A gem apart

In the unreached heart

Of a shy and secret place;

Swift-winged in flight

As a meteor’s light

In the far-off field of space.

More sweet and clear

To the spirit’s ear

Than a wave-song on the beach;

Like the baffling blue

Of a mountain view,

Or a dream just out of reach.

Like light withdrawn

By a rain-swept dawn,

When the clouds are wild and gray;

Like a wind that blows

Through the orchard close

Ever and ever away.