 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
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THE BARD'S LAST SONG.
I
When I was young, unwise, and free,
And dreamed of things that could not be
This side of man's mortality,
And dreamed of things that could not be
This side of man's mortality,
I loved a maid of heavenly birth,
Friend of my sorrow and my mirth,
The queen and paragon of Earth.
Friend of my sorrow and my mirth,
The queen and paragon of Earth.
Sweet was the music of her tongue,
Upon her lips all wisdom hung,
And streamed abroad like sunlight flung.
Upon her lips all wisdom hung,
And streamed abroad like sunlight flung.
I gathered fragrance from her sighs,
And through the glory of her eyes
Had glimpses into Paradise.
And through the glory of her eyes
Had glimpses into Paradise.
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My heart was quick to understand;
I took her child-like by the hand,
And wandered with her through the land.
I took her child-like by the hand,
And wandered with her through the land.
Through meadow-paths at break of morn,
When dews hung gem-like on the thorn,
And from the clouds above the corn,
When dews hung gem-like on the thorn,
And from the clouds above the corn,
The lark poured music in a shower;
Through forest-glade to wild-wood bower
Leaf-sheltered from the noontide hour;
Through forest-glade to wild-wood bower
Leaf-sheltered from the noontide hour;
O'er upland tracts of virgin snow,
Where timid rivers learn to flow,
And leap to reach the world below;
Where timid rivers learn to flow,
And leap to reach the world below;
Up to the mountain's topmost peak,
Breasting the wild winds blowing bleak,
With flashing eye and rose-red cheek;
Breasting the wild winds blowing bleak,
With flashing eye and rose-red cheek;
Up to its very crest and crown,
Men and their madness far adown,
Heaven and its glories all our own;
Men and their madness far adown,
Heaven and its glories all our own;
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We wandered heedless of the roar
Of Commerce weltering on the shore,
Buzzing and whirling evermore;
Of Commerce weltering on the shore,
Buzzing and whirling evermore;
And there we'd sit from Noon to Night,
Her smile my joy, her eyes my light,
Enraptured in the Infinite;
Her smile my joy, her eyes my light,
Enraptured in the Infinite;
Or mused on things above the ken
Of the dumb-sorrowing herd of men,
Unuttered by their tongue or pen.
Of the dumb-sorrowing herd of men,
Unuttered by their tongue or pen.
II
But chiefly loved my Love and I,
When thunder clomb the Evening sky,
And shrill sea-gusts came piping by,
When thunder clomb the Evening sky,
And shrill sea-gusts came piping by,
To sit upon the sea-beach lone,
And list the wild waves' undertone—
The low soft melancholy moan,
And list the wild waves' undertone—
The low soft melancholy moan,
As if the Deep's deep heart did plain,
And throb with memories of pain:
Remorseful for Earth's children slain—
And throb with memories of pain:
Remorseful for Earth's children slain—
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For their reliance most unwise,
On placid seas and favouring skies,
To float and waft their argosies:—
On placid seas and favouring skies,
To float and waft their argosies:—
The weird-like musie of the sea
Disclosed its mournful mystery,
And spake in words to her and me,
Disclosed its mournful mystery,
And spake in words to her and me,
Which took the rhythm of keens and runes,
That sank or swoll in plaintive tunes,
Such as corpse-watching beldam croons,
That sank or swoll in plaintive tunes,
Such as corpse-watching beldam croons,
Forlornest 'mid the troop forlorn
That weep some widow's eldest-born,
Untimely from her bosom torn.
That weep some widow's eldest-born,
Untimely from her bosom torn.
Lulled by that chant and hymn sublime,
We'd read some book of ancient time,
Of love and agony and crime;
We'd read some book of ancient time,
Of love and agony and crime;
And wonder if our dull To-Day
Had heart for passions great as they,
To lift—to torture—or to slay:
Had heart for passions great as they,
To lift—to torture—or to slay:
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If Love were ready as of old
To yield dominion, glory, gold,
All power, all joy, all bliss untold,
To yield dominion, glory, gold,
All power, all joy, all bliss untold,
For sake of Love. If mortal Hate,
Immortal grown, and fixed as Fate,
Could guard its throne inviolate,
Immortal grown, and fixed as Fate,
Could guard its throne inviolate,
Though heavenly Merey should implore
To stay the vengeance which it bore,
And make it human as before.
To stay the vengeance which it bore,
And make it human as before.
Nor wondered long, nor long inquired,
But to the city, domed and spired,
Retraced our steps, and never tired
But to the city, domed and spired,
Retraced our steps, and never tired
To mingle with the human throng,
To learn the weakness of the strong,
Or gleam that led the righteous wrong:
To learn the weakness of the strong,
Or gleam that led the righteous wrong:
The meanness of the great and proud,
The greatness of the meanest bowed
In foulest corners of the crowd;
The greatness of the meanest bowed
In foulest corners of the crowd;
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The sameness, evermore the same,
Of human glory, human shame,
And all that men most praise or blame,
Of human glory, human shame,
And all that men most praise or blame,
In every clime and every age,
And written on the living page,
As man's perpetual heritage.
And written on the living page,
As man's perpetual heritage.
Till worn and wearied and deprest
By study of that sharp unrest,
Each day the morrow's palimpsest,
By study of that sharp unrest,
Each day the morrow's palimpsest,
We'd dry our gathering tears, and say—
“This is no place for us to stay;
Let us be merry, and away!”
“This is no place for us to stay;
Let us be merry, and away!”
III
And then she'd wave a mystic wand,
And with one motion of her hand
Waft us afar to Fairyland,
And with one motion of her hand
Waft us afar to Fairyland,
Untrammelled, unconfined, to roam,
With Elf or Dryad, Sylph or Gnome,
Or sportive Nereid of the foam—
With Elf or Dryad, Sylph or Gnome,
Or sportive Nereid of the foam—
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To talk with spirits of the glade,
And nymphs of river and caseade,
And fairy folk of greenwood shade;
And nymphs of river and caseade,
And fairy folk of greenwood shade;
To sail with Mab on fleeciest shred
Of morning cloudlet overhead,
Three minutes ere the sun upsped;
Of morning cloudlet overhead,
Three minutes ere the sun upsped;
To seale the rainbow's sevenfold height,
Its mingling stairs of roseate light,
And twist its colours into white.
Its mingling stairs of roseate light,
And twist its colours into white.
Or when the Night came darkening down,
And grey had deepened into brown
On the small ant-hill of the town,
And grey had deepened into brown
On the small ant-hill of the town,
To steer witch-fashion through the gloom,
Astride with Hecate on a broom,
With sea and sky for elbow-room,
Astride with Hecate on a broom,
With sea and sky for elbow-room,
And hear no sound of human kind,
Nought but the rushing of the wind,
Or roll of thunder far behind;
Nought but the rushing of the wind,
Or roll of thunder far behind;
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Or higher up the deeps of Heaven,
By wilder freaks of fancy driven,
Above the anvils of the levin,
By wilder freaks of fancy driven,
Above the anvils of the levin,
To seize the streaming Northern lights,
And flaunt them from the Polar heights
To cheer the gloom of Arctic nights.
And flaunt them from the Polar heights
To cheer the gloom of Arctic nights.
IV
Idle I seemed, but was not so;
Filled with a fierce desire to know,
I would know all things known below:
Filled with a fierce desire to know,
I would know all things known below:
Study all Art, all Science probe,
Were it as solid as the Globe,
Or flimsy as a midge's robe;
Were it as solid as the Globe,
Or flimsy as a midge's robe;
Would, without weariness or pause,
Dive into principles and laws;
And, mounting from effect to cause,
Dive into principles and laws;
And, mounting from effect to cause,
For mine and for my love's behoof,
Would track to utmost verge of proof
The web of Nature, warp and woof.
Would track to utmost verge of proof
The web of Nature, warp and woof.
235
Each modern light or ancient lore
I would examine and explore
Through narrow chink or open door.
I would examine and explore
Through narrow chink or open door.
Whatever since the world began
Had been discussed or dreamed by man
I would investigate and scan;
Had been discussed or dreamed by man
I would investigate and scan;
And all for her, mine other soul,
My light of life, my being's goal,
Essence, quintessence, part and whole.
My light of life, my being's goal,
Essence, quintessence, part and whole.
And yet not so;—to me far more
Than all the teeming earth could pour,
Alike my blossom and my store—
Than all the teeming earth could pour,
Alike my blossom and my store—
She knelt with me at holier shrine,
And took my homage all divine
To offer to her God and mine;
And took my homage all divine
To offer to her God and mine;
With adoration's silent awe,
To God from whom our breath we draw,
The Light, the Life, the Love, the Law.
To God from whom our breath we draw,
The Light, the Life, the Love, the Law.
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V
So passed my youth's delicious time,
My budding spring, my fruitful prime,
And all my thoughts took shape in rhyme.
My budding spring, my fruitful prime,
And all my thoughts took shape in rhyme.
And then my wizard harp I strung,
And o'er the chords my fingers flung,
And bade men listen as I sung.
And o'er the chords my fingers flung,
And bade men listen as I sung.
Few heard me when the mandate went,
Though to their throbbing hearts I sent
The lightnings of my firmament.
Though to their throbbing hearts I sent
The lightnings of my firmament.
The arrowy words with purpose strong
That told the tale of human wrong,
And Justice sure, though tarrying long.
That told the tale of human wrong,
And Justice sure, though tarrying long.
Th' ennobling song that cheered the poor,
And taught the wretched to endure
The griefs that Love alone could cure.
And taught the wretched to endure
The griefs that Love alone could cure.
But larger audience came at last—
Their hearts my sea; my words the blast
That lashed their billows as I passed,
Their hearts my sea; my words the blast
That lashed their billows as I passed,
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And curled the waters into spray
In the clear sunshine of the day,
That gleamed and sparkled in the lay.
In the clear sunshine of the day,
That gleamed and sparkled in the lay.
And men awarded me the fame
That I would snatch to crown my name,
The lambent wreath of flickering flame,
That I would snatch to crown my name,
The lambent wreath of flickering flame,
That round my temples twined and bowed,
And marked me out above the crowd
As one with deeper grief endowed
And marked me out above the crowd
As one with deeper grief endowed
Than they could bear: as one who knew
Intenser joy; whose keener view
Could pierce the outer darkness through—
Intenser joy; whose keener view
Could pierce the outer darkness through—
Down the abyss of Time to see,
And strive in words that God made free
To unfold a mighty mystery.
And strive in words that God made free
To unfold a mighty mystery.
VI
All this I was, all this I did;
And Time that o'er my temples slid
Seemed but to pile the pyramid
And Time that o'er my temples slid
Seemed but to pile the pyramid
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Of my renown; but never told
That I was growing poor and old,
And could not live for lack of gold.
That I was growing poor and old,
And could not live for lack of gold.
And when mine eyes, that opened late
To smallness of mine own estate,
Surveyed the powerful and the great,
To smallness of mine own estate,
Surveyed the powerful and the great,
I found that meaner men than I,
Mere feeders in the human sty,
Without my gifts or purpose high,
Mere feeders in the human sty,
Without my gifts or purpose high,
My love, my conscience, or my wit,
Were called on judgment-seats to sit,
Or found in senates audience fit:
Were called on judgment-seats to sit,
Or found in senates audience fit:
That some, my friends of early day,
The comrades of my work or play
In joyous boyhood's lusty May,
The comrades of my work or play
In joyous boyhood's lusty May,
Had riches teeming to their will;
I not enough to eat my fill,
Or pay my tailor's humble bill.
I not enough to eat my fill,
Or pay my tailor's humble bill.
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That they were counted great and wise,
The cynosures of Beauty's eyes;
And I—a beggar in disguise,
The cynosures of Beauty's eyes;
And I—a beggar in disguise,
That had no right at Nature's board,
Or claim to tangible reward
Of corn or wine, around me stored.
Or claim to tangible reward
Of corn or wine, around me stored.
And that 't was still the people's faith
That fame, the flotsam of their breath,
Sufficed for Life as well as Death;
That fame, the flotsam of their breath,
Sufficed for Life as well as Death;
And that an epitaph alone
Was more than ample to atone
For all the wrongs the Bard had known;
Was more than ample to atone
For all the wrongs the Bard had known;
For every proud man's disrespect,
For all a life's adventure wrecked,
For scorn, for hunger and neglect.
For all a life's adventure wrecked,
For scorn, for hunger and neglect.
I struck my wild harp once again,
But not in anger, though in pain,
And sang one melancholy strain,
But not in anger, though in pain,
And sang one melancholy strain,
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With beating pulse and throbbing brow,
The last mine energies allow,
The mournful song I'm singing now.
The last mine energies allow,
The mournful song I'm singing now.
So write the tomb's recording line—
Such fate was Milton's the divine,
Why should I grieve that it is mine?
Such fate was Milton's the divine,
Why should I grieve that it is mine?
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |