 | Benoni |  |
310
COMMUNION.
It is not good to be alone—
The very closest heart
At moments grieves, as one by one
Its selfish joys depart:
The very closest heart
At moments grieves, as one by one
Its selfish joys depart:
Like shrunk sea-flowers that pine and crave,
Slow withering on the strand,
Once more within some kindred wave
To freshen and expand,
Slow withering on the strand,
Once more within some kindred wave
To freshen and expand,
So yearns the moodiest of us all,
And strangest to his kind,
For some sweet fellowship to call
Her secrets from his mind.
And strangest to his kind,
For some sweet fellowship to call
Her secrets from his mind.
But what strong influence shall absorb
Thy quick magnetic soul,
Or where the lost imperfect orb
That spheres thee to a whole?
Thy quick magnetic soul,
Or where the lost imperfect orb
That spheres thee to a whole?
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Communion with our God is good—
Yea, excellent indeed;
Nurse of high faith and brotherhood
And a large loving creed:
Yea, excellent indeed;
Nurse of high faith and brotherhood
And a large loving creed:
Yet even hence the spirit sinks
Down to her proper state;
And well—for fast our Father links
The creature to his mate;
Down to her proper state;
And well—for fast our Father links
The creature to his mate;
And thou with private Heavens afar
Kept sleek from present dearth,
Ask for thy home some desert star,
And leave to us our Earth.
Kept sleek from present dearth,
Ask for thy home some desert star,
And leave to us our Earth.
Communion with thine own strange soul?
Ah, wonderful and wild
The storms that fretful Past can roll
On thee, her alter'd child!
Ah, wonderful and wild
The storms that fretful Past can roll
On thee, her alter'd child!
'Tis well within thy heart's lone tarn,
O pensive mountaineer,
To search for truths that teach and warn,
That comfort, and that cheer:
O pensive mountaineer,
To search for truths that teach and warn,
That comfort, and that cheer:
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For thus self-knowledge shoots and grows;
Thus thro' all leafy din
Unruffled sits the central rose;
Thus shalt thou find within,
Thus thro' all leafy din
Unruffled sits the central rose;
Thus shalt thou find within,
What time elastic friendship ends
And the full sorrows come,
A band of counsellors and friends,
A calm consoling home;
And the full sorrows come,
A band of counsellors and friends,
A calm consoling home;
Thus, sloping from the great and whole
To the weak little ones,
Shall the thick beauties of thy soul
Encircle thee like sons;
To the weak little ones,
Shall the thick beauties of thy soul
Encircle thee like sons;
And if no loving lips may share
Thy wormwood and thy gall,
Yet shall no strange and serpent-stare
Thine inner joys appal.
Thy wormwood and thy gall,
Yet shall no strange and serpent-stare
Thine inner joys appal.
Yes; but not he of fewest needs
Doth in himself comprise
The love whereon his fancy feeds,
The lore that makes him wise;
Doth in himself comprise
The love whereon his fancy feeds,
The lore that makes him wise;
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Nor e'en to fairest maiden, fraught
With many pearls of price,
The silent music of her thought
Can utterly suffice.
With many pearls of price,
The silent music of her thought
Can utterly suffice.
Communion with the lore of books—
Rich birds melodious
Who, building in another's nooks,
Are caught and caged for us?
Rich birds melodious
Who, building in another's nooks,
Are caught and caged for us?
We love their grand generic truths
And large philosophies,—
We sift and glean, most patient Ruths,
Their wisdom as it lies;
And large philosophies,—
We sift and glean, most patient Ruths,
Their wisdom as it lies;
Old aspirations of the mind—
Familiar wants and large—
All that is common to our kind—
Such friends may hold in charge;
Familiar wants and large—
All that is common to our kind—
Such friends may hold in charge;
But these are little of each whole:
The quick, the ever new,
The secret yearnings of the soul,—
What shall such wanderers do?
The quick, the ever new,
The secret yearnings of the soul,—
What shall such wanderers do?
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Then they are strange, the souls that move
Thro' each nutritious line;
I look'd not on their face with love,
Nor they with love on mine:
Thro' each nutritious line;
I look'd not on their face with love,
Nor they with love on mine:
Yea, tho' their thoughts should on me fall
Like music on the sea,
There runs a discord thro' them all—
They were not meant for me.
Like music on the sea,
There runs a discord thro' them all—
They were not meant for me.
Communion with thy mother's eyes—
With Nature? Surely she
Among her thousand sympathies
Hath one caress for thee!
With Nature? Surely she
Among her thousand sympathies
Hath one caress for thee!
Behold, in all thy varied moods,
In passion and in grief,
She sets her answering attitudes
Of comfort and relief:
In passion and in grief,
She sets her answering attitudes
Of comfort and relief:
She is a ripe vine-cluster, rich
With fat delicious ooze;
A bending bulb of juices, which
All thirsty lips may bruise.
With fat delicious ooze;
A bending bulb of juices, which
All thirsty lips may bruise.
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Old shaggy gnarls the lichen frets—
Steep banks of mountain lanes—
Moss-cushion'd arms of rivulets—
The hush of woodland rains—
Steep banks of mountain lanes—
Moss-cushion'd arms of rivulets—
The hush of woodland rains—
Faint sighs of rushes in the fens—
Faint lispings of the tide—
Faint splashes down the gloomy glens
Of waters undescried—
Faint lispings of the tide—
Faint splashes down the gloomy glens
Of waters undescried—
Thin throbbing films of mellow light
Wide-woven in the west,
And cool star-crystals, which the Night
Breeds on her purple breast—
Wide-woven in the west,
And cool star-crystals, which the Night
Breeds on her purple breast—
Long bars of creeping cloud, and sheets
Of wild electric flame—
And all the unregarded sweets
That melt in Nature's name,—
Of wild electric flame—
And all the unregarded sweets
That melt in Nature's name,—
Behold, they are not only fair;
Each in its fruitful barm
Hath truths and wisdoms everywhere,
To comfort, and to charm.—
Each in its fruitful barm
Hath truths and wisdoms everywhere,
To comfort, and to charm.—
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Yea, Nature is a tender nurse,
And speaks a soothing speech
To all—but can she too disperse
A special love to each?
And speaks a soothing speech
To all—but can she too disperse
A special love to each?
Can she a mother's bosom bare
To each fond milking mouth,
And tend with conscious human care
Each spirit in its growth?
To each fond milking mouth,
And tend with conscious human care
Each spirit in its growth?
No: for she lacks one crowning grace—
The sympathy of kind:
Hers is a sweet suggestive face,
Loving and fair, but—blind!
The sympathy of kind:
Hers is a sweet suggestive face,
Loving and fair, but—blind!
Then is there nought thy soul can trust—
No friendship it may know—
No touch to thaw its gelid crust
And let the fulness flow?—
No friendship it may know—
No touch to thaw its gelid crust
And let the fulness flow?—
There is an only fellowship
To which the soul replies
Instinctive as the quivering lip
Unto the melting eyes:
To which the soul replies
Instinctive as the quivering lip
Unto the melting eyes:
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Its voice is like his mother-tongue
Within an exile's ears;
Perhaps he half forgets the song,
But all his spirit hears:
Within an exile's ears;
Perhaps he half forgets the song,
But all his spirit hears:
‘Its voice is very sweet and low,’
Our longing manhood cries:
‘'Tis bold and deep as torrents' flow,’
Expectant Woman sighs.
Our longing manhood cries:
‘'Tis bold and deep as torrents' flow,’
Expectant Woman sighs.
Ask but its name, and there shall roll
Unnumber'd wailings by—
‘Communion with a human soul:
O grant it, 'ere we die!’
Unnumber'd wailings by—
‘Communion with a human soul:
O grant it, 'ere we die!’
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