 | Ballads and Lyrical poems |  |
69
YOUNG GENIUS.
Imbued with the seraphic fire
To wake the music of the lyre,
To love—to know—and to aspire:—
To wake the music of the lyre,
To love—to know—and to aspire:—
Thou seest in thy youthful dream
All Nature robed in light supreme,
And thou wouldst carol in the beam;
All Nature robed in light supreme,
And thou wouldst carol in the beam;
Happy—yet most unhappy still!
I dread to think what good and ill,
What joy and grief, thy heart shall fill!
I dread to think what good and ill,
What joy and grief, thy heart shall fill!
Great shall thy pleasures be—thy soul
Shall chant with planets as they roll,
Made one with Nature—part and whole.
Shall chant with planets as they roll,
Made one with Nature—part and whole.
The clouds that flush the morning sky,
The wind that wooes the branches high,
The leaves that whisper and reply;
The wind that wooes the branches high,
The leaves that whisper and reply;
The heart of every living thing,
The flowers that gem the breast of spring,
The russet birds that soar and sing;
The flowers that gem the breast of spring,
The russet birds that soar and sing;
The pendulous click of night and day,
The change of seasons as they play
In heavenly unison alway;
The change of seasons as they play
In heavenly unison alway;
70
The summer's sigh, the winter's roar,
The beat of billows on the shore,
Making deep music evermore;
The beat of billows on the shore,
Making deep music evermore;
All sight, all sound, all sense shall be
The fountains of thine ecstasy,
And daily minister to thee.
The fountains of thine ecstasy,
And daily minister to thee.
To thee the past shall disengage
The wisdom of its darkest page,
And give it for thy heritage;
The wisdom of its darkest page,
And give it for thy heritage;
The present, with its hopes and fears,
Its struggles, triumphs, smiles, and tears,
And glory of the coming years;
Its struggles, triumphs, smiles, and tears,
And glory of the coming years;
All shall be given to feed thy mind
With Love and Pity for thy kind,
And every sympathy refined.
With Love and Pity for thy kind,
And every sympathy refined.
All these, and more, shall be thine own,
And round thine intellectual throne
The applause of millions shall be blown.
And round thine intellectual throne
The applause of millions shall be blown.
Thy words shall fill the mouths of men,
The written lightnings of thy pen
Shall flash upon their wondering ken.
The written lightnings of thy pen
Shall flash upon their wondering ken.
Oh Fate—oh Privilege sublime!
And art thou tempted? Wilt thou climb?
Young genius! budding to thy prime?
And art thou tempted? Wilt thou climb?
Young genius! budding to thy prime?
71
Reflect:—and weigh the loss and gain;
All joy is counterpoised by pain:—
And nothing charms which we attain.
All joy is counterpoised by pain:—
And nothing charms which we attain.
Who loves the music of the spheres
And lives on Earth, must close his ears
To many voices which he hears.
And lives on Earth, must close his ears
To many voices which he hears.
'Tis evermore the finest sense
That feels the anguish most intense
At daily outrage, gross and dense.
That feels the anguish most intense
At daily outrage, gross and dense.
The greater joy the keener grief,
Of Nature's balances, the chief,
She grants nor favour, nor relief.
Of Nature's balances, the chief,
She grants nor favour, nor relief.
And vain, most vain, is youthful trust,
For men are evermore unjust
To their superior fellow-dust,—
For men are evermore unjust
To their superior fellow-dust,—
And ever turn malicious eyes
On those whom most they idolize,
And break their hearts with calumnies.
On those whom most they idolize,
And break their hearts with calumnies.
Their slanders, like the tempest-stroke,
May leave the cowslip's stem unbroke,
But rend the branches of the oak.
May leave the cowslip's stem unbroke,
But rend the branches of the oak.
If Genius live, 'tis made a slave;
And if it die—the true and brave—
Men pluck its heart out on its grave,
And if it die—the true and brave—
Men pluck its heart out on its grave,
72
And then dissect it for the throng,
And say, “'Twas this,—so weak, or strong,
That pour'd such living floods of song.”
And say, “'Twas this,—so weak, or strong,
That pour'd such living floods of song.”
Each fault of Genius is a crime,
For Cant or Folly to beslime—
Sent drifting on the stream of Time.
For Cant or Folly to beslime—
Sent drifting on the stream of Time.
Wouldst thou escape such cruel fate,
Live in the valley,—watch and wait,—
But climb not—seek not to be great.
Live in the valley,—watch and wait,—
But climb not—seek not to be great.
Yet if thou lovest song so well,
That thou must sing, though this befell
And worse than this, ineffable;
That thou must sing, though this befell
And worse than this, ineffable;
If thou wouldst win a lasting fame;
If thou the immortal wreath wouldst claim,
And make the Future bless thy name;
If thou the immortal wreath wouldst claim,
And make the Future bless thy name;
Begin thy perilous career;—
Keep high thy heart, thy conscience clear;—
And walk thy way without a fear.
Keep high thy heart, thy conscience clear;—
And walk thy way without a fear.
And if thou hast a voice within,
That ever whispers—“Work and win,”
And keeps thy soul from sloth and sin:
That ever whispers—“Work and win,”
And keeps thy soul from sloth and sin:
If thou canst plan a noble deed,
And never flag till it succeed,
Though in the strife thy heart should bleed:
And never flag till it succeed,
Though in the strife thy heart should bleed:
73
If thou canst struggle day and night,
And in the envious world's despite,
Still keep thy cynosure in sight:
And in the envious world's despite,
Still keep thy cynosure in sight:
If thou canst bear the rich man's scorn,
Nor curse the day that thou wert born,
To feed on husks, and he on corn:
Nor curse the day that thou wert born,
To feed on husks, and he on corn:
If thou canst dine upon a crust,
And still hold on with patient trust,
Nor pine that Fortune is unjust:
And still hold on with patient trust,
Nor pine that Fortune is unjust:
If thou canst see, with tranquil breast,
The knave or fool in purple dress'd,
Whilst thou must walk in tatter'd vest:
The knave or fool in purple dress'd,
Whilst thou must walk in tatter'd vest:
If thou canst rise ere break of day,
And toil and moil till evening gray,
At thankless work, for scanty pay:
And toil and moil till evening gray,
At thankless work, for scanty pay:
If, in thy progress to renown,
Thou canst endure the scoff and frown
Of those who strive to pull thee down:
Thou canst endure the scoff and frown
Of those who strive to pull thee down:
If thou canst bear the averted face,
The gibe, or treacherous embrace,
Of those who run the selfsame race:
The gibe, or treacherous embrace,
Of those who run the selfsame race:
If thou in darkest days canst find
An inner brightness in thy mind,
To reconcile thee to thy kind:—
An inner brightness in thy mind,
To reconcile thee to thy kind:—
74
Whatever obstacles control,
Thine hour will come—go on, true soul!
Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal.
Thine hour will come—go on, true soul!
Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal.
If not—what matters? tried by fire,
And purified from low desire,
Thy spirit shall but soar the higher.
And purified from low desire,
Thy spirit shall but soar the higher.
Content and hope thy heart shall buoy,
And men's neglect shall ne'er destroy
Thy secret peace, thy inward joy;
And men's neglect shall ne'er destroy
Thy secret peace, thy inward joy;
And when thou sittest on the height,
Thy song shall be its own delight,
And cheer thee in the world's despite.
Thy song shall be its own delight,
And cheer thee in the world's despite.
| Ballads and Lyrical poems | |