For the acts correspond; And again on the knee of a mild Mystery O DEATH, O BEYOND, A LAY OF THE EARLY ROSE discordance that can accord. A ROSE Once grew within In her loneness, in her loneness, A white rose delicate On a tall bough and straight: Early comer, early comer, Never waiting for the summer. Her pretty gestes did win South winds to let her in, In her loneness, in her loneness, All the fairer for that oneness. 'For if I wait,' said she, 'Till time for roses be,For the moss-rose and the musk-rose, Maiden-blush and royal-dusk rose,— 'What glory then for me Nay, let me in,' said she, 'For I would lonely stand 'Upon which lifted sign, What addressing, what caressing, 'A windlike joy will rush Through every tree and bush, Bending softly in affection And spontaneous benediction. 'Insects, that only may To my whiteness, to my whiteness, 'And every moth and bee, Approach me reverently, Wheeling o'er me, wheeling o'er me, Coronals of motioned glory. 'Three larks shall leave a cloud, To my whiter beauty vowed, Singing gladly all the moontide, Never waiting for the suntide. 'Ten nightingales shall flee Their woods for love of me, Singing sadly all the suntide, Never waiting for the moontide. 'I ween the very skies Will look down with surprise, When low on earth they see me With my starry aspect dreamy. 'And earth will call her flowers To hasten out of doors; By their curtsies and sweet-smelling, To give grace to my foretelling.' So praying, did she win South winds to let her in, But ah,-alas for her! No tree nor bush was seen The little flies did crawl Along the southern wall, Faintly shifting, faintly shifting And what thanks and praise and blessing! | Wings scarce long enough for lifting. The lark, too high or low, I ween, did miss her so, With his nest down in the gorses, And his song in the star-courses. The nightingale did please Only the bee, forsooth, The skies looked coldly down As on a royal crown ; Then with drop for drop, at leisure, They began to rain for pleasure. Whereat the Earth did seem To waken from a dream, Winter-frozen, winter-frozen, Her unquiet eyes unclosing Said to the Rose, 'Ha, Snow! 'Holla, thou world-wide snow! 'Vaunting to come before Our own age evermore, In a loneness, in a loneness, And the nobler for that oneness. 'Holy in voice and heart, To high ends, set apart! All unmated, all unmated, Just because so consecrated. 'But if alone we be, Where is our empery? And if none can reach our stature, Who can mete our lofty nature? 'What bell will yield a tone, 'What angel, but would seem 'And thus, what can we do, 'Drop leaf-be silent song! Cold things we come among: We must warm them, we must warm them, Ere we ever hope to charm them. 'Howbeit' (here his face Lightened around the place,- 'Something it is, to hold 'Whether that form respect 'Holy, in me and thee, Rose fallen from the tree,— Though the world stand dumb around us, All unable to expound us. 'Though none us deign to bless, Blessed are we, nathless; Blessed still and consecrated, In that, rose, we were created. 'Oh, shame to poet's lays, Sung for the dole of praise,Hoarsely sung upon the highway With that obolum da mihi! 'Shame, shame to poet's soul Pining for such a dole, When Heaven-chosen to inherit The high throne of a chief spirit! 'Sit still upon your thrones, O ye poetic ones! And if, sooth, the world decry you, Let it pass unchallenged by you! 'Ye to yourselves suffice, Without its flatteries. Self-contentedly approve you Unto HIM who sits above you, 'In prayers-that upward mount Like to a fair-sunned fount Which, in gushing back upon you, Hath an upper music won you. 'In faith-that still perceives No rose can shed her leaves, Far less, poet fall from mission, With an unfulfilled fruition. 'In hope that apprehends 'In thanks for all the good 'For sights of things away For life, so lovely-vain, For death, which breaks the chain,For this sense of present sweetness,And this yearning to completeness!' II The tempest stretches from the steep Yet, while the cloud-wheels roll and grind, We spirits tremble under!The hills have echoes, but we find No answer for the thunder. III We meet together at the feast, Be pitiful, O God! We name delight, and pledge it round- The battle hurtles on the plains, IV The plague runs festering through the And never a bell is tolling, V The plague of gold strikes far and near, Makes madder than the centaur's: Our thoughts grow blank, our words grow strange, We cheer the pale gold-diggersEach soul is worth so much on 'Change, And marked, like sheep, with figures. Be pitiful, O God! VI The curse of gold upon the land VIII Be pitiful, O God! Oval cheeks encoloured faintly, Which two blue eyes undershine, Though too calm, you think, and tender, For the childhood you would lend her. Yet child simple, undefiled, Frank, obedient,—waiting still On the turnings of your will. Moving light, as all young things, As young birds, or early wheat, When the wind blows over it. Only, free from flutterings Of loud mirth that scorneth measureTaking love for her chief pleasure. Choosing pleasures, for the rest, Which come softly-just as she, When she nestles at your knee. Quiet talk she liketh best, In a bower of gentle looks,- He would sing of her with falls He would paint her unaware And if reader read the poem, He would whisper-You have done a And a dreamer (did you show him That same picture) would exclaim, |