THE POET IN THE EAST. THE Poet came to the Land of the East, When Spring was in the air : The Earth was dressed for a wedding feast, And the Poet knew the Land of the East His soul was native there. All things to him were the visible forms Or gleamed in the gold of the clouds, unrolled He looked above in the cloudless calm, And the Sun sat on his throne; The breath of gardens, deep in balm, Was all about him blown, And a brother to him was the princely Palm, For he cannot live alone. His feet went forth on the myrtled hills, And, half in shade and half in sun, The Rose sat in her bower, With a passionate thrill in her crimson heart- And, like a bride's, the Poet kissed Then the Nightingale, who sat above For the rose you kissed with the kiss of love Is faithful still to me. And further sang the Nightingale : I heard the sound of a Persian lute The Poet said I will here abide, In the Sun's unclouded door; Here are the wells of all delight On the lost Arcadian shore: Here is the light on sea and land, And the dream deceives no more. THE TEMPTATION OF HASSAN BEN KHALED. I. HASSAN BEN KHALED, singing in the streets Each morn with prayer; but he is blest much more Sweeter than musk, and pleasanter than myrrh, Richer than rubies, shall his portion be, When God bids Azrael: bring him unto me!' But woe to him whose life casts dirt upon The Prophet's word! When all his days are done, Him shall the Evil Angel trample down Out of the sight of God." Thus, with a frown Of the severest virtue, Hassan sang Unto the people, till the markets rang. II. But two days after this, he came again |