New Poems | Page 7

thy spousal universe?Art Husband, she thy Wife and Church;?Who in most dusk and vidual curch,?Her Lord being hence,?Keeps her cold sorrows by thy hearse.?The heavens renew their innocence?And morning state?But by thy sacrament communicate:?Their weeping night the symbol of our prayers,?Our darkened search,?And sinful vigil desolate.?Yea, biune in imploring dumb,?Essential Heavens and corporal Earth await,?The Spirit and the Bride say: Come!?Lo, of thy Magians I the least?Haste with my gold, my incenses and myrrhs,?To thy desired epiphany, from the spiced?Regions and odorous of Song's traded East.?Thou, for the life of all that live?The victim daily born and sacrificed;?To whom the pinion of this longing verse?Beats but with fire which first thyself did give,?To thee, O Sun--or is't perchance, to Christ?
Ay, if men say that on all high heaven's face?The saintly signs I trace?Which round my stol-ed altars hold their solemn place,?Amen, amen! For oh, how could it be,--?When I with wing-ed feet had run?Through all the windy earth about,?Quested its secret of the sun,?And heard what thing the stars together shout,--?I should not heed thereout?Consenting counsel won:-?'By this, O Singer, know we if thou see.?When men shall say to thee: Lo! Christ is here,?When men shall say to thee: Lo! Christ is there,?Believe them: yea, and this--then art thou seer,?When all thy crying clear?Is but: Lo here! lo there!--ah me, lo everywhere!'
{1} The earth.
NEW YEAR'S CHIMES.
What is the song the stars sing??(And a million songs are as song of one.)?This is the song the stars sing:?Sweeter song's none.
One to set, and many to sing,?(And a million songs are as song of one),?One to stand, and many to cling,?The many things, and the one Thing,?The one that runs not, the many that run.
The ever new weaveth the ever old?(And a million songs are as song of one).?Ever telling the never told;?The silver saith, and the said is gold,?And done ever the never done.
The chase that's chased is the Lord o' the chase?(And a million songs are as song of one),?And the pursued cries on the race;?And the hounds in leash are the hounds that run.
Hidden stars by the shown stars' sheen;?(And a million suns are but as one);?Colours unseen by the colours seen,?And sounds unheard heard sounds between,?And a night is in the light of the sun.
An ambuscade of light in night,?(And a million secrets are but as one),?And a night is dark in the sun's light,?And a world in the world man looks upon.
Hidden stars by the shown stars' wings,?(And a million cycles are but as one),?And a world with unapparent strings?Knits the simulant world of things;?Behold, and vision thereof is none.
The world above in the world below?(And a million worlds are but as one),?And the One in all; as the sun's strength so?Strives in all strength, glows in all glow?Of the earth that wits not, and man thereon.
Braced in its own fourfold embrace?(And a million strengths are as strength of one),?And round it all God's arms of grace,?The world, so as the Vision says,?Doth with great lightning-tramples run.
And thunder bruiteth into thunder,?(And a million sounds are as sound of one),?From stellate peak to peak is tossed a voice of wonder,?And the height stoops down to the depths thereunder,?And sun leans forth to his brother-sun.
And the more ample years unfold?(With a million songs as song of one),?A little new of the ever old,?A little told of the never told,?Added act of the never done.
Loud the descant, and low the theme,?(A million songs are as song of one);?And the dream of the world is dream in dream,?But the one Is is, or nought could seem;?And the song runs round to the song begun.
This is the song the stars sing,?(Ton-ed all in time);?Tintinnabulous, tuned to ring?A multitudinous-single thing,?Rung all in rhyme.
FROM THE NIGHT OF FOREBEING.?An ode after Easter.
In the chaos of preordination, and night of our forebeings.--
SIR THOMAS BROWNE.
Et lux in tenebris erat, et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt.--
ST. JOHN.
Cast wide the folding doorways of the East,?For now is light increased!?And the wind-besomed chambers of the air,?See they be garnished fair;?And look the ways exhale some precious odours,?And set ye all about wild-breathing spice,?Most fit for Paradise.?Now is no time for sober gravity,?Season enough has Nature to be wise;?But now discinct, with raiment glittering free,?Shake she the ringing rafters of the skies?With festal footing and bold joyance sweet,?And let the earth be drunken and carouse!?For lo, into her house?Spring is come home with her world-wandering feet,?And all things are made young with young desires;?And all for her is light increased?In yellow stars and yellow daffodils,?And East to West, and West to East,?Fling answering welcome-fires,?By dawn and day-fall, on the jocund hills.?And ye, winged minstrels of her fair meinie,?Being newly coated in glad livery,?Upon her steps attend,?And round her treading dance and without end?Reel your shrill lutany.?What popular breath her coming does out-tell?The garrulous