ABOUT the time when garlanded green May

At Summer’s threshold casts her blossom crown,

Time bore me on his wingÈd wheels away,

Out of the joyless city where I lay,

From smoke-dimmed streets whose dusky skies disown

The day-god’s glorious face, serene that shows

This day of days, to reign in his fair house,

Cloud-built, and white, and interspaced with blue,

Above the green earth’s fields that I did pass,

Bearing ungathered harvests in their grass

Of star-bright flowers, and every magic hue

Born of the hours, and of the kindling zone

Sun-cast o’er wandering mead and upland lone,

That now on every hand mine eyes did fill,

As went the wheel whirl’d with the fiery will.

And always, as the changeful landscape spread

And traversed road, and bridge, and woodland lea;

Me seemÈd as a chart my life to see,

What was, and is, and that which is to be,

As dark and bright the region’s face I read.

Nor yet I stay’d at all, but still with Time

Fled by, and onward many leagues, until,

About the height of day the wheel was still,

About the hour it was ere noon should chime,

And I look’d forth and saw dim-pointed spires,

Like flames, arising from a golden mead

Which burn’d with all the yellow crowded fires

Of shining cups that fill the fields of May:

Whereby a city fair mine eyes had heed,

Verged round with bowery close, and willows grey

Shading the silent water’s secret way,

Girdling the quiet town with cluster’d reed.

Thence rose no surge of men, or sound of strife,

But smoothly glode the even hours of life,

Told by the sweet-tongued bells in tuneful towers;

And in the streets there moved the breath of flowers,

And incense, such as riseth after showers

Upon deep gardens, hiding in their bowers

The inmost heart of sweetness.

That to the street an ancient story told,

With solemn mien unto Life’s changing day,

In restless ebb and flow, as sea-waves play

About the feet of lonely cliff’s; tho’ now

Even these I pass’d, as fleeting things and vain,

For all my heart a strange consuming pain

Possess’d, in thought of what I hoped to gain

Fill’d with an exquisite fire, wherein did show

All things as dross, or gold of fairest vein:

As, since the gate of Love had oped for me,

I lived in hell or heavenly ecstasy.

But all things on this day had good import,

For even now I went to Love’s high court,

To greet my heart’s dear queen, where she did dwell

In this his holy city, where the streets

Seem’d gold, or like the burnish’d path which meets

The sun’s bright porch across the shining sea;

So in Love’s glory shone my way to me.

Until before her gate the splendour fell.

Robed in sweet grace and crowned with her hair,

I met my queen, upon her palace stair,

And near I was to fall and worship there,

As to her hand I brought a golden gift,

And me unto her highest grace did lift,

Making me rich above all kingly state.

For side by side within her house we sate,

Or ’neath the azure canopy of heaven,

And every hour and every day, of seven,

Brought unto our feet their separate joy.

And every day the plenteous feast was spread

Before my grateful heart, and eyes, and lips

That drank the wine of Love and broke his bread,

And drew my soul delight thro’ honey sips

From the sweet source of sweet which may not cloy.

Then from Love’s banquet, rising, my beloved

Forth led me in the bond of her dear hand,

That we in his glad courts might understand

Fresh joyance; and thro’ all his realm we moved.

Adown the golden street my lady led,

Where pass’d us, to and fro, Love’s votaries—

The searchers of his book, within whose eyes

Was writ his name, whose chanting lips had said

His prayers and orisons within the shrines,

Dim-window’d, strange, and still with sacred air,

Stirr’d by the wings of singing spirits fair,

When the sweet anthem lifteth or declines,

Of the soul’s shore, to break upon and die,

Soft on the soothed borders, silently.

We passÉd by the door and enter’d in,

For in Love’s holy place we sought to win

High ecstasy whereon our souls might climb

Even to the utmost gate of golden bliss,

And know within the sanctuary of this,

Our dear inheritance in God’s good time.

Love’s service done, forth streamed from their place

His choristers and singing boys, attired

In white raiment, shining where they quired;

And after them we went with silent pace,

And towards the groves of pleasure turn’d our face,

Whence by green quietude of cloister’d stone,

And shadow’d courts that kept themselves alone,

And ’neath the carven boughs that interlace;

Until we came beneath the fairer roof

Of curtain’d leaves, light spread, of greenest woof,

Glowing between the stoney window fret,

As shines such light of paradise men get,

Dark-barr’d by care which holdeth them aloof

And binds their souls within life’s twisted net.

But enter’d we the joyful Eden gate,

More glorious than May’s bright head doth screen

Whereas she hideth f