t,

Or play too fast th ine m im icr ies

Bu t fol low le i su rely the thoughtfu l way,

Leaving each obj ec t with a so lemn j oy,

And look ing often back regretfu l ly .

Be not afraid to rest,to l ie th ee down

Aye,c lose th e eyes and sleep ; thou sha l t not lose

One l ine of progress in the longest dream

For love shal l stoop and take thee in her arms

And carry thee t i l l morning— harken I ch i ld

When thou mayst wake to find me bending over th ee .

Yes , l i t t le weeper , thou shal t come again

To me,and I shal l c la im thee though my right

Be chal lenged by the h ighest Lords o f Heaven .

Thou art mine own to -day ; shal l one pretend

That there i s law to void my ownersh ip,

Unt il I wa ive my lega l t it les ? What I

Becau se I send thee ou t to play an hour,To scatte r song and gather fragrancies

21 2 TH E UN EQUAL LOVERS .

Strengthen thyse l f with thought,and teach th ine eyes

To find the weakness of th ine adversary ’s

Constra in thy sp irit to a dart and hurl

The m issi le ’gainst the th ickened rind of the world

And break i t open tu tor thy weak hands

Ti l l i ron seemeth soft and thou canst twi st

The l ightnings round thy fingers,l ike a curl

O f thy bright hai r — th en come again to me,

And we shal l make a pai r whom God is proud of.

· an ld y l o f the sun. ardo. above the white crown of our sacred tree, whose roots are watered...

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