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 | Lyrics (1895) |  |
v
Δευρο συν αυλητηρι παρα κλαιοντι γελωντες
πινωμεν, κεινου κηδεσι τερπομενοι:
πινωμεν, κεινου κηδεσι τερπομενοι:
vi
‘------nec me mea fallit imago.’
8
FEBRUARY
February, bitter February,
Month of hope withheld and promise vain,
Drenching, under fickle smiles, the unwary
Earth with devastating rain.
Month of hope withheld and promise vain,
Drenching, under fickle smiles, the unwary
Earth with devastating rain.
Ere the limes with ruddy spear-points glimmer,
Ere the greenness leap from bush to bush,
While the starveling grass grows dim and dimmer,
And the folded snowdrops push;
Ere the greenness leap from bush to bush,
While the starveling grass grows dim and dimmer,
And the folded snowdrops push;
Ah! be gracious, tenderly relenting,
Take not back thy gifts with churlish hand:
Let the breath of thy serene consenting
Falter through the weary land.
Take not back thy gifts with churlish hand:
Let the breath of thy serene consenting
Falter through the weary land.
9
Rather thunder on in bleak resistance,
Swift to spoil and rigorous to deny,
Than as thus to veil the sullen distance
With thy bleared and tear-stained sky.
Swift to spoil and rigorous to deny,
Than as thus to veil the sullen distance
With thy bleared and tear-stained sky.
10
SPRING IN THE CITY
Into the heart of the town from the woodlands green where she lingers,
Stealing by grass-grown lanes, unvisited, winding low,
Wistfully beckons the spring, and blows from her restless fingers
Kisses that fade on the wind and leap to the western glow.
Stealing by grass-grown lanes, unvisited, winding low,
Wistfully beckons the spring, and blows from her restless fingers
Kisses that fade on the wind and leap to the western glow.
‘Sister, my sister,’ the sycamore says, ‘in the far-off city,’
‘Brothers mine,’ says the elm, ‘in smoky garden and square,’
‘Break in delicate bloom, O waken for love and pity’;
‘Shake for oblivious eyes your banner of grace on the air.’
‘Brothers mine,’ says the elm, ‘in smoky garden and square,’
‘Break in delicate bloom, O waken for love and pity’;
‘Shake for oblivious eyes your banner of grace on the air.’
11
Therefore it was that to-day, where the house fronts blink at each other,
Over each inch of earth where the seed and the rain might fall,
Eager and emulous leaves unfurled, and brother to brother
Leaned through envious fence and peeped over sundering wall.
Over each inch of earth where the seed and the rain might fall,
Eager and emulous leaves unfurled, and brother to brother
Leaned through envious fence and peeped over sundering wall.
So that the hurrying crowd, with dreary and careful faces,
Stared at the sudden green, and dreamed they were children yet,
Wondered if birds still sang in the far familiar places,
Dallied with childish hopes and smiled in the eyes of regret.
Stared at the sudden green, and dreamed they were children yet,
Wondered if birds still sang in the far familiar places,
Dallied with childish hopes and smiled in the eyes of regret.
12
IN THE HEART OF THE WOOD
In the heart of the wood,
Where the beeches lean together,
I vowed, as I stood,
In the merry April weather,
I would build me a nest,
I would furl my weary wing,
I would sing myself to rest,
And awake to sing.
Where the beeches lean together,
I vowed, as I stood,
In the merry April weather,
I would build me a nest,
I would furl my weary wing,
I would sing myself to rest,
And awake to sing.
Along the grassy ride
I lingered pleasantly,
While the tall pines sighed
Like a falling, rising sea;
I heard the woodland things
Run swift beneath the trees,
And the pigeon clap his wings
And steer along the breeze.
I lingered pleasantly,
While the tall pines sighed
Like a falling, rising sea;
I heard the woodland things
Run swift beneath the trees,
And the pigeon clap his wings
And steer along the breeze.
13
On the downs I paced,
Where the swift cloud-shadows pass,
When the east wind raced,
Singing thin in the grass;
While the smoky arc was spread
O'er the city, leagues away,
Like a pall above the dead,
In silence and dismay.
Where the swift cloud-shadows pass,
When the east wind raced,
Singing thin in the grass;
While the smoky arc was spread
O'er the city, leagues away,
Like a pall above the dead,
In silence and dismay.
But the busy autumn came
With calm and frosty breath,
In his eye a restless flame,
In his hand a dying wreath;—
As he bared his cruel brow,
The beech grew red as blood;
The birds were silent now
In the heart of the wood.
With calm and frosty breath,
In his eye a restless flame,
In his hand a dying wreath;—
As he bared his cruel brow,
The beech grew red as blood;
The birds were silent now
In the heart of the wood.
14
Then November hurried by
With his white and haggard face,
And the slow rain blurred the sky
Where the ragged vapours race;
And the tall trees cried,
With a drear and desperate sound,
And life before it died
Sank failing under ground;
With his white and haggard face,
And the slow rain blurred the sky
Where the ragged vapours race;
And the tall trees cried,
With a drear and desperate sound,
And life before it died
Sank failing under ground;
And the slow drops fell
On the rotting leaf all day,
And a strange and dying smell
In the silent wood-walks lay,
And the chill mist brooded late
Over many a dripping rood,
And I shuddered as I sate
In the heart of the wood.
On the rotting leaf all day,
And a strange and dying smell
In the silent wood-walks lay,
And the chill mist brooded late
Over many a dripping rood,
And I shuddered as I sate
In the heart of the wood.
15
IN THE GARDEN
Between the gusts of toil and fate
I catch at that imagined peace,
That sweetness incommunicate
Which ceases, ere it seems to cease.
I catch at that imagined peace,
That sweetness incommunicate
Which ceases, ere it seems to cease.
The wind, this bright September morn,
Blows large and clear across the down;
Before me stirs the moving corn,
Behind me hums the little town:
Blows large and clear across the down;
Before me stirs the moving corn,
Behind me hums the little town:
The garden terrace where I stand
Is sheltered from the restless breeze;
I hear it rustling in the land,
I see it rocking in the trees.
Is sheltered from the restless breeze;
I hear it rustling in the land,
I see it rocking in the trees.
16
The partridge from the stubble calls;
The distant guns unheeded boom;
And on the mellow garden-walls
The bulging plum puts on her bloom.
The distant guns unheeded boom;
And on the mellow garden-walls
The bulging plum puts on her bloom.
Along the walks the ample phlox
In warm luxuriance opens wide;
The red-rosetted hollyhocks;
Toss their pale stalks in upstart pride;
In warm luxuriance opens wide;
The red-rosetted hollyhocks;
Toss their pale stalks in upstart pride;
They drink at will the vital air,
They hope beneath the chilly sky,
They thrive unchidden, nor compare
Their sweetness with their dignity.
They hope beneath the chilly sky,
They thrive unchidden, nor compare
Their sweetness with their dignity.
Learn here to be at peace, my soul;
A truce to all unkindly fears;
The light that shines beyond the goal
Throws back the shadow of the years.
A truce to all unkindly fears;
The light that shines beyond the goal
Throws back the shadow of the years.
17
O fickle heart, amid the din
Still craving, craving after rest,
Before thy harvest-time begin,—
What, art thou never to be blest?
Still craving, craving after rest,
Before thy harvest-time begin,—
What, art thou never to be blest?
Ay, when thy sorrows are complete,
Thy vaunted idols overthrown,
Some day, hereafter, thou shalt beat
As peacefully as nature's own.
Thy vaunted idols overthrown,
Some day, hereafter, thou shalt beat
As peacefully as nature's own.
18
THE WIND-HARP
Lofty and vast and still
Closes the welcome night;
The crags grow cold on the hill,
The snows grow firm on the height;
Closes the welcome night;
The crags grow cold on the hill,
The snows grow firm on the height;
The streams to the valley leap,
Chafing among the stones,
Lulling the world asleep
Soft, with Æolian tones.
Chafing among the stones,
Lulling the world asleep
Soft, with Æolian tones.
Gone is the pitiless glare,
Branding the shameless earth,
All her reckless despair,
All her intolerant mirth.
Branding the shameless earth,
All her reckless despair,
All her intolerant mirth.
19
All things slumber and take
Strength that shall cope with time;
Only I linger awake,
Stringing the listless rhyme.
Strength that shall cope with time;
Only I linger awake,
Stringing the listless rhyme.
Whether I wake or dream,
Whether I fly or crawl,
Still I float with the stream,
Still I am one with all.
Whether I fly or crawl,
Still I float with the stream,
Still I am one with all.
21
ST. LUKE'S SUMMER AGAIN
A year ago we walked the selfsame road,
Took horse and lingered, dropped from Hedsor Hill,
And watched the slow stream, how it welled and flowed
Beside the timbered mill.
Took horse and lingered, dropped from Hedsor Hill,
And watched the slow stream, how it welled and flowed
Beside the timbered mill.
The stream, the very eddies seem the same,
The hanger nestles in the huge hill's fold,
The cherry-trees in croft and orchard flame,
Or flaunt in green and gold.
The hanger nestles in the huge hill's fold,
The cherry-trees in croft and orchard flame,
Or flaunt in green and gold.
Peace in the valley, peace upon the height;—
She leaned and beckoned from the woodways wet.
We dreamed that we should find her ere the night:
Say, have we found her yet?
She leaned and beckoned from the woodways wet.
We dreamed that we should find her ere the night:
Say, have we found her yet?
22
What have we done to win her? We have schemed
For wealth to buy her, health to seize he charms,
Glory to tempt her, till we almost dreamed
She lay within our arms.
For wealth to buy her, health to seize he charms,
Glory to tempt her, till we almost dreamed
She lay within our arms.
And yet she comes not; like a woodland thing
She breaks in terror from her still retreat;
The clamorous cries that up the valleys ring,
Thunder of hurrying feet,
She breaks in terror from her still retreat;
The clamorous cries that up the valleys ring,
Thunder of hurrying feet,
Have scared her, filled her with bewildered grief;
They that pursue her, can they love her well?
Here by the pool, thickstrewn with fallen leaf
Her flying shadow fell.
They that pursue her, can they love her well?
Here by the pool, thickstrewn with fallen leaf
Her flying shadow fell.
Not in the rage of those insistent shouts,
Not with the flush upon excited cheeks,
Not in the throbbing of a heart that doubts
The half of what it seeks;—
Not with the flush upon excited cheeks,
Not in the throbbing of a heart that doubts
The half of what it seeks;—
23
But when we face the dull laborious day,
Forgo the secret raptures we had planned,
Upon our burdened shoulders she will lay
A firm and strenuous hand.
Forgo the secret raptures we had planned,
Upon our burdened shoulders she will lay
A firm and strenuous hand.
24
NOVEMBER
What makes my life so cold a thing,
That shivers under generous suns?
A bird upon a tortured wing,
That runs and rises, falls and runs;
That shivers under generous suns?
A bird upon a tortured wing,
That runs and rises, falls and runs;
That suffers, and reluctant learns
What mean the scourge, the brandished rod;
That turns to sweetness and returns,
Forgetful of the frown of God.
What mean the scourge, the brandished rod;
That turns to sweetness and returns,
Forgetful of the frown of God.
I know a certain shadow sits
Beside me, when I work or pray,
That beats a filmy wing, and flits
Dishonoured in the eye of day.
Beside me, when I work or pray,
That beats a filmy wing, and flits
Dishonoured in the eye of day.
25
An eager soul that looks beyond,
And scans the other side of bliss;
That says, she would not need despond
If that were otherwise, and this;
And scans the other side of bliss;
That says, she would not need despond
If that were otherwise, and this;
So should the chemist nicely poise
His tremulous scales to test and weigh
The moon's thin light, the torrent's noise,
And rage against the Eternal Nay.
His tremulous scales to test and weigh
The moon's thin light, the torrent's noise,
And rage against the Eternal Nay.
26
THE WINTER SLEEP
When the azure distance
In the haze is lost,
When with strong insistence
Broods the quiet frost,
Stills the summer's pleasure,
Checks its reckless grace,
Then tall trees find leisure
And a breathing-space;
In the haze is lost,
When with strong insistence
Broods the quiet frost,
Stills the summer's pleasure,
Checks its reckless grace,
Then tall trees find leisure
And a breathing-space;
When the dead leaves slacken
Their unwilling hold,
And the elm-boles blacken
Under powdery gold;
When the freshet roaring
Fuller swirls and swells,
Then the earth is storing
Her diminished wells.
Their unwilling hold,
And the elm-boles blacken
Under powdery gold;
When the freshet roaring
Fuller swirls and swells,
Then the earth is storing
Her diminished wells.
27
Birds among the thickets
Hold their breath for fear;
And at home the crickets
Take their winter-cheer.
As the days recapture
Their impetuous breath,
Life is clasped in rapture
To the arms of death.
Hold their breath for fear;
And at home the crickets
Take their winter-cheer.
As the days recapture
Their impetuous breath,
Life is clasped in rapture
To the arms of death.
And shalt thou in sadness
Endless vigil keep?
Close thine eyes in gladness;
'Tis thy turn to sleep.
When the lights grow longer
Over stream and plain,
Thou shalt waken stronger
Into life again.
Endless vigil keep?
Close thine eyes in gladness;
'Tis thy turn to sleep.
When the lights grow longer
Over stream and plain,
Thou shalt waken stronger
Into life again.
28
A DEAD STAR
Sometimes a bright and burning star
Grows pale and disappears,
So strangely, infinitely far
Amid the clustered spheres,
Grows pale and disappears,
So strangely, infinitely far
Amid the clustered spheres,
That since it cast the pulsing light
That o'er our zenith streams,
It strides unnoticed through the night
Beyond the reach of dreams.
That o'er our zenith streams,
It strides unnoticed through the night
Beyond the reach of dreams.
They say the ridgèd crust was dark,
And cold those glimmering plains,
When Noah steered his ample ark
Across the hoarded rains;
And cold those glimmering plains,
When Noah steered his ample ark
Across the hoarded rains;
29
The dumb and frozen bulk on high
Still owns a sovereign will;
In some obscure immensity
It forges onward still.
Still owns a sovereign will;
In some obscure immensity
It forges onward still.
Like some forgotten prince who lives
Untended and discrowned,—
His proper lustre still survives,
The pomp that girt him round;
Untended and discrowned,—
His proper lustre still survives,
The pomp that girt him round;
And haply though the source was dry,
The visionary gleam
Still beaconed on, to amplify
A lover's generous dream.
The visionary gleam
Still beaconed on, to amplify
A lover's generous dream.
Speed on, speed on, O phantom fire,
Inconsequent, sublime,
Until your faintest ray expire
Upon the edge of time!
Inconsequent, sublime,
Until your faintest ray expire
Upon the edge of time!
34
BY THE SHORE
Return, strong tide,
Return and wander wide;
Hither and thither run;
The trailing sea-wrack starts,
The dry ooze winks and parts
In the steady sun.
Return and wander wide;
Hither and thither run;
The trailing sea-wrack starts,
The dry ooze winks and parts
In the steady sun.
The wrinkled limpet clings
With all his viscid rings,
To repel the parching air;
The mussel strains and lifts
His dry lip up, and shifts
Restless in dumb despair.
With all his viscid rings,
To repel the parching air;
The mussel strains and lifts
His dry lip up, and shifts
Restless in dumb despair.
35
Small twisted conchs ashore
Pull close their horny door,
Weeping slow tears of brine.
The grey gull rocks afloat,
Or wheels with plaintive note,
Out to the fresh sea-line.
Pull close their horny door,
Weeping slow tears of brine.
The grey gull rocks afloat,
Or wheels with plaintive note,
Out to the fresh sea-line.
Blow softly, restless breeze;
The spell that piled the seas
Drops, and the pent waves run;
Break, crested billow, break
Creep landward, creep and slake
The fever of the sun.
The spell that piled the seas
Drops, and the pent waves run;
Break, crested billow, break
Creep landward, creep and slake
The fever of the sun.
73
THE BEE ON THE GLACIER
High on the fields of narrowing ice,
By cataracts of toppling snows,
Where precipice on precipice
Frowns nearer, till the gorges close,
By cataracts of toppling snows,
Where precipice on precipice
Frowns nearer, till the gorges close,
Thy velvet hide, thy pinions soft,
Were all too frail, poor piteous thing,
By treacherous breezes whirled aloft,
With frozen trunk and shrivelled wing.
Were all too frail, poor piteous thing,
By treacherous breezes whirled aloft,
With frozen trunk and shrivelled wing.
Thy body warmed with milder suns
Has thawed a scant and oozy grave,
The crystal streamlet near thee runs,
Below, the turbid torrents rave.
Has thawed a scant and oozy grave,
The crystal streamlet near thee runs,
Below, the turbid torrents rave.
74
The ready flower to feed thee bent;
From bloom to bloom still humming by,
Thou didst not stay to guess what meant
Those shadowy glooms that scaled the sky.
From bloom to bloom still humming by,
Thou didst not stay to guess what meant
Those shadowy glooms that scaled the sky.
‘If here so sweetly throng the flowers,
Beyond those summits, thunder-riven,
There must be fairer blooms than ours,
To drink the nearer dews of heaven.’
Beyond those summits, thunder-riven,
There must be fairer blooms than ours,
To drink the nearer dews of heaven.’
Until that bright adventurous morn,
Some soaring impulse bade thee haste,
By mounting whirlwinds helpless borne
Across the interminable waste.
Some soaring impulse bade thee haste,
By mounting whirlwinds helpless borne
Across the interminable waste.
Till faint, bewildered, thou wouldst turn
To seek again thy woodland sod;
The echoed suns too fiercely burn
Beneath the careless eye of God.
To seek again thy woodland sod;
The echoed suns too fiercely burn
Beneath the careless eye of God.
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Nay, nay.—It was too far, too high:
Alas! there is no turning back
For him who dares the barren sky,
Who falters in the heavenly track.
Alas! there is no turning back
For him who dares the barren sky,
Who falters in the heavenly track.
The singer, nursed in homely joys,—
The lawn, the long sequestered lane,—
Hears in the air the distant noise
Of hurrying glory, restless gain;
The lawn, the long sequestered lane,—
Hears in the air the distant noise
Of hurrying glory, restless gain;
He might have sung of simple things,
And charmed the listening circle round,
But now in dizzy air he swings,
And seeks in vain to touch the ground.
And charmed the listening circle round,
But now in dizzy air he swings,
And seeks in vain to touch the ground.
The harp he might have swept is jarred,
The dusty strings untuneful lie,
With all the merry music marred;—
For him the silence, and the sky.
The dusty strings untuneful lie,
With all the merry music marred;—
For him the silence, and the sky.
76
If not content to reign below,
There is no throne for him above;
Oh! is it well to try to know
How high is truth, how blind is love?
There is no throne for him above;
Oh! is it well to try to know
How high is truth, how blind is love?
77
APIS MATINA
O orange-banded bee,
Impetuously humming,
You bring sweet news to me
Of summer coming!
Impetuously humming,
You bring sweet news to me
Of summer coming!
Here in my garden-house,
Beside a lilac border,
I, like some prisoned mouse,
In sick disorder,
Beside a lilac border,
I, like some prisoned mouse,
In sick disorder,
Bewail the darkened skies,
Pray that the flowers smell sweeter,
Wish all things otherwise,
Slower or fleeter!
Pray that the flowers smell sweeter,
Wish all things otherwise,
Slower or fleeter!
78
You enter with a hum
Of warlike trumpets blowing,
You lead the months that come
And chase them going;
Of warlike trumpets blowing,
You lead the months that come
And chase them going;
The trembling spider stares
Deep in his secret funnel,
Glad if your rude wing spares
His gauzy tunnel.
Deep in his secret funnel,
Glad if your rude wing spares
His gauzy tunnel.
Softly, more softly, friend!
Why such a furious pother?
Let speed and leisure blend,
Not slay each other!
Why such a furious pother?
Let speed and leisure blend,
Not slay each other!
So swift your clear wing beats,
With hum melodious noising,
A floating aureole fleets
Around you poising!
With hum melodious noising,
A floating aureole fleets
Around you poising!
79
And where you hang in air,
The dust, the small things under,
Whisk swiftly here and there
In your soft thunder.
The dust, the small things under,
Whisk swiftly here and there
In your soft thunder.
O furred and banded bee,
So busy, so decorous,
Would that my melody
Were as sonorous!
So busy, so decorous,
Would that my melody
Were as sonorous!
Would that my days were spent
In making sweet provision!
Would that I came and went
With like decision!
In making sweet provision!
Would that I came and went
With like decision!
Old minstrel, ere you go,
To cheer the cheerless weather,
Come, let us softly blow
One stave together!
To cheer the cheerless weather,
Come, let us softly blow
One stave together!
80
MORNAY
The valley broadens to the sea;
Far up the whispering sand is blown
With mild resistless energy,
To make a desert of its own.
Far up the whispering sand is blown
With mild resistless energy,
To make a desert of its own.
Sunk in the huge hill's massive fold,
Where moor with pasture softly blends,
The long house peers with all its old
Grey chimney-stacks and gable ends.
Where moor with pasture softly blends,
The long house peers with all its old
Grey chimney-stacks and gable ends.
The stunted wood that seaward lies
Sprawls her mossed boughs along the breeze,
The bitter breeze, that shrieking flies
From league on league of plunging seas.
Sprawls her mossed boughs along the breeze,
The bitter breeze, that shrieking flies
From league on league of plunging seas.
81
The high piled rocks, the oozing stream,
The rusty fern, the frozen mere,
I know them not, and yet they seem
So old, so infinitely dear.
The rusty fern, the frozen mere,
I know them not, and yet they seem
So old, so infinitely dear.
And yet the love, the wistful pain
That thrills me, find no answer there;
Stern Nature seeks no praise, no gain,
Securely, indolently fair.
That thrills me, find no answer there;
Stern Nature seeks no praise, no gain,
Securely, indolently fair.
If I transgress her trivial sway,
She blames not, only thrusts me down,
As frost and sunshine rend away
The rocks that o'er the valley frown.
She blames not, only thrusts me down,
As frost and sunshine rend away
The rocks that o'er the valley frown.
‘Nay, strive not, murmur not,’ she cries,
‘Some day unnoted thou shalt be,
Or whirled aloft the blustering skies,
Or mingled with the monstrous sea;
‘Some day unnoted thou shalt be,
Or whirled aloft the blustering skies,
Or mingled with the monstrous sea;
82
‘I know not what these fancies are,
This hungry hope for peace and love;
My hands are spread from star to star,
But there are depths beyond, above.’
This hungry hope for peace and love;
My hands are spread from star to star,
But there are depths beyond, above.’
84
ASCENDENTI
What dost thou think to find on that sharp peak
Where thou so long dost clamber? Oh! what gold,
What piled and guarded treasure, far to seek,
Can those grey stones enfold?
Where thou so long dost clamber? Oh! what gold,
What piled and guarded treasure, far to seek,
Can those grey stones enfold?
Oh, when you based your upward springing feet
On brown elastic heather, by the streams
That from the hill's cold brow loud-chiding fleet,
Where led your soaring dreams?
On brown elastic heather, by the streams
That from the hill's cold brow loud-chiding fleet,
Where led your soaring dreams?
We in the valley, couched beneath the hill,
Surveyed the tiny speck that travelled on;—
It hardly seemed to move; yet, while the rill
Grew clamorous, it was gone.
Surveyed the tiny speck that travelled on;—
It hardly seemed to move; yet, while the rill
Grew clamorous, it was gone.
85
Then on the shattered ridge that frets the sky
We marked the creeping shadow, ah! too slight
To see the hand you waved, to hear the cry
That told the end in sight!
We marked the creeping shadow, ah! too slight
To see the hand you waved, to hear the cry
That told the end in sight!
Even as you rose, with motion vast and slow
Uprose the giant hills, that hide behind
The nearer moorland, streaked with flashing snow,
Enormous, undefined.
Uprose the giant hills, that hide behind
The nearer moorland, streaked with flashing snow,
Enormous, undefined.
Blue isles of shadow in the offing slept,
And desert wastes and fertile seignories,
Channelled by streams that onward swelled and swept,
And veined with sapphire seas.
And desert wastes and fertile seignories,
Channelled by streams that onward swelled and swept,
And veined with sapphire seas.
How fared your quest then, when you lightly rose,
Swung ardentlimbs across the dangerous height?
The solemn lustre that around you glows
Hints at some secret sight.
Swung ardentlimbs across the dangerous height?
The solemn lustre that around you glows
Hints at some secret sight.
86
Your serious speech, your faltering eyelids mask
The rapture of the summit that you trod:
We see, we shudder, but we dare not ask;
So gazed the hosts of God,
The rapture of the summit that you trod:
We see, we shudder, but we dare not ask;
So gazed the hosts of God,
When that grim prophet stumbled from the place
Of darkness, to the serried tents below;
A phantom radiance quivered on his face,
And gushed beside his brow.
Of darkness, to the serried tents below;
A phantom radiance quivered on his face,
And gushed beside his brow.
97
IF DREAMS WERE TRUE
If dreams were true I would not care
How petulant the stormwinds blew,
How sharply nipt the outer air,
If dreams were true!
How petulant the stormwinds blew,
How sharply nipt the outer air,
If dreams were true!
No bitter humour harshly torn
From frail desires, fantastic fears,
No savage errors dumbly borne,
No tainted tears,
From frail desires, fantastic fears,
No savage errors dumbly borne,
No tainted tears,
No hectic hopes of pride or fame,
No sickly ghosts of wan decay,
No plans to prop a falling name
Should pale my day.
No sickly ghosts of wan decay,
No plans to prop a falling name
Should pale my day.
98
But solemn pageants moving slow
To grave melodious delights,
The voice of waters loud or low
On moonlit nights;
To grave melodious delights,
The voice of waters loud or low
On moonlit nights;
And woodlands deep, and secret bowers
Sequestered from the staring day,
Majestic walls and holy towers
In dim array:
Sequestered from the staring day,
Majestic walls and holy towers
In dim array:
And smiling friends who'd softly speak
Not as they will but as I would,—
No torturing curve of brow or cheek,
No fickle mood;—
Not as they will but as I would,—
No torturing curve of brow or cheek,
No fickle mood;—
And ah! my heart's unique desire,
I'd fold your hand, and plead with you;
You of my homage would not tire,
If dreams were true!
I'd fold your hand, and plead with you;
You of my homage would not tire,
If dreams were true!
99
NO REST
I looked and saw that many toiled in vain,
And chose the labour that I loved the best;
Then came a cloudy sprite that vexed my brain,
That there I might not rest!
And chose the labour that I loved the best;
Then came a cloudy sprite that vexed my brain,
That there I might not rest!
I found a friend, the truest ever known,
I crowned him lord of this uneasy breast;
But love allured him to an ampler throne,
And now I cannot rest.
I crowned him lord of this uneasy breast;
But love allured him to an ampler throne,
And now I cannot rest.
I sang, and wrote my songs in blood and fire,
‘Vain thoughts,’ they cried, ‘ingloriously drest!’—
There was no room among the emulous choir;
And there I dared not rest;—
‘Vain thoughts,’ they cried, ‘ingloriously drest!’—
There was no room among the emulous choir;
And there I dared not rest;—
100
Ah! though I perish, though the sullen stones
Are on my breathless lips securely pressed,
The reckless earth will traffic with my bones,
And there I shall not rest.
Are on my breathless lips securely pressed,
The reckless earth will traffic with my bones,
And there I shall not rest.
115
AN ENGLISH SHELL
[_]
[In the summer of 1893 it is said that a peasant, ploughing in a field near Sebastopol, came upon an unexploded English shell, fired in the Crimean war; this he incautiously struck, when the shell exploded, blowing him and his team to pieces.]
I was an English shell,
Cunningly made and well,
With a heart of fire in an iron frame,
Ready to break in fury and flame,
Slice through the ranks my raging way,
Dying myself, to slay.
Cunningly made and well,
With a heart of fire in an iron frame,
Ready to break in fury and flame,
Slice through the ranks my raging way,
Dying myself, to slay.
Out from the heart of the battle-ship,
Yelling a song of death, I rose,
Brake from the cannon's smoky lip
Into a land of foes:—
Yelling a song of death, I rose,
Brake from the cannon's smoky lip
Into a land of foes:—
116
How was I baffled? I soared and sank
Over the bastion, across the hill,
Into the lap of a grassy bank,
Impotent there to kill.
Slowly the thunder died away;—
My merry comrades, how you roared,
Loud and jubilant, while I lay
Sunk in the slothful sward!
Peace came back with her corn and wine,
Smiling faint with a bleeding breast,
While in the offing, over the brine
My battle-ship steered to the West.
Over the bastion, across the hill,
Into the lap of a grassy bank,
Impotent there to kill.
Slowly the thunder died away;—
My merry comrades, how you roared,
Loud and jubilant, while I lay
Sunk in the slothful sward!
Peace came back with her corn and wine,
Smiling faint with a bleeding breast,
While in the offing, over the brine
My battle-ship steered to the West.
Then were the long slopes crowned again
With clustering vines and waving grain,
Winter by winter the stealing rain
Fretted me rotting there.
Suddenly once as I sadly slept,
Thinkling, the slow team over me stept,
Jarring the ploughshare, I was swept
Into the breezy air.
Why did he tempt me? I had lain
Year by year in the peaceful rain,
Till my lionlike heart had grown
Dull and motionless, heavy as stone;—
Mocking, he smote me:—
With clustering vines and waving grain,
Winter by winter the stealing rain
Fretted me rotting there.
117
Thinkling, the slow team over me stept,
Jarring the ploughshare, I was swept
Into the breezy air.
Why did he tempt me? I had lain
Year by year in the peaceful rain,
Till my lionlike heart had grown
Dull and motionless, heavy as stone;—
Mocking, he smote me:—
Then I leapt
Out in my anger, and screamed and swept
Him as he laughed in a storm of blood,
Shattered sinew and flying brain,
Brake the cottage and scarred the wood,
Roaring across the plain.
How should you blame me? Ay, 'twas peace!
War was the word I had learned to know;—
Think you, I was an English shell,
Tráined one lesson alone to spell—
I had vowed as I lay below,
Vowed to perish and find release
Slaying an English foe.
Out in my anger, and screamed and swept
Him as he laughed in a storm of blood,
Shattered sinew and flying brain,
Brake the cottage and scarred the wood,
Roaring across the plain.
How should you blame me? Ay, 'twas peace!
118
Think you, I was an English shell,
Tráined one lesson alone to spell—
I had vowed as I lay below,
Vowed to perish and find release
Slaying an English foe.
123
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE
Come away, my brother:
This is our moment, this;—
This and none other,
To snatch our promised bliss.
This is our moment, this;—
This and none other,
To snatch our promised bliss.
This is what we planned
All the summer through,
To climb the arc that spanned
The flying, falling, dew.
All the summer through,
To climb the arc that spanned
The flying, falling, dew.
See it hang and stride—
The bridge of promised good,
Over the city wide,
Over field and wood!
The bridge of promised good,
Over the city wide,
Over field and wood!
124
There by the copse
It plants its fairy lines,
Over the elm-tree tops
It soars and shines!
It plants its fairy lines,
Over the elm-tree tops
It soars and shines!
Swiftly, run swiftly, friend,
Leap the silvery streams,
We shall gain the other end,
And the world of dreams.
Leap the silvery streams,
We shall gain the other end,
And the world of dreams.
When we climb the shining stair
In the silence vast,
God through the dizzy air
Shall make our footsteps fast.
In the silence vast,
God through the dizzy air
Shall make our footsteps fast.
While the grass is dewy wet,
Ere the sun take flight,
And the airy parapet
Tremble and melt in light.
Ere the sun take flight,
And the airy parapet
Tremble and melt in light.
127
LINQUENDA
In my soul's mansion there are many rooms,
Chamber and oratory, hall and dome,
And some are bare and cold, some dark, and some
Noisy with humming of a hundred looms.
Chamber and oratory, hall and dome,
And some are bare and cold, some dark, and some
Noisy with humming of a hundred looms.
But one pavilion by the water's brim,
Hid in the pleasaunce, for myself I keep,
Where swinging roses through the window peep,
And stockdoves murmur in the elm-trees dim.
Hid in the pleasaunce, for myself I keep,
Where swinging roses through the window peep,
And stockdoves murmur in the elm-trees dim.
The voices of the morning call me thence,—
The harsh laborious voices,—and I know
That some day my mysterious Lord shall come
To thrust me from my sweet familiar home.
How will He greet me when He bids me hence,
My master? Will He call me loud or low?
The harsh laborious voices,—and I know
That some day my mysterious Lord shall come
To thrust me from my sweet familiar home.
How will He greet me when He bids me hence,
My master? Will He call me loud or low?
129
SECURITY
Calm was the raging sea: it prattled beside the prow;
Hand over hand the night climbed out of the burning West,
And the lights of the little port were winking under the brow,
And a bright eye opened and flashed in the window I loved the best.
Hand over hand the night climbed out of the burning West,
And the lights of the little port were winking under the brow,
And a bright eye opened and flashed in the window I loved the best.
It was then that he crept upon me; the hillside swooned from its place
And the stars swung loose in the night at the crash of the murderous blow;—
I could have borne to drown, with the raging wind in my face,
To sob in the seething billow, and sink to the peace below;
And the stars swung loose in the night at the crash of the murderous blow;—
130
To sob in the seething billow, and sink to the peace below;
But to die by a treacherous thrust, with the harbour-lights on the wave,
To be rolled like a log in the surf, where the pebbles chafe and hiss,
To be hurried, a nameless horror, ah God! to a half-dug grave,
What essence of bodiless joy is recompense meet for this?
To be rolled like a log in the surf, where the pebbles chafe and hiss,
To be hurried, a nameless horror, ah God! to a half-dug grave,
What essence of bodiless joy is recompense meet for this?
131
BEHIND THE BARS
White, white and weary blinked the road,
Dust on the haggard grasses hung,
I stared and sickened as I strove:
Then on the turf my limbs I flung.
Dust on the haggard grasses hung,
I stared and sickened as I strove:
Then on the turf my limbs I flung.
A grey stone wall beside me made
The pleasaunce safe from rude essays;
A trellised wicket half betrayed
Cool beechen stems and winding ways
The pleasaunce safe from rude essays;
A trellised wicket half betrayed
Cool beechen stems and winding ways
A tree her branching arms inclined
Bloom-laden, starred with rosy-white
And leaning filled the hungering wind
With spicy scent and sharp delight.
Bloom-laden, starred with rosy-white
And leaning filled the hungering wind
With spicy scent and sharp delight.
132
As blue as sapphire through the trees
From hidden chimneys soared the smoke,
And children's voices on the breeze
The woodland stillness softly broke.
From hidden chimneys soared the smoke,
And children's voices on the breeze
The woodland stillness softly broke.
Yet, as I lingered, came a thing,
A dreary thing, to gaze on me;
It crouched and muttered shuddering,
And seemed to slip from tree to tree.
A dreary thing, to gaze on me;
It crouched and muttered shuddering,
And seemed to slip from tree to tree.
I felt the blood in arm and cheek
Prick sharp before the unuttered spell,
I knew not what it came to seek,
But through the bars a shadow fell,
Prick sharp before the unuttered spell,
I knew not what it came to seek,
But through the bars a shadow fell,
A wicked shadow: from my place
I leapt, I hastened,—yet, meseems,—
O God! that I had seen its face!
The thing I saw not haunts my dreams.
I leapt, I hastened,—yet, meseems,—
O God! that I had seen its face!
The thing I saw not haunts my dreams.
133
THE HAUNTED GLADE
Was it screech-owl or jay
With her scream of affright,
That cried by the way
At the fall of the night?
With her scream of affright,
That cried by the way
At the fall of the night?
I know not: I heard
Neither footstep nor shout,
But the slumbering bird
Rushed chattering out;
Neither footstep nor shout,
But the slumbering bird
Rushed chattering out;
Where the slow-oozing spring
Soaks out of the clay,
Some desperate thing
At the close of the day.
Soaks out of the clay,
Some desperate thing
At the close of the day.
134
Seemed to stumble and fall
On the mouldering leaf,
With the low bitter call
Of impenitent grief.
On the mouldering leaf,
With the low bitter call
Of impenitent grief.
So I who had gone
On my sceptical quest,
Hurried upwards and on,
And fled like the rest
On my sceptical quest,
Hurried upwards and on,
And fled like the rest
With a cry in my ears,
And impalpable things,
And intangible fears
Beating round me like wings.
And impalpable things,
And intangible fears
Beating round me like wings.
135
ΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΖΟΜΕΝΟΣ
You were clear as a sandy spring
After a drought, when its waters run
Evenly, sparingly, filtering
Into the eye of the sun:
After a drought, when its waters run
Evenly, sparingly, filtering
Into the eye of the sun:
Love you took with a placid smile,
Pain you bore with a hopeful sigh;
Never a thought of gain or guile
Slept in your wide blue eye.
Pain you bore with a hopeful sigh;
Never a thought of gain or guile
Slept in your wide blue eye.
Suddenly, once, at a trivial word,—
Side by side together we stept,—
Rose a tempest that swayed and stirred,
Over your soul it swept.
Side by side together we stept,—
Rose a tempest that swayed and stirred,
Over your soul it swept.
136
Dismal visitants, suddenly,
Pulled the doors in your house of clay;
Out of the windows there looked at me
Something horrible, grey.
Pulled the doors in your house of clay;
Out of the windows there looked at me
Something horrible, grey.
139
REALISM
And truth, you say, is all divine;
'Tis truth we live by; let her drench
The shuddering heart like potent wine;
No matter how she wreck or wrench.
'Tis truth we live by; let her drench
The shuddering heart like potent wine;
No matter how she wreck or wrench.
The gracious instincts from their throne,
Or steep the virgin soul in tears;—
No matter; let her learn her own
Enormities, her vilest fears,
Or steep the virgin soul in tears;—
No matter; let her learn her own
Enormities, her vilest fears,
And sound the sickliest depths of crime,
And creep through roaring drains of woe,
To soar at last, unstained, sublime,
Knowing the worst that man can know;
And creep through roaring drains of woe,
To soar at last, unstained, sublime,
Knowing the worst that man can know;
140
And having won the firmer ground,
When loathing quickens pity's eyes,
Still lean and beckon underground,
And tempt a struggling foot to rise.
When loathing quickens pity's eyes,
Still lean and beckon underground,
And tempt a struggling foot to rise.
Well, well, it is the stronger way!
Heroic stuff is hardly made;
But one who dallies with dismay,
Admires your boldness, half-afraid.
Heroic stuff is hardly made;
But one who dallies with dismay,
Admires your boldness, half-afraid.
He deems that knowledge, bitter-sweet,
Can rust and rot the bars of right,
Till weakness sets her trembling feet
Across the threshold of the night.
Can rust and rot the bars of right,
Till weakness sets her trembling feet
Across the threshold of the night.
She peers, she ventures; growing bold,
She breathes the enervating air,
And shuns the aspiring summits, cold
And silent, where the dawn is fair.
She breathes the enervating air,
And shuns the aspiring summits, cold
And silent, where the dawn is fair.
141
She wonders, aching to be free,
Too soft to burst the uncertain band,
Till chains of drear fatality
Arrest the feeble willing hand.
Too soft to burst the uncertain band,
Till chains of drear fatality
Arrest the feeble willing hand.
Nay, let the stainless eye of youth
Be blind to that bewildering light!
When faith and virtue falter, truth
Is handmaid to the hags of night.
Be blind to that bewildering light!
When faith and virtue falter, truth
Is handmaid to the hags of night.
142
RELEASE
Long have I walked within the land of fear
Disordered visions, sick obscurity,
To-day I dare to look within the clear
Pure sky: the chains are broken: I am free.
Disordered visions, sick obscurity,
To-day I dare to look within the clear
Pure sky: the chains are broken: I am free.
As when a traveller that has wandered far
In ancient woods entwining monstrous arms,
Steps from the brake and sees the evening star
Hang over open downs and quiet farms.
In ancient woods entwining monstrous arms,
Steps from the brake and sees the evening star
Hang over open downs and quiet farms.
Or like the diver who, within the stream
Through clouded eyes explored the shoal beneath,
Glides up with lifted hands, and sees the gleam
Grow green and thin, releasing his pent breath.
Through clouded eyes explored the shoal beneath,
Glides up with lifted hands, and sees the gleam
Grow green and thin, releasing his pent breath.
143
Courage, my heart! knit up thy broken schemes,
Shake off the woes that shadowed and perplexed,
Reap the rich harvest of thy silent dreams,
Thy cares are all behind thee: what is next?
Shake off the woes that shadowed and perplexed,
Reap the rich harvest of thy silent dreams,
Thy cares are all behind thee: what is next?
Sing as thy heart desires, be not ashamed;
The crystal fount leaps up that sank so low,
The beast that dragged thee back to earth is tamed;
Thy heart beats high for conquest; let it go.
The crystal fount leaps up that sank so low,
The beast that dragged thee back to earth is tamed;
Thy heart beats high for conquest; let it go.
144
DEA HYPA
When I have pulled my curtains soft,
And bolted-to the door,
A strange uncertain footstep oft
Comes faltering on the floor.
And bolted-to the door,
A strange uncertain footstep oft
Comes faltering on the floor.
When I would learn the gracious deeds
Of lovers and of kings,
She leans across the page, and reads
A tale of bitter things.
Of lovers and of kings,
She leans across the page, and reads
A tale of bitter things.
When I would ponder deep, and leave
The cares that matter naught,
What use, she cries, to weave and weave
An endless web of thought?
The cares that matter naught,
What use, she cries, to weave and weave
An endless web of thought?
145
Then, when I rise to do my part,
To order and decide,
She mocks and grips my faltering heart,
And shudders at my side.
To order and decide,
She mocks and grips my faltering heart,
And shudders at my side.
She cries, and smiles with bitter lips,
‘Why ponder, why arrange
A falling life that slides and slips
From groove to groove of change?’
‘Why ponder, why arrange
A falling life that slides and slips
From groove to groove of change?’
I know she has no force to slay,
No liberty to harm,
But 'twixt me and the cheerful day
She weaves a shadowy charm.
No liberty to harm,
But 'twixt me and the cheerful day
She weaves a shadowy charm.
And when I wander through the wood,
The bickering stream along,
She mutters in the falling flood,
And chills the throstle's song.
The bickering stream along,
She mutters in the falling flood,
And chills the throstle's song.
146
Beside the softest bed she stops
To count the sleeper's breath;
Within the sweetest cup she drops
The vinegar of death.
To count the sleeper's breath;
Within the sweetest cup she drops
The vinegar of death.
Ah no! not death; that were too grave,
Too deep, too far away;
She thrusts me to some perilous cave,
With faint and fallen day;
Too deep, too far away;
She thrusts me to some perilous cave,
With faint and fallen day;
And when I think to find release
From all my shadowy woes,
She robs my slumber of its peace,
My grave of its repose.
From all my shadowy woes,
She robs my slumber of its peace,
My grave of its repose.
Yet when she tires of dreamy strife,
And waives her dismal spell,
I think I never love my life,
My careful life, so well.
And waives her dismal spell,
I think I never love my life,
My careful life, so well.
147
The sun outbreaks; the throstles sing
With all their simple might.
Dear God, it is Thy sacred spring!—
What makes my heart so light?
With all their simple might.
Dear God, it is Thy sacred spring!—
What makes my heart so light?
148
THE MOMENT
One day—it seemed like many other days,
The high-roofed clouds unbroken everywhere,
The hedgerow elms, the dusty weary ways,
Blinked in the senseless glare—
The high-roofed clouds unbroken everywhere,
The hedgerow elms, the dusty weary ways,
Blinked in the senseless glare—
I laboured sadly through the appointed hours,
Until at eve, in utter discontent,
I drew a sudden rapturous breath of flowers,
And forth alone I went.
Until at eve, in utter discontent,
I drew a sudden rapturous breath of flowers,
And forth alone I went.
Listless I wandered by the streamlet's side;
How surely, secretly the water flowed!
Slowly I entered,—dull, dissatisfied,—
A thicket by the road.
How surely, secretly the water flowed!
Slowly I entered,—dull, dissatisfied,—
A thicket by the road.
149
‘O weary earth and O unworthy cares,’
I sighed: the balmy silence round me crept,
And stilled the troubled fancy unawares;—
I know not if I slept,
I sighed: the balmy silence round me crept,
And stilled the troubled fancy unawares;—
I know not if I slept,
Only I know that as I lay outworn,
Where the tall flag his pointed blade unfurled,
There flashed across me, of the silence born,
The secret of the world.
Where the tall flag his pointed blade unfurled,
There flashed across me, of the silence born,
The secret of the world.
Trouble and care and indolent desire
Fell into line: it seemed the world was good;—
I did not praise, nor argue, nor aspire,
Only I understood.
Fell into line: it seemed the world was good;—
I did not praise, nor argue, nor aspire,
Only I understood.
I thought ‘whatever vile unmanning fears
May strike, whatever jealousies perplex,
The sullen burden of the fretful years
Shall have no power to vex.’
May strike, whatever jealousies perplex,
The sullen burden of the fretful years
Shall have no power to vex.’
150
Was I awake? I saw the green leaves wave,
Above me thrilled the thrushes' evening song;
I lay in that pure rapture calmly brave,
And infinitely strong.
Above me thrilled the thrushes' evening song;
I lay in that pure rapture calmly brave,
And infinitely strong.
Then in a moment, as I gained my feet,—
Gone, was it gone? No power could trace or track;
Though it had seemed so simple and so sweet,
I could not win it back.
Gone, was it gone? No power could trace or track;
Though it had seemed so simple and so sweet,
I could not win it back.
Only I think the hour when I am tossed
To darkness, when the tides above me roll,
The mighty secret that I learned and lost
Will greet my waking soul.
To darkness, when the tides above me roll,
The mighty secret that I learned and lost
Will greet my waking soul.
156
THE PRISON WALL
The future is mine own, mine own;
I muse and make it what I will;—
A monarch on an airy throne,
A daisy on a silent hill.
I muse and make it what I will;—
A monarch on an airy throne,
A daisy on a silent hill.
With doubting heart and breaking tear
The present I excuse, deny:
There is one space undimmed and clear
That may portend a sunnier sky.
The present I excuse, deny:
There is one space undimmed and clear
That may portend a sunnier sky.
But ah! the past; her back was turned.
I spoke and praised her; when she heard,
Her eye in silent anger burned,
And dumbly fell the unuttered word.
I spoke and praised her; when she heard,
Her eye in silent anger burned,
And dumbly fell the unuttered word.
159
CONTENT
Sweet tranquil days of measured bliss,
I blame your softness, half afraid
Yet half ashamed to seem to miss
Your morning sun, your evening shade.
I blame your softness, half afraid
Yet half ashamed to seem to miss
Your morning sun, your evening shade.
I think that when alone, perplexed,
I shudder through some dreary night,
'Twill add new sorrow to be vexed
By mocking ghosts of past delight.
I shudder through some dreary night,
'Twill add new sorrow to be vexed
By mocking ghosts of past delight.
Shame on the morbid hearts that call
Security our chiefest foe;—
The plums grow big along my wall,
And take no thought of how they grow.
Security our chiefest foe;—
The plums grow big along my wall,
And take no thought of how they grow.
160
Indifferent whether mortal lips
Unthankful suck their honeyed gold,
Or if the hornèd woodsnail sips
Their sweetness, tumbled on the mould.
Unthankful suck their honeyed gold,
Or if the hornèd woodsnail sips
Their sweetness, tumbled on the mould.
162
IN THE FIELD
The expected loiterer comes at last;
Beneath the mellow wall they strip,
Then through the parted crowd stream past
In shy and serious fellowship.
Beneath the mellow wall they strip,
Then through the parted crowd stream past
In shy and serious fellowship.
My captain, skilled, if any there,
To stem the rush or shoot the goal,
He bids the ardent heart beware,
And lightly cheers an anxious soul.
To stem the rush or shoot the goal,
He bids the ardent heart beware,
And lightly cheers an anxious soul.
To-day is big with mimic fate;
Grave nods reply to comrades' smiles;
Oppressed with little cares of state,
They gauge an adversary's wiles.
Grave nods reply to comrades' smiles;
Oppressed with little cares of state,
They gauge an adversary's wiles.
163
Then, as the shrill cheers echo higher,
They gather for the kindly fray,
And hearts that beat with kindred fire
Draw from young cheeks the blood away.
They gather for the kindly fray,
And hearts that beat with kindred fire
Draw from young cheeks the blood away.
I hear the old familiar names
In quavering shrillness seize the air,
I mark the unselfish deed that claims
No honour, but is doubly fair;
In quavering shrillness seize the air,
I mark the unselfish deed that claims
No honour, but is doubly fair;
Surprises infinitely great,
And little feats of high emprise,
Encouraged by a stormy cheer,
And envied by a thousand eyes.
And little feats of high emprise,
Encouraged by a stormy cheer,
And envied by a thousand eyes.
Then to and fro the struggle veers;
Be just, be generous if you can;
And hark how instantly he cheers—
The loud long-coated partisan.
Be just, be generous if you can;
And hark how instantly he cheers—
The loud long-coated partisan.
164
Who wins the palm? who rules the race?
I care not, so the race be run;—
Defeat may wear a nobler grace
Than easy triumphs lightly won.
I care not, so the race be run;—
Defeat may wear a nobler grace
Than easy triumphs lightly won.
What though far hence uncertain fears
Shall dim the fire of childish eyes,
Here pile your store, for after years,
Of seemliest, purest memories.
Shall dim the fire of childish eyes,
Here pile your store, for after years,
Of seemliest, purest memories.
When ardent spring to autumn yields,
And these young heads are streaked with grey,
Oh, may you prove in other fields
The faithful zeal you show to-day!
And these young heads are streaked with grey,
Oh, may you prove in other fields
The faithful zeal you show to-day!
172
A DEATH-BED
For once, a little king I lie,
My gentle subjects enter in,
I take from reverent hand and eye
The wistful homage of my kin.
My gentle subjects enter in,
I take from reverent hand and eye
The wistful homage of my kin.
I furl at last the patient wing
That flew unnoticed in the throng;
They tend me now, a precious thing;—
They will not need to tend me long;—
That flew unnoticed in the throng;
They tend me now, a precious thing;—
They will not need to tend me long;—
The Father who ordained that here
I should be happiest when forgot,
Will thrust me to no radiant sphere;—
But see and smile and chide me not,
I should be happiest when forgot,
Will thrust me to no radiant sphere;—
But see and smile and chide me not,
173
And keep some corner of His house,
Where such unnoted souls as I
May creep and peep like wainscot mouse,
And trustful and unquestioned lie.
Where such unnoted souls as I
May creep and peep like wainscot mouse,
And trustful and unquestioned lie.
Yet in my heart one secret hope
I cherish, that my God hath planned
For all who find on earth no scope,
No purpose, but from hand to hand
I cherish, that my God hath planned
For all who find on earth no scope,
No purpose, but from hand to hand
Are tossed and bandied,—hath designed
Some gift of might and mastery;
Oh, thrice-rewarded, if I find
Perchance my God hath need of me!
Some gift of might and mastery;
Oh, thrice-rewarded, if I find
Perchance my God hath need of me!
And so beyond these sorry walls
These streets my weary feet have trode,
My soul leans out to solemn halls
Of glory, to the Deeps of God.
These streets my weary feet have trode,
My soul leans out to solemn halls
Of glory, to the Deeps of God.
182
AFTERWARDS
Gladden my restless darling's dreams,Wonder and wealth of the sea!
Steep his soul in your gracious gleams!
Yet, as he stepped to the silence vast,
Oh, I had thought that just as he passed
He would have thought of me.
183
GENETHLIACON
What shall I wish for you, O my friend,
What shall I dare to bring,
Now when the turbulent winter's end
Hangs on the verge of spring?
Ragged and black is the fringe of cloud,
Hoarsely the wet winds blow,
Loud is the freshet, chill and loud,
Warm is the life below!
What shall I dare to bring,
Now when the turbulent winter's end
Hangs on the verge of spring?
Ragged and black is the fringe of cloud,
Hoarsely the wet winds blow,
Loud is the freshet, chill and loud,
Warm is the life below!
What would you wish for yourself, my friend?
That you would never tell;
Slow to earn and lavish to spend,
Oh! you have laboured well.
Treading firm with your strenuous feet,
Gazing with fearless eye,
Praise were sweet to you, art were sweet;—
Only you pass them by.
That you would never tell;
Slow to earn and lavish to spend,
Oh! you have laboured well.
184
Gazing with fearless eye,
Praise were sweet to you, art were sweet;—
Only you pass them by.
Take my pitiful praise, my friend,—
Love is not always blind;—
We that know not whither we tend,
We that struggle behind,
This was the patient track, we will say,
Here, where the strong feet trode,
On to the dawn of a clearer day,
On to the heights of God.
Love is not always blind;—
We that know not whither we tend,
We that struggle behind,
This was the patient track, we will say,
Here, where the strong feet trode,
On to the dawn of a clearer day,
On to the heights of God.
| Lyrics (1895) | |