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130
THE PALINODE.
As Lucius through his asses eyes
Stared downward from the shameful stage,
And heard the ribald laughter rise,
Stared downward from the shameful stage,
And heard the ribald laughter rise,
And yearned out towards his heritage
Of manly thought and manly guise,
And, rending in blind brutish rage
Of manly thought and manly guise,
And, rending in blind brutish rage
The garland-bands that bound his head,
Champed, all unthinking, the rich rose,
And straightway knew the beast was dead,
Champed, all unthinking, the rich rose,
And straightway knew the beast was dead,
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And the man living, while the throes
Of life returned, and the past fled
And left him naked; so now glows
Of life returned, and the past fled
And left him naked; so now glows
New power and passion through my veins.
I have walked too long in mist and mire;
I know by heart the pastoral plains,
I have walked too long in mist and mire;
I know by heart the pastoral plains,
The call has reached me to go higher,
A riper air my soul sustains,
And I can breathe through frost and fire.
A riper air my soul sustains,
And I can breathe through frost and fire.
A beetle was my rose. I lay,
My window open to the night,
And listened to the swing and sway
My window open to the night,
And listened to the swing and sway
Of branches balanced in the light
And aimless breezes. Wafts of hay
Came, faint with odour exquisite;
And aimless breezes. Wafts of hay
Came, faint with odour exquisite;
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The nightingale had sung so loud,
Her song had wakened a wild roe,
Deep in the fern as in a cloud;
Her song had wakened a wild roe,
Deep in the fern as in a cloud;
I heard him trotting far below,
And now inaudible. A crowd
Of nightingales were fluting low
And now inaudible. A crowd
Of nightingales were fluting low
In answer to their mate, and all
Passed deeper into the dim wood;
I scarcely heard their call on call,
Passed deeper into the dim wood;
I scarcely heard their call on call,
And felt alone with solitude:
Then came a whirr, a hush, a fall!
Some small intruder, bluff and rude,
Then came a whirr, a hush, a fall!
Some small intruder, bluff and rude,
Had sat him on my chamber floor;
I sought and found him, with his wings
Half open; never rode before
I sought and found him, with his wings
Half open; never rode before
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A warrior bent on starry things
So dainty in the mail he wore,
So rich in gorgeous blazonings;
So dainty in the mail he wore,
So rich in gorgeous blazonings;
The chrysoprase with blow on blow
Had on some magic anvil lain
To fit his sturdy shoulders so,
Had on some magic anvil lain
To fit his sturdy shoulders so,
The beryl that will bear no stain
Shone on his breastplate, and below
His buckler flashed with golden grain.
Shone on his breastplate, and below
His buckler flashed with golden grain.
I took this knight of fair romaunt
Within the hollow of my hand;
He had forgotten aim and vaunt.
Within the hollow of my hand;
He had forgotten aim and vaunt.
Dead as a waif on some bare strand,
He lay, unheeding scoff and taunt,
And could or would not understand
He lay, unheeding scoff and taunt,
And could or would not understand
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That he was free as air to fly
And reach the stars, if such his will;
‘Ah! foolish man-at-arms,’ said I,
And reach the stars, if such his will;
‘Ah! foolish man-at-arms,’ said I,
‘So soon hast thou, too, drunk thy fill
Of high ambition, fain to lie,
A beetle then, a beetle still,
Of high ambition, fain to lie,
A beetle then, a beetle still,
‘When just five minutes gone thou wast
No beetle, but a spirit keen,
Borne up on aspirations vast
No beetle, but a spirit keen,
Borne up on aspirations vast
‘As men's or angels’, scarcely seen
In splendid soaring; all is past,
And thou art impotent and mean!
In splendid soaring; all is past,
And thou art impotent and mean!
‘Poor insect! yet not half so frail,
Nor so disaster-struck by far,
As men who set themselves to scale
Nor so disaster-struck by far,
As men who set themselves to scale
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‘The heavens, and leap from star to star,
And, ere they seek to conquer, fail,
And learn at once what worms they are!’
And, ere they seek to conquer, fail,
And learn at once what worms they are!’
Thus I,—and would have soon cast out
The stricken beetle; but he stirred,
And waved his gleaming horns about,
The stricken beetle; but he stirred,
And waved his gleaming horns about,
And saw the moon, and rose, and whirred
His gauzy wings in gorgeous flight,
Aud upwards faded, like a bird,
His gauzy wings in gorgeous flight,
Aud upwards faded, like a bird,
Far out into the night. I stared,
And, at the wonder of the thing,
My spirit suddenly stood bared,
And, at the wonder of the thing,
My spirit suddenly stood bared,
Of all the petty swathes that cling
About the coward soul. It fared
With me as with that fabled king
About the coward soul. It fared
With me as with that fabled king
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Who woke to find the robes he wore
Mere nakedness. The beetle, numb,
Thrown helmless on an alien shore,
Mere nakedness. The beetle, numb,
Thrown helmless on an alien shore,
Afficted, beaten, puzzled, dumb,
Balked in the blind desire to soar,
And whelmed with sorrows in a sum,
Balked in the blind desire to soar,
And whelmed with sorrows in a sum,
Could gather up his shattered skill,
And by an instinct most divine,
Steer for the stars again, and fill
And by an instinct most divine,
Steer for the stars again, and fill
His soul with music, while I pine
And mourn in discords weak and shrill
The failure of these hopes of mine.
And mourn in discords weak and shrill
The failure of these hopes of mine.
A healthier courage aid me now
To cast this body of fears aside;
To stand with stedfast eye and brow
To cast this body of fears aside;
To stand with stedfast eye and brow
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Under the fleckless heaven, decide
At once, not heeding when or how,
My spirit among the stars to guide!
At once, not heeding when or how,
My spirit among the stars to guide!
It shall be so! Even now I feel
The sordid cares that mar our day,
Pale wounds that leechcraft cannot heal,
The sordid cares that mar our day,
Pale wounds that leechcraft cannot heal,
Are staunched and vanish; the vain fray
Of earthly aims no more can steal
My resolute desire away;
Of earthly aims no more can steal
My resolute desire away;
The brief success of smiling fools,
The grace and fame of blander knaves,
Distress me not. They are the tools
The grace and fame of blander knaves,
Distress me not. They are the tools
Of some strange Delphic fate that craves,
While human life it overrules,
The suffrage of poltroons and slaves.
While human life it overrules,
The suffrage of poltroons and slaves.
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The future is not left to these,
But when this giddy age is o'er,
And we look back from over-seas
But when this giddy age is o'er,
And we look back from over-seas
Towards that forsaken fading shore
We call the Past, by slow degrees
High lights and peaks not seen before
We call the Past, by slow degrees
High lights and peaks not seen before
Will rise into the liberal air,
And all that once was true and wise
And mocked-at, and all spirits that were
And all that once was true and wise
And mocked-at, and all spirits that were
Content with unabated eyes
To seek the best with little care
For present fame, will take the guise
To seek the best with little care
For present fame, will take the guise
That immortality puts on.
Be this my goal! and let me seek
The light that on my cradle shone;
Be this my goal! and let me seek
The light that on my cradle shone;
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The least of us is not too weak
To leave the world with something done.
Master, I follow! Master, speak!
To leave the world with something done.
Master, I follow! Master, speak!
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