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 | Poems of Sidney Lanier |  |
Then called the Artist's God from in the sky:
“This Time shall show by dream and mystery
The heart of all his matter to thine eye.
Son, study stars by looking down in streams,
Interpret that which is by that which seems,
And tell thy dreams in words which are but dreams.
“This Time shall show by dream and mystery
The heart of all his matter to thine eye.
Son, study stars by looking down in streams,
Interpret that which is by that which seems,
And tell thy dreams in words which are but dreams.
I.
The Master with His lucent handPinched up the atom hills and plains
O'er all the moiety of land
The ocean-bounded West contains:
The dust lay dead upon the calm
And mighty middle of His palm.
137
II.
And lo! He wrought full tenderly,And lo! He wrought with love and might,
And lo! He wrought a thing to see
Was marvel in His people's sight:
He wrought His image dead and small,
A nothing fashioned like an All.
III.
Then breathed He softly on the dead:“Live Self!—thou part, yet none, of Me;
Dust for humility,” He said,
“And my warm breath for Charity.
Behold my latest work, thou Earth!
The Self of Man is taking birth.”
IV.
Then, Land, tall Adam of the West,Thou stood'st upon the springy sod,
Thy large eye ranging self-possest,
Thy limbs the limbs of God's young god,
Thy Passion murmuring I will—
Lord of the Lordship Good-and-Ill.
V.
O manful arms, of supple sizeTo clasp a world or a waist as well!
O manful eyes, to front the skies
Or look much pity down on hell!
O manful tongue, to work and sing,
And soothe a child and dare a king!
138
VI.
O wonder! Now thou sleep'st in pain,Like as some dream thy soul did grieve:
God wounds thee, heals thee whole again,
And calls thee trembling to thine Eve.
Wide-armed, thou dropp'st on knightly knee:
Dear Love, Dear Freedom, go with me!
VII.
Then all the beasts before thee passed—Beast War, Oppression, Murder, Lust,
False Art, False Faith, slow skulking last—
And out of Time's thick-rising dust
Thy Lord said, “Name them, tame them, Son;
Nor rest, nor rest, till thou hast done.”
VIII.
Ah, name thou false, or tame thou wrong,At heart let no man fear for thee:
Thy Past sings ever Freedom's Song,
Thy Future's voice sounds wondrous free;
And Freedom is more large than Crime,
And Error is more small than Time.
IX.
Come, thou whole Self of Latter Man!Come o'er thy realm of Good-and-Ill,
And do, thou Self that say'st I can,
And love, thou Self that say'st I will;
And prove and know Time's worst and best,
Thou tall young Adam of the West!
| Poems of Sidney Lanier | |