96
MYSTERIES: LYRICAL AND DRAMATIC
To those young groves of olive by the shore,
The spring-clad shore we seek
That slopes to yonder peak
Snow-clad, bright-gleaming, as the silver ore
Plucked? by pale fingers slow
In balmy Mexico,
A king on thunder throned, his diadem
The ruby rocks that flash
The sunlight like a lash
When sunlight touches, and sweeps over
them
A crown of light! Behold!
The white seas touch the gold,
And flame like flowers of fire about the
prow.
It is the hour for sleep :—
Lulled by the moveless deep
To sleep, sweet wife, to sleep! Yes, kiss
me now !
Vv.
THE ULTIMATE VOYAGE?
THE wandering waters move about the world,
And lap the sand, with quietest complaint
Borne on the wings of dying breezes up,
To where we make toward the wooded top
Of yonder menacing hill. The night is fallen
Starless and moonless, black beyond belief,
Tremendous, only just the ripple keeps
Our souls from perishing in the inane,
With music borrowed from the soul of God.
We twain go thither, knowing no desire
To lead us 3 but some strong necessity
Urges, as lightning thunder, our slow steps
Upward. For on the pleasant meadow-land
That slopes to sunny bays, and limpid seas
(That breathe like maidens-sleeping, for their
breast
Is silver with the sand that lies below,)
Where our storm-strengthened dragon rests
at last,
1 Referring to the story of the accidental
discovery of the mine of Potosi by a man who,
plucking a plant, found its roots shining with
silver.
2 "Yhe Spiritual Journey towards the Supreme
IWnowledge which is life and bliss.
And by whose borders we have made a home,
More like a squirrel’s bower than a house.
For in this blue Sicilian summertime
The trees arch tenderly for lovers’ sleep,
And all the interwoven leaves are fine
To freshen us with dewdrops at the dawn,
Or let the summer shower sing through to us,
And welcome kisses of the silver rain
That raps and rustles in the solitude.
But in the night there came to us a cry:
‘‘The mountains are your portion, and the
hills
Your temple, and you are chosen.”
woke
Pondering, and my lover woke and said :
‘*T heard a voice of one majestical
With waving beard, most ancient, beautiful,
Concealed and not concealed ;! and I awoke,
Feeling a strong compulsion on my soul
To go some whither.”” And the dreams were
one
(We somehow knew), and, looking such a
kiss
«As lovers’ eyes can interchange, our lips
Met in the mute agreement to obey.
So, girding on our raiment, as to pass
Some whither of long doubtful journeying,
We went forth blindly to the horrible
Damp darkness of the pines above.
there
Strange beasts crossed path of ours, such
beasts as earth
Bears not, distorted, tortured, loathable,
Mouthing with hateful lips some recent blood,
Or snarling at our feet. But these attacked
No courage of our hearts, we faltered not,
And they fell back, snake’s mouth and
leopard’s throat,
Afraid. But others fawning came behind
With clumsy leapings as in friendliness,
Dogs with men’s faces, and we beat them off
With scabbard, and the hideous path wound
on.
And these perplexed our goings, for no light
Gleamed through the bare pine-ruins lava-
struck,
Then I
And
1 Macroprosopus.