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33

[I
O sea, nature's eternal palimpsest,]

O sea, nature's eternal palimpsest,
O stars that dawn, as memories one by one
Break on the dark void of oblivion,
O poem of love that fills the fragile nest,—
Whisper to me! Stir me to great unrest,
O passionate chaunt! Immortal antiphon,
Proud pæan of life that peals from sun to sun,
From flower to flower, from human breast to breast,
Sound in my soul! and thou, O heart, resound,
O lips, proclaim! for where her lips have clung
There must the lyric pulse beat tense and strong;
And where she lives with love must life abound
With music unimagined and unsung
To mend Truth's ravelled tapestry of song!