L A T E R S O N N E TS
BY
L L O Y D MI FF L I N
u
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HO U G H T O N , M IFF L I N
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OCT 1 5 1900
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S ECG N D CO! Y.
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ORDER DW lS lON,
C O ! Y R I G HT , t g o o,
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A LL
R IG
BY
HT S
L
LO Y D min ute
RE S E RV E D
N OTE
period referred to in thes e Pastora l s is supposed
to be in the Author s youth The time o ccupied is one
year
beginning with e a r ly April running through the
seasons and ending with the following Spring Th e
regio n described is in southern Pennsylvania b ordering
upon t h e S usquehanna
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NO RW OO D ! uly 1 90 0
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How
dea r to
Mi: h e a r t
W li en fon d
TIt o
A
or
are
Me
lle ct ion p r e se nts
r e co
Ma r d, Me me a dow , Me deep
n d eve r
y love d sp ot
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scene s o
Mem
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to
vie w
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ta ng le d w ild wood,
wnie lz my infa n g kne w
.
S A MUE L W
O O DW O R T
N O W L IK E
!
I n youM kow
A
s
pon
if u
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Me
RE D L E A F
A
ly p a sse d Me
lln e ss
st i
f
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o
g
!
day I
kr ook
s om e
l f a n d Me r ose le af took
a
[ts ow n s we e t t im e t o loite r to Me oay
life w a s e n dle ss p lay
Tke la r k sa ng a lw ays
W e live d on n e ct a r fr om a p oe t s kook
D r ift ing a long 5y m a ny a s un ny n ook
it w ould ke e ve r M ay
l ittle we ca r e d
jVow like a r e d le af on Me a ut um n a l st r e a m
You Mr e w
r ose - e a
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Yka t
ca nn ot s t e e r n or
S w ift ly I g lide
Tke r e is
T/
ze
no
A
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t im e to
Me
in
p a use
ca ta r a ct r oa r s
I/ViMin
s
r
e
o
g g
Ma t
p
s to
[
some
no
se e
f
a
ca nn ot sin k
teful dr e a m
t ime t o
Me
M in k
w kite foa m g le a m
it dr a ws m e t o Me kr in k
F r om
A t
Me G a te s of S ong
!
.
C ON TE N TS
T HE
FI E L D S
O F DA W N
!
A M ONG T HE MAPL E B UD S W E
T HE T ON E S
T HE B UDDIN G W OOD S H A D MA NY A NO T E T O T HRI L L
W E ST RO L L ED ON W OODED S L O P E S A B OVE T H E T O W N
A ND W HEN T H E A P RI L D AY S O F S UNNY R A IN
T HE RHYT H M I C M U S I C O F OUR HOR S E S F EE T
W E ST OO P ED A M O M EN T M ID T H E GO L DEN HO STS
W I T HIN T HE OR C HA RD IN T HE M ON T H O F MA Y
HAPP Y T HE ID L E D AY S T H AT T HEN W ERE M INE
T HE C OUN T RY HOU S E ST OOD ON A C HE ST NU T K NO LL
B E L O V ED F I E L D s ! F RO M OU T YOUR P URE DO MA IN S
T HE L E A F Y F EN C E R o w s MA DE A GREEN RET R E AT
W E L OI T ERED ON T HE HE A D L A ND S RO C K Y K NO LL
O N F URT HER S L O P E S W E SAW T HE B RIG H T SCY T HE S G L E AM
U P ON T HE P OR C H VINE S H A DO W S T OU C HED OUR F EE T
Ho w W E LL WE L OVED IN S U MM E R S O L I T UDE
! L E ASA N T OUR W A L K S W HEN S U MM ER W AS T HE T IDE
R I C H S HONE T HO S E A C RE S IN T HE G L O W ING HEAT
T HE V E RY W EED S W ERE W I LT ED L E A F A ND B LA DE
O H T HE W ID E R IVER A ND HER W AT ER WAY S
W E HE A RD T HE R IVER S INGING
F RO M T H E L A K E
T H E L ONG D AY OVER M ID T H E I S L E TS F A IR
T H AT S HI FT ING I SLA ND O F T HE ZE G E A N S E AS
T W AS OUR D E L IGH T W H E N A U T U M N D AY S W ERE HERE
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AG E
C O N T EN T S
v iii
W I T HIN T H E W OOD S S E PT E M B ER S UN L IGH T LAY
A G A IN T H E C IDER P RE SS A GE W ORN AND B RO W N E D
O H W HO W I T H EVEN L ONG A C C U ST O M E D EY E S
G RE AT F L EETS O F RI V EN C L OUD S IN T EN S E LY W HIT E
T HE R E I s A L EGEND T HE A L GON ! UIN S T E LL
T HE NE A RE ST W OOD L AND S W ORE A M I ST Y VEI L
F RO M T HE O L D M I LL W HEE L CAM E N o SP LAS H NOR FO AM
A N D T HOUGH N OVE M B ER ON T HE FA DING HI L L
L o w TA NG L E S O F L ONG GRASSE S S ERE A ND PAL E
T HE W IN D WAS RI S ING T O A W IN T RY G A L E
T HE S N o w WAS T H A W ING IN T HE C OUN T RY L A N E
W E WA NDE R E D B Y T HE R IV ER F OOT HI LL S S ERE
T HE D AMP S OUT H W IND CAM E SL O W LY F RO M T HE B
A Y
V A NI S HE D A L A s ! A L L HERAL D S O F T H E S P RING !
B L U ST ERING T H E D AY B U T A s T H E RA IN WAS DONE
I N T HE W I L D S K Y T H E L A K E S O F S HI F T ING B L UE
B E F ORE T HE B IRD S RET U RNED T WAS PASS ING S W EET
T W AS LAT E IN M A R C H A ND AL L T HE A IR W AS C HI LL
A S C H I LL ING A IR S G R E w B ALM Y ON C E A G A IN
W E SAW T HE C L OUD S A B OV E T HE HI LL T O P SC U D
T H R OUG H U PLAND T REE S W E H EA RD T H E L OUD W IND S B L O W
W HEN o E R T HE M E A D T H E ! ON ! U I L—T RU M ! E T B L o ws
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L AT E R
S O N N E TS
T HE S
INGER
A N O L D AN C HOR
I N A DE! U ACY
T H E A NNUN C I AT ION
L ONGING S
T o AN A GED ! OET
T HE O N S E T
TO
C ON TEN TS
B E R EFT
IN
M E MORIA M
ATA RAC T
L ONG F E L L O W
T HE M ON A R C H
B LAM E NO T T H E ! O E T
T HE F A N
B E LL ON A
T HE T RA VE LL E R S
T HE V OY A GER S
T o R I C HA R D HENRY S T ODD A RD
T HE B ATTL E F I EL D
A N E AST R A IN ON T HE I SLA ND O F C Y P R U S
T HE B LAC K P OR TALS
A C O L ORED S ERV A N T U N A B L E To RE A D
I N B OND AGE
T o A Y OUNG MA ID
T HE B A RD
T o A G ENERAL O F T H E R EV O LU T ION
T HE HO M E LA ND
A L A ND SCAP E B Y RE M B RA ND T
F E TT ERED
T HE B E AST
A V OI C E F RO M T HE B ORDE R LA ND
T H E C O MM ON PLAC E
T HE ! UEEN O F T H E T ID E S
T o A N O L D L A B ORE R
O N A ! A IN T ING
HE B UI L D S T H E C I TY O F E NO C H
T HE S P IRI T O F ! O E S Y
T HE C
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C O N TE N TS
T HE
FIELD S
OF
! U I ET
I CA RA GU A
T HE D YING D A Y
L OO K ING S E A W A RD
I N T HE V AL L EY O F D RE AMS
S AMS ON
I N L E A F DRI FT ED A I S L E S
I S O L AT ION
I N T HE M ET RO P O L I S
O N P RE S EN T IN G A S ONN ET
A F L IGHT D O W N W A RD
I N M E M O RY O F A L F RE D L ORD T E NNY S ON
E ST RAN GED
A RRIVA L O F T HE W ELC O M E
A W IN T ER F L IGHT I
A W IN T ER F L IGH T I I
I NVO C AT ION I
I NVO CAT ION I I
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THE
A MO N G
F IE LD S
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D A WN
the map l e b uds we heard the tones
O f April s earliest bees although the days
Seemed ruled by Mars The veil of gatherin g haze
Spread round the silent hills in bluest zones
D eep in the pines the breezes stirred the cones
As on we strolled within the wooded ways
There where the brook transilient softly plays
With mu ffled plectrum on her harp of stones !
O nward we pushed amid the y ielding green
And l ight rebounding of the cedar boughs
U ntil we heard
the forest l anes along
Above the lingering drift of l atest snows
The Thrush outpour from coverts sti ll unseen
H is rare e b u l lienc y o f l iquid son g
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THE
F IE L D S
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D A WN
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budding woods had many a note to thril l :
W e heard the R iver lapping on the shore
And from anear the pulsing of an oar
Came round the j utting shoulder of the hill !
D eep in the rocky gorge the mountain rill
Tumbling in torrents of melodious roar
Among primeval boulders o er and o er
Made music that fro m far r e echoed still
The forest flowers from the leafy ground
Were peerin g at us with demurest eyes
Mid f e rns uncurling in the balmy air !
And I remember on that day you found
Apoise above the blue anemones there
A fluttering floc k of go l den butterfl ies
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stro l led on wooded S lopes above the town
While April coming from a sunnier land
Strewed V iolets near us with her rosy hand
And scattered coyly from her azure gown
Arbutus bells beneath the leaves of brown
We saw her timid by the dogwood stand
N hen at the waving o f her mystic wand
I t S prang to blossom in a snowy crown
She turned to walk within the greenwood gl oom
Where flows the runnel from the rocky sprin g
Si l ent we watched her as she stepped a l ong !
And when S h e passed the thicket burst a bl oom
While to and fro fl ashed many a b rilliant win g
And every b rier trem bl ed with a song !
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F IE LD S
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D A WN
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when the April days of sunn y rain
H ad raised the R iver and each rivulet
When all the sandy marge was soft and wet
Where high the drifted ice of late had l ain
We saw the fishers as th e y rowed amain
Spreading in rapid pools their monstrous net
And rare the sight when last the snare was set
The dotted buoys of the circling seine
We watched the boatmen pulling in their prize
The s ilvered fish the Susquehanna yields
We left the S heltered tree trunk on the shore
And then as b almier grew the balmy skies
U nchained our boat beneath the sycamore
And with the current floated to new fiel ds
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stooped a moment mid the golden host s
O f buttercups to gather one bouquet !
Then wandered where the dandelions ghosts
G loomed all the greensward with their globes o f gray
The bursting white oak leaf that looks in May
A silver bloom frosted the shooting tips
And all the b e lle fl e ur buds were out that day
As ruby rosy as your own dear lips !
Along the windings of the avenue
The guelder rose displayed her spheres of light
And eaves were purpled with wistaria flowers !
While the faint aura for the sake of you
T oyin g among the clustered blossoms bright
With rarest fragrance filled t h e b al m y hours
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the orchard in the month of May
Where gently waved the fi t ful southern b reeze
We watched the blossoms snowing from the trees
Whi l e vagrant butterflies in white array
From out the apple shadows where we lay
Fluttered around and seemed a part of these !
A n d sweetest violets clustered near our knees
B lue as the plumage of the saucy j ay
Above us in the rosy centred blooms
The earliest robin perched and blithely san g
N or knew his nest was builded all too low
And o er the lawn the birds on eager plumes
Selecting sites were hurrying to and fro
Whil e al l the g roves with wi l dest caro l s ran g
WIT H I N
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D A WN
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HA PP Y the idle day s that then were mine
Spent on the shady slopes about the house
The squirrels j oining in a mad carouse
R omped o er the red oak through the spreadin g pine
The wrens were warbling in the eglantine
And thrushes caroll e d mid t h e maple boughs
While flecks of sunshine falling round your brows
Lighted your face to something half divine
Between the branches pink with appl e blooms
H azy and faint we marked the distant spires
As toward t h e town we turned with car e l e s s look
The grosbeak perched anear with roseate plumes
And sweeter than the H eliconian lyres
Sang by our side the garden s pebbly b rook
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country house stood on a chestnut kno ll
Above the R iver in the purple hills
Through the wild garden tumbled silver rills
While man y an o a k gloomed round w ith gnarl e d bole
O n the elm s tip flut e d the oriole
From tangled runnels girt with daffodils
R are echoes reached us of wood robin trills
As on the orchard slopes we took our stroll
Beneath the trees in sculptured G recian garb
Sweet H ebe poured the stream of health eterne
And startled Syrinx listened for the Faun
D iana striding through the dews of dawn
R eached to her quiver for the fatal barb
While gleaming N aiads glimmered from the f ern
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D A WN
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BE L O V E D
Fiel ds from out your pure domains
Floats music softer than from viol strings
B e tter the warbling of your feathered things
Than all the rolling organ s de e p r e frains
What prima donna trills such liquid strains
As yon brown meadow lark that floating sings
Above her nest on slow descending wings
With plaintive sweetness that the soul enchains
N ot hers alone but myriad notes there are
Too sweet for telling where all sounds are sweet
The delicate footfalls of the showery rains
The breezes rust l ing o er the sea green Wheat !
The murmurous voices faintly heard and far
O f chil dren g athering cherries in the lanes
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l eafy f ence rows made a green retreat
Where cattle stood within the S hade to doze !
The elder there upreared h e r bloom of snows
And many a mavis made t h e dingle sweet
Far o er the corn fields in the dazzling heat
The silent women labored in the rows
And where the hedge its sheltering shadow throws
We heard at intervals t h e lambkins bleat
We watched the harrows make their furrow wide
T h e thievish grackles follo w round by round
The running robins halting as they eyed
With crafty caution all the mellow ground !
While three abreast in seeming conscious pride
The stately h orses passed without a sound
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D A WN
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loitered on the headland s rocky kno ll
Above t h e shining R iver S ilver bright
And far below we saw the rapids roll
Their rushing waters into boiling white
The sun down gleam ing in his morning might
Showed the lone fisher with his slender pole
Where the dazed V ision lost at last control
Push his canoe acros s the blinding light
We watched t h e s e a hawk mounting with his prey
The brigand eagle meet him in the air
And S w o opin g under catch the falling fish
T was sweet with you to linger idly there
O r rising piloted by your dear wish
To climb adown the crag path s peril ous way
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the porch ine shadows touched our f eet !
Across the rich fields of the level plain
A breeze precursor of the summer rain
Chased the gold billows o er the sea of wheat
The dazzling air a tremble with the heat
G rew calm and blu e in all the dells again !
And to the umbrage of the trees the swain
D rove the white flock within the cool r e treat
The fox grape cl a mbering o er the oaken limb
Swayed to and fro in many a gr e en festoon
And on the rolling lawn in sun fl e c ke d urns
The fit ful zephyr swayed each plume of ferns
While rows of hollyhocks like maidens slim
Bowed to each other in the sun of ! une
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HO W we l l we l oved in Summer so l itude
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To stroll on lon e ly ridges far away
Where beeches with th e ir boles of ! uaker g ray
Murmured at times a sylvan interlude
We heard each songster warble near her broo d
And from the lowland where the mowers lay
Came now and then faint fragrance f rom the hay
That touched the heart to reminiscent mood
We peered down wooded steeps and saw the sun
Shining in front tip all the grape vines wild
And edge with light the boulders lichened groups
While deep within the gorge the tinkling run
Coiled through the hollows with its si l vered Ioops
D own to the waitin g R iver thousand is l ed
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THE
FIE LD S
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D A WN
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our walks when Summer was the tide
By many a fertile field our footsteps fell
I n sunny nooks within the shadowy dell
Where gurgling brooklets o er the gravel slide
We watched the minnows silver shimmering glide
Then farm ward turning at the noonday bell
Saw the great horses drinking at the well
And rosy children clambering for a ride
We passed along the meadows redolent
O f heaped up hay that in the sunshine dries
I following still the music of your feet
A S down the path between the grain we went
While here and there with tint of April s eyes
The cockle blossomed in the g olden wheat
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X V II
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hone those acres in the glowing heat
A glittering host with fring ed spears of gold
All slowly swaying as the breezes rolled
Above the poppies in the ripened wheat
Anon we heard the lamb s persistent bleat
From flocks unseen in meadows o er the wold !
And through the fence the colts grown over bold
Pushed their cool noses glad our hands to greet
The cows stood in the c l over to their knees
For now the evening milking all was done
And o er t h e vale for many and many a mil e
The barns were rosied b y the sinking sun
Then at the hedge we stopped and b y t h e stile
D reamed while the moon rose throu g h the murmuring
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THE
F IE LD S
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D A WN
XVI II
very weeds were wilted l eaf and blade
The D urhams stood and panted in the stream
D eep in the pool we saw them slowly wade
Mottled with gold of many a sunny gleam
The tired plowman in the heat extreme
Stopped by the willows where no leaflet swayed
And as he brought the water to his team
They stretched their sweating necks and softly neighed
Beyond the dale above the sultry steeps
I n fields of bluer and intenser light
Poised the lone buzzard rising in repose
Where soaring upward through the zenith deeps
I n toppling mounds O f unimagined white
The ro l ling cloud unfo lded a s a rose
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DA W N
XIX
O H,
the wide R iver and her wat e r ways
Whose currents draw us through their rock y gates
Winding between a thousand grassy aits
To glorious greeneries in un l ooked for bays !
The clustered islands swim in amber haze !
And the rich sun reluctant slow awaits
H is destined setti n g while he still creates
U pon the golden tide one dazzling blaze
Silence around save where the waters blue
Among the sedgy inlets in a dream
G urgle unceasingly their liquid note !
Then leaning listless in our long canoe
\ Vith paddle trailing idly in the stream
We mirrored on the ripplin g surface fl oat
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THE
F IE LD S
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D A WN
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heard the R iver singing : From t h e l ake
O f Canandaigu a making many a twist
To catch the U nadilla in the mist
O f morn I flow Chenango then I take
And through the Pennsylvania border break
To clasp the ! uniata s amethyst
Past Tuscarora ! rambling as I list
Beyond Towanda where a turn I make
To lure the Wyalu sing ! then convey
The slow Swatara Conowingo s creek
Salunga O c t o r a r a and Peque a :
I drain a thousand streams y et still I seek
T o lose myself within the Chesapeake
I n reedy inlets of the I ndian b ay
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THE
F IE LD S
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D A WN
XX I I
sh if ting island of the [E g e a n seas
H ome of Apollo and the I onian Shrine
The golden D elos of the days divine
Might wander still among the Cyclades
But ours was fixed
our paradise whose trees
Bent with the masses of the clambering vine
Sweeter than L euce by the Euxine brine
Between D a n ub ius and B or yst h e n e s
And when upon the ripple ridg e d sand
We beached our boat near where the rushes S ing
A reedy music round the birchen tree
We like to happy children hand in hand
Strolled through the shadows to the is l and sprin g
Co l d as Telphusa s fount o f Arcady
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our delight when Autum n days were here
To stand in tawn y f ern s and see the sun
Break through the dr ifting clouds of dove like dun
And for a moment shining summer clear
Turn to resplendent gold the hickory sere
Then where the quinquefolia had o e r r un
The oak s extremest branches and begun
To fall in pendants crimson tier on tier
We watched the brilliant streamers as they swayed
Touched with the glorious light and all aglow
L ike scarlet gonfalons in some cavalcade
O f mediaeval tourney long ago
Where bug l es blared and plum e d palfre y s neighed
And l ances f ell on armor b l ow on bl ow !
W A S
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THE
F I E LD S
O F D A \VN
XX I V
woods September sunlight lay
D applin g the golden soil there w a s no sound
Save of the acorn droppin g to the ground
O r now and then the bugle O f the j ay
At times a squirrel from the bending spray
L eapt to t h e chestnut limb with venturous boun d
O r on some wooded crest the lonely hound
Woke the reverberations far away
The corn wa s ranked in many a tasseled tent
A n d bluest haze slept on the peaceful hills
Where once the Sagamores had fought and s l ain
An ear the plodding farmer S lowly bent
Across the umber stretches while the drills
Scattered the blessin g s of the future grain
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! ! V
A GA I N
the cider press age worn and browned
I see along the lane side by the trees
The waitin g load of pippins yet to squeeze
N ear p iles of pomace lying on the ground
The horse that dragged the creaking lever round !
The oozin g j uice and hear above all these
The Choru s of the honey hunting bees
That sweet monotony of drowsy sound I
Against the b e lle fl e ur boughs the ladder lay
And you were standin g on the lower rung
When in the shade a row of casks we saw !
Then drawing f orth the barrel s foamy bung
L aughing together on that happy day
W e drew the nectar through an oaten straw
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TH E
F IE LD S
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D AWN
XX V I
who with even long accustomed e y es
From these steep headlands where the R iver roars
Can view the region with its fertile S hores
N or feel that rarest beauty round him lies !
Through all the vale D emeter s temples rise
The snow white barns that hold her golden stores
Where fl a ils make murmur on the threshing floors
L ike distant thunder in the Summer skies
H ere Plenty from her overflowing horn
Pours endless blessing ruddy breasted Toi l
R eaps the wide valley of its rich increase
The rolling S lopes of pasture and of corn !
H ere new sown grain springs from the teemin g soil
And on the fair hills b roods the D ove o f Peace
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XX V I I
G REAT
fleets of riven clouds intensely White
Sailing wind harried thwart the lowering S ky!
O n the wild R iver where the islands lie
L ong levels of insufferable light
Cloud shadows m oving in portentous flight ,
D imming the crimson of the steeps near by
And glooming golden ridges crested high
A s the dread pinions of Apollyon might
Weird slopes of tawny grasses all astir
As if some monster crept along the hill
Covered with hide of panther colored fur !
While in the blustering air grown bleak and chill
The only wraith of Summer lingering still
Floats the bl own mil k weed s ermined gossamer
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THE
FIELD S
OF
D A WN
XX V I II
is a legend t h e Algonquins tell
O f power and splendor of the G reat White O ne !
The G od of Light he is and of the Sun
And in their stran ge lore hath no parallel
H e in the Summer from his citadel
Co m es to the gates of his dominion
And throws them O pen when t h e day s begun
And shuts them in the evening But a S pell
Saps his puissance when the Autumn haze
Spreads it s dim shimmering silve r on the rills
Th e n to the mountain tops he slowly wends
A n d idly drowsing on the dreamy hills
P uff s at h is pip e and as the smoke descends
Behold our mellow I ndian Summer days !
T H ERE
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THE
F IE LD S
OF
D A WN
XXX
the old mill wheel came no splash nor foam
For in the race the Autumnal stream was low !
The restless pigeons flying to and fro
Circled above but soon came sailing home !
The sparrows settling on the stack s gold dome
G arrulous chattered of the coming snow !
For when the storms of Winter rudely blow
They can no longer from the gables roam
Within the barn the boomin g of the flail
And rattling crackle o f the beaten straw
Made p l easant music to the listening ear !
Across the unrippled surface of the mere
We heard the piping of the scattered quail
And from the wood a crow s f ore b odin g caw
FR O M
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though N ovem b er on the fading hil l
Trod in her sombre robes with mu ffl ed f eet
Y e t to our ears came music silver sweet
From tinkling l yres in the hidden rill
As days were coming with their bitter chill
We dearer prized the pale sun s feeb l e heat !
As flowers were gone we gladlier fe l t to greet
The green which edged the mossed wheel by the m ill
The b uttonwoods that by the old race grew
Were lifting silently their marble arms
I n the deep arches of im m ur m ur o us noon
O ur only birds were pigeons from the farms
While in the rain fille d ruts the pools O f blue
He l d the frayed circle of the gray faced moon
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THE
F I E LD S
OF
D A WN
XXX I I
tangles of long grasses sere and pal e
The fl o w e r le ss stalks of most pathetic weeds
H olding their heads up with a few scant seeds
Their hope of next year s life the soughing wail
O f scentless winds that scour the bitter val e
And find no fragrance now from all the meads
The sorrow of the time that far exceeds
The deepest pathos of the saddest tale !
We m e t these sombre changes with a sigh
Feeling the breath of Winter drawing near
And wished at heart the days of Spring were here
For now we saw but boundless blanks of gray
Where once appeared the glowing sapphire S ky
With her unfathomable deeps of May
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XXX I I I
wind was risin g to a wintry gal e
We left the valley lying white below
And from the untrod ridges deep with snow
Turned and looked down upon the pallid vale
The spirits of the N orth began to wail
Around the cliff as toiling upward slow
We reached the crest and saw the sunset glow
Flare on the cra g s around us crimson pale
Then all the twilight phantom s of the sky
Changed into ever shifting dragon form
And close above the mountain crouchin g l ay
Weird voices in the pines b egan to cry
From out the tortured tops of gloomy gray
As through the g athering dark ness rose the storm
THE
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THE
F I E LD S
OF
D A WN
XXX I V
snow was thawing in the country l ane
And from the wooded gullies flowing down
The tiny streams ran tinkling to the town
Fillin g the brooklet as in time of rain
Far off we saw t h e heavy loaded wain
That creaking crept along the lone hil l s crown !
I n rocky knolls crested with thicket s brown
—
e
We list ned for a bird but all in vain
Y e t Pan still plays upon a thousand lyres
I f we but hear so long as in our souls
The light winged goddess Fancy still survives !
And leaning by the telegraph s tall poles
The Wind s sweet finger strumming on the wires
We heard the bees hum in Hymettus hives
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XXX V
wandered b y the R iver foot hil l s sere
When frost had turned the grass to faded g ray
Feeling the influence of the gloomy day
We walked in silence through the stretches drear
There was no hint of Spring time far or near
The drift s of snow that in the woodland lay
Seemed Summer s gravestones as we too k our way
L ike mourners at the funeral of the year
Then suddenl y som e bird began to pour
H is buoyant spirit on the silent air
When at that sound the sorrow of the time
Took flight with all the legions of despair
While in our hearts began the Spring to chime
And we were gl ad for Winter seemed no more
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THE
F IE LD S
OF
D AW N
XXX V I
T HE damp south wind came slowly from the b ay
And with the drizzle brought the sea birds too
L one gulls far flying from their ocean blue
And seeming lost in thes e confines of gray
The R iver hills so purple yesterday
N o w wrapped in mist were blotted from our V iew !
The smoke hung flattened o er the factory fl ue
And veiled t h e steeples in a murky S pray
Turning we so ught afar the ivied gate
That led us to the house whose ancient eaves
H ummed with the sparrow in the leafles s vines !
I ndoors we sat and turned the poets leaves
For if outside the Spring was drear and l ate
E ternal Summer lived within their l ines
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THE
F IE LD S
OF
D A WN
XXX V I I I
the day but as the rain was done
We sought the slopes whereon the kalmia grew !
Far on the R iver — loved of me and you
The white caps glistened in the streaks of sun
There was a roaring in the clouds of dun
That torn in shreds across the heavens bl e w
As o er the wooded ridges w ildly flew
The eagle flig h t e d N orth Wind Aquilon
But down below within the l evel vale
Where the high fell the lower valley shields
The plowman went his still recurrent round !
Car e less of winds he plodded in the dale
H is shining share up turned the stubbled g round
Against the seeding time o f oaten fields
BL U S TER I N G
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40
XXX I X
IN
the wi l d s ky the lakes of S hifting blue
Were by wind harried clouds revealed or bl urred !
A l on g the brook from leafy mould interred
We saw the snowdrop shyly peeping through
The floc k of grackles decked in raven hue
Turn ed down the rudders of their tails and whirred
U p to the walnut as a single bird
R asping their wheezy squeak as s l ow they fl ew
The shadow from the gnomon of the pine
Fell on the dial o f the lawn and told
I n interval s o f sun the passi n g hours
B ut sap was waking in the eglantine
B eneath the ground the jonquil forged her go l d
And hope was sprin g in g in the hearts o f fl owers
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THE
F IE LD S
OF
D A WN
XL
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the birds returned t was passing sweet
D own in the leafless woods to take our strolls
The silvery glimmer of the beechen boles
D rew us still on to where the brookl e ts meet
T h e crocus bursting from her long retreat
Showed the rare color that her cup unrolls
And banks of violets smothering all the knolls
Brought the blue hills a n d laid them at our feet
From N at ure s hand the lyre is never gone
H er tuneful fingers moving to and fro
Make music on the wind harp of the pines
And over golden pebbles rippling on
Amid the greenbrier and the laur e l low
H er streams purl sweeter than a Poet s lines
BE F O RE
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XLI
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l ate in March and all the air was chill
The turbid R iver swollen to the brim
R ushed past the bending ald e rs sullen grim
While sombre o er us rose the rock ribbed hill
B ut down the gorge the silver running rill
G urgled as if t were ! une and from the S lim
D ove colored perches of the beechen limb
Sudden we heard the bluebird s welcome trill
Ah then we hoped that Spring at last was near
And s o took heart for on those wings the h ue
O f heavenly April came and well we knew
That soon the water lily root s would hear
And stir their fibres in the waters blue
Among the purple is l ands dim and dear
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THE
FIELD S
OF
D A WN
XLII
hilling airs g rew balmy once again
Within the forest from a leafless spray
Some timorous songster tried his earliest lay
For Spring was coyly coming up t h e glen
The cardinal flashed by within our ken
A wing e d rose where all the groves were gray !
And like a flash of April came the j ay
While captious in the tangle chafed the wren
But the brown sparrow on the alder tree
O utrivalling better warblers of the wood
Forced our applause by bursts of ecstas y !
As at O lympia once dwarf Z e n o c le s
Amid the plaudits of the multitude
Won the wreathed olive from E uripides
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XLIII
saw the c l ouds a b ove the hi ll top scud
B lown by the win ds of March in scatterin g fl oc k s
While o er the recently su b merg e d rocks
The yellow R iver rolled his swollen flood
Within the roads the ruts were filled with mud !
U pon the wet l awn sprouted f our o c l oc k s
And followi n g on this verna l equinox
All sulphur co l ored burst the spice wood b ud
And then it was with j oyance in our eyes
We marked the iris push her spears o f g reen
Along the edges o f the garden rill
And then it was that with a g l ad surprise
Seein g her glory
for a y ear unseen
We ran to g reet the ear l iest daffodil
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TH E
FIEL D S
D A WN
OF
XL IV
up l and trees we heard the loud winds b l ow
For all the chestnut limbs were brown and bare
But on the southern l pe s we lingered where
The blossoms of the cherry fell like snow
Across the vale maj estically slow
F loa t e d the shadow of a cloud and there
The cottage smoke curled in the azure air
And winding streams flashed forth a silver gl ow
Around us ridges rose of rock and fern
But in the fields afar slo w moved the teams
And as the plowmen paused to m ake the turn
The centre lessening at each furrow run
Athwart the valley danced the dazzling gleams
From b urnished shares re f ulgent in the sun
T H R O UG H
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L e t us
s ing s om e w ka
Vin eya r ds
a nd
t kigke r
t a m a r isks de
s t r a ins .
ligh t
n ot a
ll
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V IR G
IL
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T HE
I
I
S N G
ER
once upon an Autumn day
U nto a warbler in a golden wood
E ntranc e d by the music as I stood
U nequalled seemed to m e his wondrous l ay
Then as I thought o f all the choir of May
E cstatic notes in every solitude
So changed by that remembrance was my mood
That disenthralled I sadly turned away
L I S TENE D
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Poet C hanting in these waning t iln e s
Far from the fair E lizabethan Spring
O utpouring here reiterated rhymes
H ow full o f pathos is thy sadder fate
Who by the spirit art impelled to sing
Y e t conscious that thy voice is heard t oo l ate
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L AT ER
TO
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NE T S
S ON
AN O LD AN CH O R L Y I N G F A
AT M ATA M O RA S
R
I
N L AN D
ER CH AN C E some Spanish galleon after gold
D ragged
thy rude bulk along the coral reef
Perhaps some blustering buccaneering thief
H is mutinous crew h e ld down within the hold
D ropped thee in cypress inlets while he rolled
H is booty shoreward ere it came to grief
Such swaggering slashing A n da lusIan chief
As Pedro Alvarado famed of old
A faithful friend thou wast now cast away
Bent with the strain of dire adversity
Man s great ingratitude thy only wag e !
L ike some dim Amm iral of a byg one day
U nthanked abandoned in thy useless age
U ntom b ed afar f ro m the f ami l iar sea !
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NA D E ! UA C Y
O H,
the swe e t sounds anear each starry g ate
O f cloudy temples in the ether hung !
O h phantom voices from the spirit wrun g
When l ifted on her airy wings elate !
Ah for the power such tones to r e create
I heard the Seraph but my ha l ting ton g ue
Pronounced b ut infelicities I sun g
Mere stammerings vague and inarticu l ate
S o one adown weird pathways of the night
H ears in his S leep by pale ethereal streams
Music e l usively beyond his reach
And wak ing ever fails to trace aright
—
Strains he hath heard
they l ying b ey ond speech
I n depths o f incommunicabl e dreams
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53
L AT ER S O N N E T S
T HE
A
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A
IN
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IN I
A N N U N C I AT I O N
T N G
BY
O SS E SS I O N
!
I
E
OF
RR E
M G
I N AR D
T HE
A U T HO R
radiant angel stands within her room
She kneels and listens on her heaving breast
To still its flut t e r in g s a r e her sweet hands pressed
The while his lips foretell her j oyful doom
Tears
happy tears
are ri sing and a bloom
O f maiden blushes clothes her that attest
The R ose she is The haloed heavenly guest
L ingers upon his cloud of golden gloom
H e gives to her the lily which he brings
E ach cherub in the aureole above
Where harps unseen are pealing peace and l ove
Smiles with delight and ve r y softly s ings !
While over Mary s head on whitest wings
H overs the pr e sence of t h e H oly D ove
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L AT ER S O N N E T S
AN A G E D P O ET
TO
if the b oat b e drifting down the stream
And oars well worn hang idly by its side !
Must man forever pull against the tide
N or bask a little in the sunset beam !
O Worker in the g l orious real m of D ream
R est thou awhi l e and let the R iver guide
Far — far beyond thee as the waters glide
Behold the Beauteous City golden gleam !
V e x not thy sou l nor fear the coming night !
When evening goes shall burst the mornin g lig ht
O er all the ocean of eternity :
Be sure 0 Friend there is a D estiny
Th a t holds the rudder and that steers aright
Then let the curren t sweep us to the se a !
W H AT
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O NS ET
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WA R D
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OBESON
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A LO R
Y
’
the dread waving of A pollyo n s rod
Astride their frenzied chargers sn orting fl ame
O n sulphurous clouds the wing e d L egions came
With hate e n pa n Oplie d and vengeance shod
U p from the N adir myriads of them trod
The shining steeps to H eaven with wild acclaim !
Furious they rushed vindictive
and their aim
To storm the inviolable gates of G od
As swarms o f sea birds by the s unset dazed
Blot out the sky near K o la n a r a s coast
S o countless flew they where the splendor flared
While eager on the peaks with wings upraised
D ark gainst the fulgence of the surging host
The H eral ds from their l ifted trumpets bl ared !
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L AT E R
S O N NE T S
B EREF T
MY life was in its Autumn as
lay
D reaming upon an upland o er the sea
L onely I was as Lydian N iobe
When all her pearls Apollo took away
Then came a beauteous woman fair as day
Who gave herself and all her love to me
Anon sweet children clambered round my knee
E ager for kisses — and the time seemed May
These children s children came and I was grown
Ag e d and worn but still on them I smiled
For love of them and of the mother mild
Sudden I woke
childless forlorn alone
O Po e sy ! canst thou for this atone !
Thou who hast reft me thus of wif e and child !
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IN
MEMO RI A M
like this stranded hulk along the b ay
That rots by inches as the breakers pour
Their ebb and flow athwart its sunken fl oor
N ot in such slow and ign ominious way
D idst thou 0 Soul approach thy final day
But struggling w ith the surges evermore
Amid the hav oc and the deafening roar
Thou in our sight didst still defy decay
Thou on the foaming b ill ows to thy grave
Blown by the storms of thine imperious will
Wrecked by the blasts of Thought didst fear l ess ride
A n d from the crest of L ife s ensanguined wave
Though rudely bu ffeted yet battl ing still
D ids t sink to darkness in unconquered pride
N
OT
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59
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L A TER
T HE
S O N NE T S
C ATARA C T
from out the hollow of Th y hand
These torrents pour These glories and these gl ooms
These S plendors wove on Thine eternal looms
Are fragments of Thy power
Thy command
Made visible Thou didst but move Thy wand
Above the void and darkness and the wombs
O f Chaos birthed this wonder that now fumes
I n columned S pray unutterably grand
As in the abyss the mighty waters pour
The rocky canyon to its summit S hakes
And all the valley trembles under us
H igh o er the mist the screaming eagles soar
As in the chasm the boiling torrent wakes
H er everlasting anthem thunderous
S U P RE M E,
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60
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L ON
G
FE L L O W
ME L O D I O U S Poet on auspicious day s
,
’
When o er thy chaste and polished pag es b endin g
I read each sweet line to its golden ending
B ound am I by the fetters of thy lays
And as I follow every happy phrase
Music and beauty to t h y matter l endin g
I seem to listen to soft waters wending
Their liquid j ourney over pebbly ways
Ful l oft th y verse sounds like a river flowing
Through windy reed lands to the distant lea !
Anon thy voice above the storm cloud goin g
Peals as the sounding trumpets of the sea !
O r like some medi ae val clarion blowing
From b annered turrets rin g s out silverl y
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L AT E R
T HE
S O NNE T S
M O N ARC H
DOW N
in the cloudy towers of my sleep
A dungeon loomed wherein I heard the groans
O f those lo n g ages prisoned
moans on moans
And peering further in the noisome de e p
I n which no rays of daylight e er could creep
I saw a skeleton of whitened bones
A mighty king s
the conqueror of thrones
Chained to the walls within that donj on keep
H is crown still blazed upon him golden dull
Whence through the dark glared j ewels tiger eyed
I n awe I stood and trembling held my breath
And then a V oice
not 11 1 8 who there had died
H issed from the hollow o f that whitened skull
I am the King o f Kings
undying D eath !
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62
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L AT ER S O N
T HE
N E TS
FA N
D EAR L ady,
never was a gift more meet
Than yours this sultry day — a palm leaf fan
T h e traveller j ourneying on from Karaman
To Cairo southward scarcely feels more heat
Than we at home
there the dark sandalled feet
And the swart turban e d faces African
Scorch on the camels in the caravan
Wh ile here to day men drop upon the street
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curtained coolness of t h is qui e t room
With half clo se d eyes I l e an back in my chair
And slowly fa nning tr e ad a land of dreams
seem to scent t h e Arabian roses bloom
Soft gales of Ceylon reach me from her streams
And Persian zephyrs stir the silent air
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B
TO
E L L O NA
H EN RY K
S I N IE I C
E
K
W
Z
R O UN D
her the deafening cannon crashed and roared
Mid sulphurous smoke that blotted out the sky
U pon the maimed S h e turned her gloating eye
And revelled where the red b eaked vultures gored
Anear was seen the onset of a horde
Wading in slaughter mid heart rending moans
G ladly she heard from dying lips their groans
And clenched in reeking hands her drippin g sword
S carlet her sandals saturate with the blood
That fl owed from countless vassals and from kings
R ound her whirled dust of empires and of thro n es !
While from her pyr amid of human bones
H avoc ! S h e screamed and in the black ness stood
Wavin g the crimson o f her awful win g s !
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L AT E R
T HE
TO
T RA V E LL ER S
A C A SS
L
S O NNE T S
OF G
IR S
L - TUD E
N S
T
Ho w oft at morn from some lone A l pine door
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I watched the traveller toiling up the height
H is feet among the roses but his sight
Fixed on the summits where the eagles soar
Steep was his path thunderous the torrent s roar
U pward he went with toil yet with delight
U ntil I lost him on t h e peaks of white
And never in the lowlands saw him more
And from these dewy valleys even so
L ong have we seen you scaling cliff and scar
U pon the Alps of L earning ! rose s now
Bloom round you
yet mount higher
higher far
Fair travell e rs ! pass the peaks and onward go
Where knowledge lustrous leads you like a star
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66
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,
T HE
A
R E MI N I
V O Y AGER S
SC EN C E
O F T HE
O DY SS EY
TH E Y
leave the Cyclops roaring in his cave
Bereft of sight then to the m a rge th e y creep
And set their sails and all the trir e mes sweep
S uddenly s eaward on the luminous wave
About the prows the lithesome mermaids lave
Star crown e d forehead s whi l e the slumbering deep
H eaves w ith the rocks hurled downward from the steep
And at the galley bends the shackl e d slave
The A ur o r a n twil ight soft and silvery fair
Spreads o er the moving waters silently
Where dolphins S port upon the rolling swell
While rising fulgent from the glimmering sea
The H orses of the Morning paw the air
And f ar away a Triton winds his shell
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L AT ER
TO
R I C H AR D
H E N RY S T O D D AR D
O E T A ND C R I T I C
!
ON
S O NNE T S
T HE
74 T H
ANNIVE R SA R
Y
OF
HI S
B
IR
TH
wh ile the Y ears in veiled array
As stately past the stern procession goes
D rop on thy head at seventy four the snows
Where once they placed the blossoms in thy May
L et me
unheeded Singer of to day
O ffer my tribute with this m ountain rose
To one who is pre e minent of those
That keep the Muse s temple from decay
For Song s unpurchasable Knight thou art
Who with thy pen as with a sword of fire
G ua r de st the sacred gates of Po e sy !
Therefore 0 Master of the tuneful lyre
Accept the homage which I brin g to thee
With h Ope of long life from my heart of heart !
0 P O ET !
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68
,
L A TE R
T HE
S O NNE T S
B A T T L E F I E LD
-
G
E T TY S B U R G
were the con quered still too proud to yield
These were the victors yet too poor for shrouds
H ere scarlet Slaughter slew her countless crowds
H e a pe d high in ranks where er the hot gun s pealed
The b rooks that wandered through the battle fi e ld
Flowed slowly on in ever reddening streams
H ere where the rank wheat waves and golden gleams
The dreadful squadrons thundering charged and reeled
Within the blossoming clover many a bone
L ying unsepulchred has bleached to white
While gentlest hearts that only love had known
ave
ached
with
anguish
at
the
awful
sight
H
And War s gaunt V ultures that were lean have g rown
G org ed in the darknes s in a S ingle night !
TH O S E
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L AT E R
AN
EA S T RA I N
ON
S O N N ET S
T HE
IS L
AN D
C Y ! RU S
OF
HERE let me walk upon this headland high
Which j utting heavenward overlooks the main
And feel upon my face the p e lting rain
From soft savan nas neath an O rient sky
What cloudl e ss dome can with this vapor vie !
For su m mer sunshine now I feel disdain
The driven mist as thine is my domain
0 dove gray sea bird drifting dimly by !
Ah S hut m e round and hide the half seen ships
Come soft blown rain from tropic fi e lds of rice
From plumy capes of far Arabian seas
Bring wafts of Malabar unto my lips !
Beat on my brow with drops that touched the teas
By palmy Ceylon and the isles of S pice
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L AT ER S O N N E T S
A C O L O RE D
S
ER V ANT
U
NABLE
REA D
TO
what a wonder born of mystery
She lifts t h e books and rev e r e ntly grave
Moves mid these voiceless oracles
how brave
She be ar s that doom which naught can mollify
With longing eyes perhaps with yearnings high
She turns the fervid pages Shakespeare gave
To all it seems but her who was a slave
And never s e es a book without a sigh
WI T H
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! ustice is G od s !
L et not her heart rebel
For Knowledge like that flower which blooms at night
May burst at last full blossomed on her sight
And they who here forsooth seem learned and wise
May wait without the walls of Paradis e
The while she enters in — through serving well
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,
B ON D A GE
IN
Man
is
Drea m
a
za dow s
fS /
o
.
P IN DA R
speechless through this S hadowy vale we stray
R eft of the a fll a t us of the sacred N ine
I f mute in j oy or su ff e ring we resign
The dirge to others and the roundelay
I t will not Friend be ordered so alway
For lips can be unlocked by t ouch divine :
E en M e m n o n s image by the palm and pine
Sang in the desert at the dawn of day
I feel the Spirit call me from afar !
And if in silence now thes e steps I wend
This forced aphonia may not last for lon g !
N ot here indeed but in some fairer star
Fed from immortal rills I h O pe to end
A l if e ine l oquent with a ffl uent Son g
IF
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73
,
L A T ER S O N
A
TO
Y
N
ET S
O U N G M AI D
’
T HO U b idd st me speak of L ove and thou a girl
A dove like maiden innocently sweet
Whose gentl e duteous a n d well mothered feet
Know not the primrose path nor the red whirl
O f pa s sion s vortex Thou art still a pearl
U ngathered and unworn I t were not meet
That I should call the dark winds of deceit
To waft my ship of words so speech must furl
H er sail and anchor here Some tongue not mine
Shall tell thee later sweet one what love is
Some lips alas not these teach thee the bliss
L ong may that vestal nimbus which is thine
Circl e thee round
unsullied by L ove s kiss
And angel I nnocence more than hal f divine
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74
,
B AR D
T HE
FR O M
immemorial times men h ave agreed
Their greatest are the Poet Architect
Painter Musician
those who do elect
To build the B eautiful to ever feed
The cravings of the soul with starry deed
Those who their solitary thought proj ect
I nto the ideal world and there erect
The cloudy fanes of an ethereal creed
Y e t not to all however great and strong
Though each a master of his subtile art
N ot equally t o these the b a ys belong !
B ut in the vast V alhalla of man s heart
N iched above all and eminent apart
The Poet stands
soul of immortal Son g !
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LAT E R
T O A G E N ERA L
SO NNE TS
OF
I
T HE
R E V O L U TK
HI
7 76
O rator and Statesman bold
At whose impetuous and impassioned words
Men dropped the p l owshares and took up their swords
To fight for Fr e edom in the days of O ld
Forgotten art thou in this lust for gold
Although thy strong and stirring life records
D eeds that were noble
But this age rewards
With calm neglect thy labors manifold
Champion of L iberty and of t h e R ight !
Brother in perilous arms to Washington !
Thou zealous R uler of a glorious State
I s there no way thy service to requite
Sleep Patriot Sleep nor ever know the g reat
I n gratitude of Freedom for her son !
I NTRE P I D
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T HE
H O ME
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L
AN D
shou l d I see k f or b eaut y or f or ease
O n alien shores afar removed from mine
What is I lly ria with her oil a n d wine
Far Andalusia and the Pyrenees
O r V all om b rosa when compared to these
O ur native b eauties ! N ot the castled R hine
I s f air as Susquehanna yet we pine
For restless travel o er the illusive seas
Ah rather pluck the rich F l oridian rose
By Tampa or by Pensacola s bay
And wander where the wild magnolia b l ows
O r b y the b almy sea coast lingering stray
Where Coronado o ffers soft repose
And cliffs of Cande l aria g reet the day
W HY
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77
L A TE R
S O N NE T S
A L A ND S CA ! E
BY
R E M B R A N DT
A D RI F T o f storm obscures the upper air
And lower glows a waste of dubious light !
I t seems as if the legions of the night
Were slowly loosened from some cloudy lair
D im figures climb t h e winding cliff path stair
And lose themselves in S hadows which a ffright
The gloom is ominous and the inner sight
Sees half reveale d spectres flitting there
The sombre river lies as if asleep
Save where the boatman with his vaporous oar
Troubles the waters By the dusky shore
Two t im id c h ildr e n stand alone and still
While on the weird crest of the windy steep
Arise the white arms of the g hostly mil l
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L AT E R
T HE
S O NN E T S
B
EA S T
’
DEE P
in the earth s most fathomless pro found
I n darksome caverns where there comes no l ight
I heard a monster crawlin g through the night
And as it came its roaring shook the ground
A Shape invisible it glared around
O nly its e yes I saw
a baleful S ight
G reen blazing balls of terror and of might
Formless the horror came — a moving sound
Then when I thought the Beast would strike me dead
Prone in the dark I fell and trem b ling prayed !
Whereat d e scending from the walls above
W h ile s plendor filled the cave from over h ead
I n dazzling beauty to my eyes displayed
Appeared the white wings of the sacred D ove
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80
,
L AT E R
A
VO
ICE
F
RO M
A
S O NN ETS
T HE
I N S
M A DE
B O R D ER L A N D
-
! E
AK
S
O H,
tak e me not where northern tempests b l ow
Amid the mountains of my native shore
Where the great rivers with their thunderous roar
D ark through the pallid valleys plunging go
B ut on this golden coast where breezes low
F l oat from pacifi c seas unknown b efore
H ere let me breathe unti l my day is o er
Far from the land of lone L aurentian snow
A l as if I s o young must meet my doom
L et it be here by E speranza s lake
Where Bernardino s ran ges rise and tak e
The S plendors of the morning or where bloom
Of Pasadena s roses still may make
R emem b ered fragrance round my d y in g room
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LA
TER
T HE
S ONNETS
C O M M O N ! L AC E
the marsh a group of s ilent reeds
The rain fille d ruts reflecting heaven s deep hue
I n muddy roads an d as the dome as blue !
Some chattering snow birds clustering on the seeds
Of winter s wither e d flowers miscall e d weeds
Pale wraiths of steam from som e far factory flue
Seen at the dawn the red sun shining through
And dun clouds rolling from the iron steeds
The saw m ill that within the woodland S ings
Wistaria purpling some old whitewashed wall
A glass of water from up bubbling springs !
This simple sonnet with its lowly wings
Skimming the surface of the commonest things
E en these have pleased m e when high themes w o ul
pall
A L O NG
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82
T HE
!
UEEN
T I DE S
O F T HE
moves through heaven as the home o f light
Seeming a world beyond our own more blessed
And when her silvery S hallop seeks the West
Fain would we follow to her regions bright
But she hath yawns of D arkness black as night
R iverless canyons
sulphurous gulphs u n guessed
And o er her monstrous crater s lava crest
N ever a cloud hath poised its fl e e c y white
N o flower is there no grave
no gracious sod
N O bless e d rain within those vales of stone
She seems some incompleted thought of G od
And on that pallid orb as on a throne
Where no created thing perchance hath trod
E terna l Si l ence sits and b roods al one
S HE
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L AT ER
AN
TO
S O NN E T S
OL D
L A B O RER
looki ng from the window to the street
E ac h eve is seen an old man trudging by
I n fir m and poor with body bent awry
And h e ad bowed forward toward his tired feet
Black with the dust and sweltering with the heat
Shovelling the coals each day inc e ssantly
H e never looks from pavement to the S ky
N or any of the passers does he greet
Thus every eve through sunshine or through sleet
H e may be seen as slow he shu ffles nigh
Brave heart let me salut e you as is meet
We both are of the toilers
you and I
Y o u v e fought for seventy years against defeat
for some day you will die !
N ow victory 5 near
ON
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ON
A
!
A I N TI N G
mark at eve far outward to t h e sea
E normous cliffs that rise and grandly l oom
Monsters portentous of some direful doom
G uarding the gateways to immensity
L ow down the scarlet clouds are drifting f ree
Where dying roses of the sunset bloom
And voices as of phantoms fro m the gloom
R everberate the things that are to be
D arkness is coming from the caves of sleep
To soothe the restless b reezes and to l u ll
The crimson b illows that unceasing roll
And silence broods upon the purpling deep
Where like a disembodied wanderin g sou l
Wavers the p inion o f the lonely g ull
Y
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L AT E R S O N
HE
B U I LD S
N ETS
CITY
T HE
OF
EN O C H
Y EAR L Y I
till the vale and sow the seed
But in the furrow rots the golden grain
My labor is accursed and all in vain
The very earth revolting at my deed
G od s aith no man shall sl a y me though I plead
D a ily for death
H e placed thi s scarlet stain
U pon my brow and agonizing pain
G naws me ben e ath it
yet H e gives no heed
E noch reproacheth me
t h e guileless lad
With eyes too lik e that other long since dead
R emorse engulfs me in her sanguine flood
I build this City else I should go mad
But a s I work the frowning walls turn red
And all the towers drip crimson with kis blood
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86
.
L AT ER S O N N
T HE
FI
E L DS
E TS
OF
!
U I ET
whose wings un r uffl e d ever seem
Folded in calm across t h y p e aceful breast
Who waltest near the Throne within the West
Where are the ! uiet Fields of which we dream
Lie th e y along that molten golden stream
That flows at eve above yon mountain s crest
Are they the vales reclusive named of R est
That through the opal gateways faintly gl eam !
And then a voice in faint seraphic strain
Came drifting downward on the twilight breath
From realms unseen beyond the vesper sky
The Fields of ! uiet here ye seek in vain
Within the D ark those ashen regions lie
D eep in the kingdoms of the Monarch D eath !
S P I R I T,
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88
!
,
N I C ARAGU A
1
I
,
L AK
90 0
E o f N icarag ua l ifted here
,
H igh on the mountains from m y sister seas
H ave ye t a yearning to be j oined t o these
And feel at last my reunition near
Far o ff arise and echo silver clear
Clarions of H ope ! and on the island leas
H ymns o f return hum through my t r O pic trees
0 day so long desired soon appear
Then many a ship that floats the stripes and stars
May cross my waters as w ith angel wings
G rain laden for the famine stricken E ast
B ut battle squadrons bent on bloody wars
Shall come alas the while that senseless Beast
R amps in the hearts of Peop l es and of Kin gs
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L AT ER
T HE
S O NNE T S
DY I N G
DA Y
is thy trouble D ay in that thine eyes
Are weighted with the beauty of despair
That all t h e illusive glory of thy hair
Like a fond hop e fallaciou s fades and dies
Stabbed by the spear of empty prophecies
Become the burthens then too hard to bear !
O r does the thought of realms thou must forswear
Flood thee at eve with these m e lodious sighs
O r dost thou feel the intolerable weight
The iron crown of hours on thy head
And sadly glad
as we at evening s gate
Smil e in thy heart that thou shalt soon be dead
B ecause the S plendors of a n earlier state
And D reams a ur o r a n now are vanish e d
W H AT
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0
9
L AT ER
T HE
IN
l
e
de a r er s
S O N NE T S
V A LL E Y
f my cups h a v e
o
D REA M S
OF
se r v e d
E
L IZ
m e w e ll
.
A B E TH S TO DDARD
.
I Y EARNE D for knowledge and her starry beams
For radiance of imperial thought I sighed !
The more I searched that shining shore and wide
The further from me flowed the wondrous streams
Then in t h e cave of sleep that dimly gleams
The rudder of volition slipped aside
And night brought to me what the day denied
The rich phantasmagoria of D reams
So one at noon within a sunlit field
Peers at the blank impenetrable sky
To find his vision bound e d as with bars
Then ent e rs some deep shaft and there on high
U p through its tube of darkness sees revealed
The imperishable splendor of the stars
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9
2
.
S A MS O N
B ENT
upon l ove and beautif u l as day
Samson the youth to Timnath passed al ong !
Musing of her he hummed a desert song
When 10 a lion barred his onward way
Who would be victor in the unequal fray
H e thought O f love and laughed that h e was strong
And conquered L ittle did he deem ere l ong
That lion Passion him would heartless slay
H ow many a man in youth s supremest hour
Who fells the lions in his path will find
Some dread D elilah as the years entice !
Shorn of his will and of his pristine power
He
f ollowing the primrose path of vice
Fal l s with the fallin g temple of his mind
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L AT E R
L EA F -
IN
I
D
S O NN E T S
R I F TE D A I S L E S
L O VE
to linger on the hill side brown
When all the verdure of the year is dead
What time the sumac drops her darts of red
With some dear frien d far from the noise of town !
And pacing slowly on the S lopes look down
U pon the dreamy islands that are wed
I n bonds of b lue together while o e r h e a d
The glowing twilight settles as a crown
Sweet as this is yet I more dearly love
D eep in the umber of the woodland ways
Afar to wander silent and alone !
For ah as through the dry leaves on I move
I hear lost footsteps loved in other days
And voices touch me o f the o l d sweet tone !
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94
L AT E R
I
LIK
M ETR O P O L I S
T HE
IN
S O NNE T S
’
E not with the C ity s human stream
To be rushed onward nor t o hear the groan
O f restless hurrying masses avarice blown
Along the streets with trade their only theme
H ow can the sylvan poet dream his dream
Amid the raging Babel round him thrown
Canyons of brick paved with reverberate stone
The whirl of traffic and the shriek of steam
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But oh far o ff from all the noise of these
To pace the shores that to the soul belong
I n realms reclusive past the thought o f care
By the lone foam of sanctuary seas
To hear drift on in deeps of sunset air
The phantom caravels of deathless Son g !
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L A
ON
!
O
'
'
I IL K
S U N N I: I S
P RE S ENT I N G A
SO
N NET
ET whose Muse beneath the southern vin e
,
H ath trod where fond Alpheus softly flows
To j oin his Arethusa w h ere she rose
I n that famed I sle of olives and of wine
Thou who wast called by the Pierian N ine
And lov st the E nna shepherd as he goes
F luting mid heif e rs where the herds repose
Along the valleys lost t o Proserpine
Thou who with rare Theocritus communed
I n sweet Sicil ian dales far o ff and dim
D eign to accept this all unworthy lay
From one
least of the train whose harps are tuned
To Poesy
this page of Song from him
Who l ove s like thee the D ori ans pa ssed away
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97
L AT ER
A
F LI
S O NN E T S
GHT
DOW
N W AR D
vermi l ion ridges that upstand
H igh barriers between H e ll and Paradise
I stood beside the Angel while mine eyes
Peered down into the ever dreaded land
Where souls still b ear the torment of the banned
Then sa w I there my love
whom in the skies
O f H eaven I thought
enduring agonies
Why is she there ! of him I made demand
Then he G od j udged her gui l ty of a sin
Ages she has to su ffer
I replied
While in my eager ear he spake its name
L O I will fly to earth from whence I came
I will commit that crime like doom to win
And find my heaven in sufferin g by her side
U PO N
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L AT E R
S O NNE T S
E S TRAN G E D
the sunshine of y our gracious smi l e
I spread my leaves and rapturously gre w
R earing my towering branches to the blue
Because your nature seemed so sweet the while
And though I would not your fair fame revile
The curre nt of your being which I knew
H as changed and I am wasti n g from your V iew
Worn by the slow abrasion of your guile
So some al luvial island in mid stream
Bowery with elm and bending sycamore
That kissed the summer waters in a dream
1 5 by a change of channel made the prey
O f currents whose corrosions gnaw the shore
And waste it irretrievably away
WI T H I N
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I OO
ARR I VA L
I N C O MM E M O
W IL L I
O F T HE
RA T I O N
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IN
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EL CO ME
A N DI N G
E NN S Y L V A N I A
O F T HE
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FI R S T L
OF
HO W beautiful she looked in that far day
With all her canvas flying in the breeze
The stately Welcome from the stormy seas
Wafted on dove like wings along the bay
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Peace on the E arth her fluttering pennons say
And from her deck a voice
G ood will to men
For he had come the courtly ! uaker Penn
Full o f his dream of philanthropic sway
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And must the feet o f Progress ever be
I ncarnadined b y still recurring wars
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While from her path is swept each bar b arous horde
O h may this L and now under thrall of Mars
E nd her red slaughter by the Asian sea
And sheathe her once inviolable sword
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I OI
L AT ER
A
W I
S O NNE T S
NTER F L I G H T
I
wintry winds are howl ing round my home
O n Appalachian uplands drear and white
I love to spread my spirit s wing in flight
And through D e L e on s flowery land to roam
I soar by Fernandina where the dome
I s azure as our Summer s or alight
Where inland A r r e do n ia n pines invite
O r skim the marge by Sarasota s foam
B y E spanola many a moss hung dell
Allures me onward o er the sunny ground
I touch at Punta G orda where the swell
Sways lazily the shipping outward b ound
O r rest my wings awhile at Carrabelle
N ear Apalachicola s silver sound
W H EN
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I OZ
L AT ER
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S O N NE T S
N V O C AT I O N
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O GUARDI AN of the sought for sacred fire !
Mother of S plendors springing from the mind !
I mperial I nventre ss let me find
Melodious solace great as my desire
G rant me to waken thy impassioned lyre
To most m e llifl ue n t music and unbind
The bands of sil ence ! oh once more be kind
E en unto me t h e least among thy choir !
Spirit of deathless Poesy and D reams
Stoop down above me all the day and night
Be ever near the while I draw this brea th
O h flood me with thy visionar y light
And make me vocal with thy starry themes
Before the final aphony of death
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I O4
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N V O C AT I O N
II
O B REAT H
of G odhead voicing m y steries
That mortal men unheeding seldom hear
Fain would my spirit bend a reverent ear
To feast upon Thy heavenly harmonies !
C ome through the sunset gates or on the breeze
Memnonian murmur to me spirit clear
Breathe solace and dispel this lifelong tear
B y mystic music sweeter than the sea s
G ive to this essence flaming S eraph wings
O r burn it incense like to Thee and Thine
U pon Thy altar with its purging fire
Strike Thou at last from out these tremblin g strin g s
Apocalypses of the I nner Shrine
O B reath o f G od mak e o f my soul Th y ly re !
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