An Actor's Reminiscences and Other Poems By George Barlow |
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| I. |
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| I. |
| V. |
| VII. |
| X. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XVII. |
| XIX. |
| XXV. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXIX. |
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| IX. |
| XXX. |
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| II. |
| TWELVE SONNETS.
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| VIII. |
| X. |
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| II. |
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| III. |
 | An Actor's Reminiscences and Other Poems |  |
211
TWELVE SONNETS.
(1881.)
213
VIII. “IF THOU WERT FAITHLESS.”
If thou wert faithless, God himself would fall
From the blue topmost pinnacle of heaven,
And not one star would light the towers of even
But awful gloom would overshadow all.
Whom have I but thee on whom I may call?
If thou wert faithless, every song would go:
Choked back for ever would be fancy's glow:
Apollo's wingèd feet would halt and crawl.
From the blue topmost pinnacle of heaven,
And not one star would light the towers of even
But awful gloom would overshadow all.
Whom have I but thee on whom I may call?
If thou wert faithless, every song would go:
Choked back for ever would be fancy's glow:
Apollo's wingèd feet would halt and crawl.
See how thy faithfulness is God to me.
The very sign and token of the Lord
Is thy sweet spotless ceaseless purity:
My white stone and my message and reward:—
If thou wert faithless, better had the sea
Above my boyish head wild breakers poured!
The very sign and token of the Lord
Is thy sweet spotless ceaseless purity:
My white stone and my message and reward:—
If thou wert faithless, better had the sea
Above my boyish head wild breakers poured!
221
X. THY WHITENESS.
It is thy whiteness, love, which whiteneth me.
I am the red stained warrior,—thou the flower
Filling with whiteness love's dear spotless bower:
Thou art my crown of splendid purity.
The lessons of high God I learn from thee,
And thou dost gain from me swift thought and power:
So the twin spirits deepen hour by hour,
And love's soul-plant becomes a strong great tree.
I am the red stained warrior,—thou the flower
Filling with whiteness love's dear spotless bower:
Thou art my crown of splendid purity.
The lessons of high God I learn from thee,
And thou dost gain from me swift thought and power:
So the twin spirits deepen hour by hour,
And love's soul-plant becomes a strong great tree.
Oh, be thou white! My whiteness all is thine,
As, lady dear, thy new-born strength is mine.
And, if I make thee large of heart and strong,
Pour thou thy whiteness through my yearning heart,—
That pure may be the utterance of my Art,
And white as thine own love my urgent song.
As, lady dear, thy new-born strength is mine.
And, if I make thee large of heart and strong,
Pour thou thy whiteness through my yearning heart,—
That pure may be the utterance of my Art,
And white as thine own love my urgent song.
| An Actor's Reminiscences and Other Poems | |