  IToCI will not close the door, O Love, on thee, Although I fear thee still. In days of old Thy magic echoes lured me on to be The slave of dreams; but now that I behold The earth again, and that my wings are gone, I will take refuge, simply, on thy breast. No miracle I seek, no rapturous dawn Of an unearthly day; I will but rest My weary eyes, and lay between thy hands These empty fingers that have ceased to clutch At stars. Because my spirit understands Renouncement, thou wilt give, maybe. Not much I ask of thee: I only ask to keep Thee near, O Love! until my heart's asleep. IIToCMy Friend of Friends! in you my heart's at rest, That wandered homeless as the ocean-wind Hither and thither, seeking still to find Some refuge. As a ship that east and west Roams havenless, and quits each shore distressed, So wandered I, so left each land behind, Bearing my soul as helmsman, sage but blind; And still we journeyed on at Fate's behest. But now I hold my harbour, and the ship Casts anchor here. The unnested winds that blow May reach me still and rock me to and fro. What matter? Here is Peace that bids me slip Closer and closer to the enfolding shore, Lower the sails, and stay for evermore. IIIToCAre we not happy? though this bond of ours Be strange and out of harmony with life As men accept it, in this world of strife Between the spirit and the flesh?—Dark hours Are in the doom of every love; no flowers Bloom rainless; wind and war and pain are rife Within us all.—Yet we are happy. Wife Or sister, these are earth-words; the soul showers Its gifts of love and seeks no earthly bond. So ask we none but, smiling, soul to soul Stand gathered in Love's very essence, whole And indivisible. These white strong bands Suffice; 'tis but the shell, too frail and fond, That weeps, alas! and wrings her mortal hands. IVToCFarewell! you cannot go from me, my dear, For I have closed you in my inmost heart, Beyond the reach of earthly things that part The loving from the loved. Now far or near Ceases to be; I am where you are; here Or there, no matter. Mild should be the smart Of leave-taking, where nothing stays apart But what is mortal, and where souls are clear. Beloved! I can but lose you earthly-wise; The hunger of the years is stilled; no pain Of solitude can chill my heart again, Possessing you. Therefore with steadfast eyes I say farewell, O brother! nor dare weep My little loss, with all this wealth to keep. VToCI seek to call you near me in the dark And silent prison of my solitude, Where Memory with visions heaven-hued Now mocks the night, and Hope with timid spark Kindles vain torches. Lonely in my ark Of Faith, on battling waves I float, pursued By all those doubting monsters that delude Pain-sunken breasts, and bid the soul embark For perilous despair. I call you near That I may cheat the helmsman of his fear: And yet I know you far, I know you lost To me, on this same ocean tempest-tossed Alone—O you who should my pilot be! You, whom my love could steer through any sea.... VIToCWhen Spring awakens and no Spring is there, None for the heart, it is a joyless thing. Yet Winter softens, and all breezes bring To the hard earth now tidings vague and fair. The lilac buds are swelling, the mild air Tempts forth the green; at dusk the thrushes sing Out in the garden, and their raptures wring The heart whose joy is of the past. I bear Remembrance in me of dear foliage gone, Of wilted heather and of perished flowers. For me not one of Spring's foreshadowed hours Is quick with presages of joy. Alone Who cares to creep? The solitary ways Are primrose-less, and vain the violet days. VIIToCIf I must live without you, I must learn To love the earth and all that grows once more, With the old good love that satisfied before I saw you smile. Now, let me turn and turn, Your memory covers earth and sky; I yearn For you, and not for Spring; my heart is sore With absence, not with Winter's length. Of yore, When climbing noons began to softly burn, There seemed a tender joy in every bud That swelled and burst, in every little spear That broke the clods; and Spring sang in my blood As in the sap; and all that lived was dear. These treasures now are veiled and strange and far, Whilst I go wandering where your footprints are. VIIIToCBeloved! are we not wanderers on a road Unknown, that grope their way among the rocks Together?—Yes, together; for these shocks Our hearts have borne and given, part not, goad Unto no hatred. Though I be your load Of care and you my anguish, something locks Our hands, my brother: Destiny, that mocks Man's thinkings, and here finds a new strange mode Of welding chance-divided loves, a link That's more than human, that is half divine, Since, beggared of you, still I hold you mine Above all bonds. So love me well. We'll drink Of all pure streams together, dear, and break These rocks to sand for one another's sake. IXToCYes, love me, love me well. You need not fear To hurt me further. Like a careless knight That riding lonely, with averted sight, Has struck a passer unawares, so here Have you struck me amid the branches sere Of this dark forest. If you now alight, Give water to my lips and through the night Keep peril from me, with the morning's clear New dawn I'll rise again, and both will reap The mercy of the wound you dealt. Asleep, Awake, I'll be your shield-bearer, and guard Your steps upon this road so long and hard. Then help us both, for all the love you give But turns to strength whereby we both may live. XToCDearest of all, and nearest though most far! My spirit follows you across both sea And land; all bounds, all spaces, are to me Erased; my heart upon its wingÈd car Of thought outstrips you; nothing now shall mar My joy in you, O brother!—save that we Are of the earth and ask to touch and see The thing we love upon this yearning star. O world of strange desires! Have not we two Lived to behold each other and to smile? Have our two notes not mingled in one chord? What ails us? Were we joined this earthly while, You would not love me better than you do, Nor in my heart be otherwise adored. XIToCWithout, you seem forgotten. Am I sad Or happy? None can tell. The lonely days Recur, and draw me on the beaten ways Of all who strive and toil. The things I had Remain; all daily happenings, good or bad, Fall as they did: success and loss, delays That sweeten victory: the balance sways Unceasingly, makes heavy, or makes glad. And this is life, such as the world demands. Within, 'tis otherwise; for in the far Depths where my soul recoilÈd sits, there are No echoes of such wisdom; there my hands Are folded, and in yours: I seek your eyes, Your voice, your smile.... Within, 'tis otherwise. |
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