 | The candle in the cabin |  |
99
HERE BEGINS THE FOREST-RANGER'S SECOND HONEYMOON
101
ONCE MORE
When the thousand love-godsKnocked at the door,
We lit the candle of the dream
Once more.
THE WHIRLWIND
Said the Red IndianMedicine-Man to his son:—
When you take your bride
Be a bull of power.
Be an eagle
Flying over red-eagle,
A whirlwind
Going up a flower.
102
THE SUMMER ARROW OF SUNSHINE
The arrow that bentIn the summer wind
Was straight
And terrible
In the storm.
THE CRYSTALLINE CROWN
The blossomThat came
When the storm died down,
Was decked with a dewy
Crystalline
Crown.
104
THE RAT-SOULED FOE THE CITY FEARS
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
When you and I were in the lands
Far to the west of this strange camp
(It seems to us but yesterday)
We lit a purple-flaming lamp—
No, a lantern—at the dusk
And walked through a still street
And heard no feet but far off feet.
Far to the west of this strange camp
(It seems to us but yesterday)
We lit a purple-flaming lamp—
No, a lantern—at the dusk
And walked through a still street
And heard no feet but far off feet.
We clambered at the guarded gate,
Of the inner city there.
We said, “A whispering foe comes near!
We heard him on the stair.
High on the tower of the outer gate.
We know that he will come,
We have owl's eyes, we have owl's ears,
The rat-souled foe the city fears
Will come.”
Of the inner city there.
We said, “A whispering foe comes near!
We heard him on the stair.
High on the tower of the outer gate.
We know that he will come,
We have owl's eyes, we have owl's ears,
The rat-souled foe the city fears
Will come.”
But they woke not at the city gate.
We left the city to its fate.
We stole away at the dawn of day,
We reached the forest far away,
We saw the city burning down,
The far off, terrible, heedless town.
We left the city to its fate.
We stole away at the dawn of day,
We reached the forest far away,
We saw the city burning down,
The far off, terrible, heedless town.
105
But no foe came to spoil delight
In our wooded cabin, day or night.
Our dream rolled on for many a year
Till we woke dreaming, singing here,
And saw the city and its fire
In this fir-bough bed, our heart's desire,
In these knapsacks,
All of life and play
And saw all cities burn away;
And saw all dreams come and go,
Except star-sky and sunlit sky
Over the forests and mountains high.
In our wooded cabin, day or night.
Our dream rolled on for many a year
Till we woke dreaming, singing here,
And saw the city and its fire
In this fir-bough bed, our heart's desire,
In these knapsacks,
All of life and play
And saw all cities burn away;
And saw all dreams come and go,
Except star-sky and sunlit sky
Over the forests and mountains high.
106
A MEMORY OF BOYHOOD
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
Once, alone in the wilderness I built myself a fire,
In an island in a little stream, alone,
And the water spoke,
With one hundred thousand voices,
Till the day broke.
How the mists rolled down from the mountain,
Bringing happiness;
How the trees were friends to heal my loneliness;
How the trembling island seemed the cloud of my pride;
The campfire was a chariot where my Elijah soul could ride.
In an island in a little stream, alone,
And the water spoke,
With one hundred thousand voices,
Till the day broke.
How the mists rolled down from the mountain,
Bringing happiness;
How the trees were friends to heal my loneliness;
How the trembling island seemed the cloud of my pride;
The campfire was a chariot where my Elijah soul could ride.
How the mariposa lilies in the dim light gleamed,
The stately dress of the wilderness
Where I lay and dreamed.
Oh, once alone in the wilderness I built myself a fire!
Now, my love and I, this night, build again a fire,
And the strange God-breath of the wilderness
Turns to desire.
The stately dress of the wilderness
Where I lay and dreamed.
Oh, once alone in the wilderness I built myself a fire!
Now, my love and I, this night, build again a fire,
And the strange God-breath of the wilderness
Turns to desire.
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THE CITY OF GLASS
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
Beside the lake we call “The City of Glass”We watched our red, dear afternoon go past,
Red with Indian-paint and heart's blood hours—
Innocent were all the other flowers.
What rhyme of love or shout of love can sing
Of that deep grass and secret rock and spring?
Of your sun blaze of whiteness and your laughter
My still heart must remember ever after?
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THE PICTURE OF THE HEART-BOAT
Behold:—The boat called “wonder,”
Called: “Calm after thunder,”
It is painted with hearts.
The boat on the lake called:—
“The City of Glass.”
THE FISH WITH THE BRACELETS
Through the candle of dreamsWe saw them pass—
Each wearing a beautiful
Bracelet of brass,
The little fish
Of the lake called:—
“The City of Glass.”
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THE FIR-TREE
Heavy with secret shadowsThat are sweet
As kissing rhymes,
The Candle in the Cabin
Is a fir-tree
Sometimes.
THE APPLE TREE
Bearing two sweet applesAs sweet as kissing rhymes,
The Candle in the Cabin
Is an apple-tree
Sometimes.
THE MUSICAL WIND
To the strange flowerOn the mountain—
A Poet from afar,
A wind from the North Star
Made secret rhymes
As sweet as kisses are,
Rhymes that kissed each other
Many times,—
Laughing little rhymes.
112
THE DRIFTWOOD BED
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
The little driftwood bed
By Dragon Fly Lake,
Under the noon sun,
Cure for a little heart-ache.
By Dragon Fly Lake,
Under the noon sun,
Cure for a little heart-ache.
The little driftwood bed,
The song of the dragon waves,
The free love, the free north wind,
And a thousand sorrows in their graves.
The song of the dragon waves,
The free love, the free north wind,
And a thousand sorrows in their graves.
The little driftwood bed,
The pillow of pebbles and sand,
And our hearts again wedded
Like the water and the land.
The pillow of pebbles and sand,
And our hearts again wedded
Like the water and the land.
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LIKE THEIR FATHERS OF OLD
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
Far from the world and its wrong,
They love as the pioneers loved,
Kissing by firelight and candlelight,
In the cabin there in the woods.
They love as the pioneers loved,
Kissing by firelight and candlelight,
In the cabin there in the woods.
Face turns to shadowed face,
Body to body's grace,
All for Love's delight,
Kissing the whole night long,
Through the terrible storm
In the cabin, pine-ribbed and strong.
Body to body's grace,
All for Love's delight,
Kissing the whole night long,
Through the terrible storm
In the cabin, pine-ribbed and strong.
Lovers in far away places
Kiss by electric light,
By bright automobile light,
By movie theater half-light,
By wriggling street sign light.
Kiss by electric light,
By bright automobile light,
By movie theater half-light,
By wriggling street sign light.
But like their fathers of old,
These are kissing by candlelight,
Through the terrible storm
And hearing a night bird's song,
The night-raven's song.
These are kissing by candlelight,
Through the terrible storm
And hearing a night bird's song,
The night-raven's song.
114
THE ASPEN LEAF LOVERS
The Forest-Ranger's Second Honeymoon
Two happy lovers on one pillow in the forest,
One pine bed in the forest,
Singing the night away!
The moon was almost full;
The little lake was still;
The aspen leaves were gay
Against the midnight blue,
Quivering all night through.
One pine bed in the forest,
Singing the night away!
The moon was almost full;
The little lake was still;
The aspen leaves were gay
Against the midnight blue,
Quivering all night through.
The lovers kissed—
Their lips were like the leaves—
And their hearts quivered, too.
Their lips were like the leaves—
And their hearts quivered, too.
| The candle in the cabin | |