V. Lovest thou the doleful wind When thou gazest at the skies? Doth the low-tongued Orient Wander from the side of the morn, Dripping with Sabæan spice On thy pillow, lowly bent With melodious airs lovelorn, Round thy neck in subtle ring And talk together still, A CHARACTER. WITH a half-glance upon the sky He spake of beauty that the dull He spake of virtue: not the gods Most delicately hour by hour With lips depress'd as he were meek, He saw thro' life and death, thro' good and ill, He saw thro' his own soul. The marvel of the everlasting will, An open scroll, Before him lay with echoing feet he threaded The secretest walks of fame : The viewless arrows of his thoughts were headed And wing'd with flame, Like Indian reeds blown from his silver tongue, And of so fierce a flight, And vagrant melodies the winds which bore Them earthward till they lit; Then, like the arrow-seeds of the field flower, And thro' the wreaths of floating dark upcurl'd, Rare sunrise flow'd. And Freedom rear'd in that august sunrise Her beautiful bold brow, When rites and forms before his burning eyes Melted like snow. There was no blood upon her maiden robes Sunn'd by those orient skies; But round about the circles of the globes Of her keen eyes In your eye there is death, The wild-bird's din. In the heart of the garden the merry bird chants, It would fall to the ground if you came in. With a low melodious thunder; And in her raiment's hem was traced in It springs on a level of bowery lawn, And the mountain draws it from Heaven flame WISDOM, a name to shake And when she spake, above, All evil dreams of power-a sacred name. And it sings a song of undying love; And yet, tho' its voice be so clear and full, You never would hear it; your ears are so dull; Her words did gather thunder as they When the sharp clear twang of the golden chords Runs up the ridged sea. Hither, come hither and frolic and play; | O listen, listen, your eyes shall glisten And the rainbow forms and flies on the land Over the islands free; And the rainbow lives in the curve of Hither, come hither and see; wave, And sweet is the color of cove and cave, We will kiss sweet kisses, and speak O listen, listen, your eyes shall glisten Who can light on as happy a shore THE DESERTED HOUSE. I. LIFE and Thought have gone away Leaving door and windows wide; II. All within is dark as night: Rain makes music in the tree V. Round thee blow, self-pleached deep, These in every shower creep VI. The gold-eyed kingcups fine; Kings have no such couch as thine, VII. Wild words wander here and there : The balm-cricket carols clear LOVE AND DEATH. WHAT time the mighty moon was gathering light Love paced the thymy plots of Paradise, And all about him roll'd his lustrous eyes; When, turning round a cassia, full in view Death, walking all alone beneath a yew, Aud talking to himself, first met his sight: "You must begone," said Death, "these walks are mine." Love wept and spread his sheeny vans for flight; Yet ere he parted said, "This hour is thine: Thou art the shadow of life, and as the tree Stands in the sun and shadows all beneath, But I shall reign for ever over all." |