 | Poems Real and Ideal |  |
377
I. AFTER LONG MONTHS.
Straight from the dark of months thy sweet eyes shone upon me
And shed the light of suns and light of old stars on me
And light of their own flame:—
And from them all the sense of Spring-tide crocus-hearted
Along my weary soul, swift, on a sudden, darted;
And with thy voice the lark's new love-song came.
And shed the light of suns and light of old stars on me
And light of their own flame:—
And from them all the sense of Spring-tide crocus-hearted
Along my weary soul, swift, on a sudden, darted;
And with thy voice the lark's new love-song came.
Thou wast the spirit of Spring.—The sense of grassy meadows
And merry leaves that dance and balmier twilight shadows
Was born along with thee.
All blossoms are not dead,—for thou art living, lady!
So once again the sun will through the foliage shady
Strike his long arrows, lighting flower and tree.
And merry leaves that dance and balmier twilight shadows
Was born along with thee.
378
So once again the sun will through the foliage shady
Strike his long arrows, lighting flower and tree.
Thou art alive. By this I know that Spring will follow:
Now hyacinths will bloom, and hill and copse and hollow
Will gleam with fiery gold.
The silent heart of Spring that for thy mandate waited
Will break to flower at last—Spring tortured and belated,
Hiding his ferns and flowers in fold on fold.
Now hyacinths will bloom, and hill and copse and hollow
Will gleam with fiery gold.
The silent heart of Spring that for thy mandate waited
Will break to flower at last—Spring tortured and belated,
Hiding his ferns and flowers in fold on fold.
Thou hast the spirit of Spring and Summer's heart within thee:
And who would love and hold, and worship thee, and win thee,
Must meet the Spring's own eyes
Fearless, and Summer's eyes,—and laugh for very pleasure
When the bright fields spread out their limitless gold treasure
Beneath the cloudless smile of stormless skies.
And who would love and hold, and worship thee, and win thee,
Must meet the Spring's own eyes
Fearless, and Summer's eyes,—and laugh for very pleasure
When the bright fields spread out their limitless gold treasure
Beneath the cloudless smile of stormless skies.
379
I know that Winter now has passed away before thee.
The very heart of May will worship and adore thee
And kiss thine hands ere long.—
The heart of all the world will come with love and gladness,
And silver streams will seek with silver-voiced sweet madness
To catch the echo of thy pure heart's song.
The very heart of May will worship and adore thee
And kiss thine hands ere long.—
The heart of all the world will come with love and gladness,
And silver streams will seek with silver-voiced sweet madness
To catch the echo of thy pure heart's song.
And once again I lift the lyre the cold had frozen,
And laugh to think how soon of all flowers thou the chosen
Wilt put the flowers to scorn.
When thou dost call on Spring, he wakes and follows after:
In thine I hear the ring of very June's own laughter:
Thine eyes are lovelier than a summer morn.
And laugh to think how soon of all flowers thou the chosen
Wilt put the flowers to scorn.
When thou dost call on Spring, he wakes and follows after:
In thine I hear the ring of very June's own laughter:
Thine eyes are lovelier than a summer morn.
| Poems Real and Ideal | |