Love-Songs :: :: University of Virginia Library

TO THEE, SWEET.

The music of thy song, sweet,
Has sounded through the night:
Its accents pure and strong, sweet,
Its fervour calm and bright,
Have lifted me along, sweet,
Have brought God's heaven in sight.

I rested on the sound, sweet,
With happy eyes closed fast:
Its tender magic bound, sweet,
My soul; its glory cast
A golden veil around, sweet,—
It changed the weary past.

I hear the song by night, sweet,
I hear it in the day:
At dawn of soft-grey light, sweet,
It shines upon my way;
Ever its flame in sight, sweet,
Leads, like some heaven-sent ray.

Oh, I will try, my own sweet,
To be to thee the flower
Thou singest of; my tone, sweet,
With woman's tender power
Shall soothe—thou shalt be shown, sweet,
Love's deepest rose-hung bower!

And in that bower of joy, sweet,
Thy sorrows kissed away,
Shall pain not nor annoy, sweet;
My heart in thine shall stay:
Love's pleasure shall not cloy, sweet,
Nor bloom of love decay.

I dreamed a tender dream, sweet,—
I tell it to thee here;
But the pure, gracious theme, sweet,
Is only for thine ear:
It was a sunrise-gleam, sweet,
Beautiful, noble, clear.

I dreamed I came to thee, sweet,—
All barriers slipped away:
All raiment fell from me, sweet,
I was as white as day;
I laughed in utter glee, sweet,
More glad than I can say!

All raiment earthly melted
Away in that fair dream:
Alone with beauty belted,
O lover, I did seem!
I stood by thee and felt it
Sweet, sweet,—a heaven-gleam!

Naked I stood for thee, sweet,—
Divinely white and pure:
God clothed with passion me, sweet;
But all that could obscure
And hinder soft love, He, sweet,
Stripped with a mandate sure.

So all my beauty came, sweet,—
Is it so much indeed?
About thee like a flame, sweet,
Thy blossom, yea thy meed;
I had no thought of shame, sweet,
I knew what love decreed.

I passed into thy form, sweet,
Just like a soft, soft breeze,
A dear leaf-shaking storm, sweet,
That laughs amid the trees:
White, tender, loving, warm, sweet,—
White as the white, white seas.

I rushed into thine arms, sweet,
I rushed into thy soul:
Dead was each fear that harms, sweet,
I saw love's sacred whole
Revealed: now nought alarms, sweet,—
I've read love's deepest scroll.

I passed with perfect peace, sweet,
Into a life quite new:
From bondage to release, sweet,
A freedom won by you:
Past pangs and sorrows cease, sweet,—
I sing, glad in the blue.

I sing for very gladness,
I, who was once afraid:
I, who once in deep sadness
Sat, as in dark damp glade;
I, who have met grim madness,
And longed to sip night-shade.

I sing; for thou hast won me,
Sweet lover, poet, king:
Thy loving soul hath spun me
Soft wedding-raiment; ring
Of genius given, and done me
Proud honour; so I sing.

I come to thee in dreaming,
I come in waking thought:
When fancies swift are streaming
Throughout me, clasped and caught
In golden network gleaming,
I come: such dreams I've brought!

I come on earth; in heaven,
Sweet love, I'll come the more:
When earth's worn garb is riven
And on the eternal shore
Life's bark is tossed and driven,
My love at last I'll pour

In utter perfect power, sweet,
Upon thee! thou shalt know
What pleasure love can shower, sweet,
What woman's hand can throw
Of magic round her bower, sweet—
How woman's heart can glow!

I'll come to thee at last, sweet,
And be thy very queen;
A whisper on the blast, sweet,
A crown of starry sheen:
I'll give thee all my past, sweet,
Its storms, its hours serene.

I'll give thee the old loves, sweet,
Such as the old loves were!
Lead thee through former groves, sweet,
Wherein, not all unfair,
The former singing doves, sweet,
Sang,—in the youthful air.

I'll give thee all the wonder
Of sweet, sweet youthful days:
Delight at wild stern thunder,
Joy in the lightning-blaze;
The past, the now, the yonder,
In one glad wreath I raise.

I come to thee a girl, sweet,
Long ere my mother died,
And bring thee a pale curl, sweet,
Cut when I left her side:
Better than gold or pearl, sweet,—
A gift of me thy bride!

The great strange billows hoary
I saw by childhood's seas
I bring thee, and the glory
Of myriad forest trees;
Yea, all the pure life-story
Learned at my mother's knees.

My sorrows and my prayers, sweet,
My groaning and my tears,
The balm of summer airs, sweet,
Hopes, agonies, and fears;
All these your strong soul shares, sweet,
Yea, all the long, long years!

The years before we met, sweet,
Before dear passion spoke,
And tender eyes were wet, sweet,
And love his golden yoke
Upon our shoulders set, sweet,
And all the old fetters broke.

I give thee all these things, sweet;
My body and my soul
My utter passion brings, sweet,—
Myself: I give the whole.
I've got no golden wings, sweet,
No nectared honeyed bowl.

But womanhood's dear whiteness
Of body, spirit, mind,
And lips of untouched brightness,
And faithfulness thou'lt find!
Oh, love hath perfect rightness,
And sweetly all designed!

Oh, take me: hold me close, sweet,
I'm but a woman's soul,
A clinging woman-rose, sweet,
Whose tendrils round thee stole
To find in thee repose sweet,
Love, husband, heaven-joy, goal!