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II. Part II
Love
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Love's Largesse
The heaven has emptied all her stars
Into the glimmering sea;
Yet in yon skies the lifted eyes
Find not one less to be.
Into the glimmering sea;
Yet in yon skies the lifted eyes
Find not one less to be.
So Love gives all; and lo, the hand
Emptied, the head stripped bare,
Are ringed and crowned more richly round
With jewels yet more rare.
Emptied, the head stripped bare,
Are ringed and crowned more richly round
With jewels yet more rare.
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Life and Love
Bright is that wave of night
With a happy tremulous light
On whose wide-wandering breast
One wavering star doth rest.
With a happy tremulous light
On whose wide-wandering breast
One wavering star doth rest.
Till the night-wind dies away,
And the star fades out in the day,
And the wave sinks down to sleep
Unknown in the heaving deep.
And the star fades out in the day,
And the wave sinks down to sleep
Unknown in the heaving deep.
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Mother-of-Pearl
Not from all shells in Indian bays
Are pearls to win;
Nor hath the gentle heart always
A love within.
Are pearls to win;
Nor hath the gentle heart always
A love within.
But where the pearl hath lain, the shell
Shows yet the sheen;
And there's a soul-look that doth tell
Where love hath been.
Shows yet the sheen;
And there's a soul-look that doth tell
Where love hath been.
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The Words of Lovers
The sweetest words that tongue has said,
Or songs that lips have sung,
Are sad with thoughts of lovers dead,
And many a silent tongue;
Or songs that lips have sung,
Are sad with thoughts of lovers dead,
And many a silent tongue;
Yet faintly tragrant as perfume
Which age on age has lain
In sepulchres of scented gloom,
Now used of men again.
Which age on age has lain
In sepulchres of scented gloom,
Now used of men again.
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Darkening Years
Love drinks our young sorrows up,
As the light
Exhaleth from the blossom-cup
The dews of night.
As the light
Exhaleth from the blossom-cup
The dews of night.
Alas, the day when grief grows stronger
In darkening years!
Alas, the day when love no longer
Can dry our tears!
In darkening years!
Alas, the day when love no longer
Can dry our tears!
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A Rippled Stone
Sands, forsaken, keep
The impress of sea-kisses;
As lovers' lips in sleep
Repeat the day's caresses.
The impress of sea-kisses;
As lovers' lips in sleep
Repeat the day's caresses.
And often hearts hard-grown,
Deep-hidden and discerned not,
Have kept the tale in stone
Of love-tides that returned not.
Deep-hidden and discerned not,
Have kept the tale in stone
Of love-tides that returned not.
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Two Dreams
A dream of light!—
A sunlit sea
Melting in bright
Infinity.
O Light! O Love!
For ever and evermore!
A sunlit sea
Melting in bright
Infinity.
O Light! O Love!
For ever and evermore!
A dream of night!—
A stream's dark flow;
Glimmering white
Of chillest snow.
O Night! O Death!
For ever and evermore!
A stream's dark flow;
Glimmering white
Of chillest snow.
O Night! O Death!
For ever and evermore!
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A Butterfly on a Glacier
The wind blows warm from Italy
Across the wastes of snow;
And thou, poor bright-winged butterfly,
Dreamedst—how shouldst thou know?—
To follow the delicious breeze
To new strange flowers on honied leas.
Across the wastes of snow;
And thou, poor bright-winged butterfly,
Dreamedst—how shouldst thou know?—
To follow the delicious breeze
To new strange flowers on honied leas.
So, wind of Love, thou whisperest
Of warm, enchanted lands;
And lur'st the heart to leave its rest
And follow Love's commands;
Then leav'st it, as the butterfly,
Alone in icy wastes to die.
Of warm, enchanted lands;
And lur'st the heart to leave its rest
And follow Love's commands;
Then leav'st it, as the butterfly,
Alone in icy wastes to die.
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After their Year
How lightly waver down through slanting beams
The leaves grown sere!
Ev'n so unheeded fall Love's faded dreams
After their year.
The leaves grown sere!
Ev'n so unheeded fall Love's faded dreams
After their year.
But oh! the green leaf, and the living love!
Storms rend the sky,
And light is darkened in the heaven above
If these must die.
Storms rend the sky,
And light is darkened in the heaven above
If these must die.
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“Where all Love's Pilgrims come”
This is the grave of Love,
By tears kept green.
We know he is dead, sweet Love,
So long unseen.
By tears kept green.
We know he is dead, sweet Love,
So long unseen.
And this is his grave, we know;
For here in Spring
The first blue violets blow,
The first birds sing.
For here in Spring
The first blue violets blow,
The first birds sing.
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Star-Glimpses
When the night-wind stirs the pine,
Comes and goes the sweet star-shine
Through the boughs—a soul divine.
Comes and goes the sweet star-shine
Through the boughs—a soul divine.
When love breathes, the deeps of being
Dazzle suddenly our seeing,
Like a star through dark boughs fleeing.
Dazzle suddenly our seeing,
Like a star through dark boughs fleeing.
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What is Love but a Dreamer?
Fluttering, see, from the sunny wall
Shell-pink petals of roses fall,
Wavering on to the glassy stream;
Softer than kisses given in dream
By lips that kiss not in waking day;
Fairy boats, they are borne away;
Airy fancies, that come not again;
Lover's visions, that end in pain.
Shell-pink petals of roses fall,
Wavering on to the glassy stream;
Softer than kisses given in dream
By lips that kiss not in waking day;
Fairy boats, they are borne away;
Airy fancies, that come not again;
Lover's visions, that end in pain.
Well may Love wear wistful eyes!
Well may all love-words end in sighs!
What is Love but a dreamer—his dream
What but a rose-leaf dropped on a stream?
Well may all love-words end in sighs!
What is Love but a dreamer—his dream
What but a rose-leaf dropped on a stream?
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The Song-Master
Know ye in the days of Spring,
When the new-leafed woodlands ring,
Some rich moment when a hush
Falls on the loud-throated thrush,
And the gold-mouthed blackbirds pour
Their Pactolian tides no more?
When the new-leafed woodlands ring,
Some rich moment when a hush
Falls on the loud-throated thrush,
And the gold-mouthed blackbirds pour
Their Pactolian tides no more?
Rare, ah! rare the silence then!
For, unheard of dull-eared men,
Love himself, the Master's way,
Sings the birds to silence.—They,
Listening, learn, and after sing
Sweeter all the days of Spring.
For, unheard of dull-eared men,
Love himself, the Master's way,
Sings the birds to silence.—They,
Listening, learn, and after sing
Sweeter all the days of Spring.
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The Herald-Flower
First Love is like the early daffodil
That lightens the whole world with hope of Spring,
And sees not its own prophecies fulfil.
That lightens the whole world with hope of Spring,
And sees not its own prophecies fulfil.
For when the leaves break forth and thrushes sing,
The herald-flower is drooping. So the chill
Takes Love when he hath taught the heart to sing.
The herald-flower is drooping. So the chill
Takes Love when he hath taught the heart to sing.
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Lost Leaves of the Greek Anthology
[Halcyon, by the gods' decree]
Halcyon, by the gods' decree,
For her love and sorrow's wage,
Nesteth in a summer sea,
Though the winter round doth rage.
For her love and sorrow's wage,
Nesteth in a summer sea,
Though the winter round doth rage.
Since the gods love lovers so,
They may jest at fortune's jars;
Ports they have no pilots know,
And in storm behold the stars.
They may jest at fortune's jars;
Ports they have no pilots know,
And in storm behold the stars.
[From earthy crust]
From earthy crust
The crystal core:
From livid rust
The shining ore:
The crystal core:
From livid rust
The shining ore:
From natural lust,
Refined thrice o'er,
Love the august
Which gods adore.
Refined thrice o'er,
Love the august
Which gods adore.
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[A feeble hand can spoil the flowers]
A feeble hand can spoil the flowersThat once were all the garden's joy:
And lives so bright as once were ours
Are spoilt by Love—a little boy.
(With a mirror)
I send thee, love, for thy sole view,A picture of my heart most true,
A portrait marvellous indeed,
A secret thou alone canst read,
For thou alone beholdest there
What always in my heart I bear.
[So sweet is my love's name that all]
So sweet is my love's name that all
Seem, chancing in the ways
Another by this name to call,
To crown her with full praise.
Seem, chancing in the ways
Another by this name to call,
To crown her with full praise.
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The lyre of Love I locked away,
Its chords were bright and true.
Is not to-morrow as to-day,
To sing Love's service due?
Its chords were bright and true.
Is not to-morrow as to-day,
To sing Love's service due?
In rust and dust I turned the key
To take again my lyre:
The tuneful shell was cracked, ah me!
And broke each golden wire.
To take again my lyre:
The tuneful shell was cracked, ah me!
And broke each golden wire.
[Woman is like the Sea, y-wis]
Woman is like the Sea, y-wisThat changes every hour, but is
The same through all the centuries.
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