LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Cliap..!.**?., Copyright No.. ._ Shelf.L.K3.G% UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The ricup de Lb Poeb. = 9 AN OATEN FIFE • f PY- JAMES- P KENYON. S^M> '^ NEW YORK. J. 5BLWIM TAIT ANP 50IS5. NVinPDR SIXTY- FIVE FIFTH AVENVE. • i • * JAt'i 2 IS"-, Copyright, 1895, BV J. SELUIN TAIT & SONS, New York, And whilst his py-bald curre did sleepe, And sheepe-hooke lay him by, On hollow quilles of oten straw He pyped melody. Argentile and Curan. And pyping still he spent the day, So merry as the popingay. Dcnusabell. The Smmner^s siirf against my feet In leagues of foam-'iuhite daisies beat ; A long tlie bank-side, ivhere I lay. Poured down tlie golden tides of day ; A vine above me ^vove its screen Of leafy shadows cool and gree7i. While, faintly as a fairy bell. Upon the vturmurous silence fell Tlie babbling of a slender stream In the smeet troid>le of its dream. Then as the poppied noon did steep The breathing world i7i fumes of sleep, I shaped with fingers dro^vsed and slow An oaten pipe w/iereon to blow. CONTENTS. The Reveler 3 The Racers 5 Garden Ghosts 6 Nocturne 7 Absent 8 The Bridal Morning 9 The Inn 10 The Dawn of Womanhood 11 Children of Yesterday 13 Hylas and Hercules 15 A South Wind 18 The Rover 19 A utumn 20 Chanson du Matin 21 The Lost Voyage 22 His Own Received Him Not 23 Come Slowly, Paradise 24 The Human Need 25 A Song of the Wood 26 A Book-Pressed Violet 32 The Blessed Isles 34 iv Contents. To Her Watch 36 Heaven Near 37 I Would My Song Were Like a Star 38 Cupid's Arrows 39 The Captive 41 To a Child 43 An Immortelle 44 Salome 47 Arethusa 49 The Cruise 52 Nameless Graves 53 Rosalind's Song 56 Morning by Ontario 57 An Ocean Burial 58 Sorrow-Blind 60 A Song of May 63 QUATRAINS Moonlight 64 Nature 64 Art 65 On the Cliff 65 A Prophecy 66 A Volume of Verse 66 Carlyle 67 A Modern Joust 67 Truth 68 Carpe Diem 68 Music 69 A Challenge , 69 Contents. v The Cure-Alls 70 Rest-Time 70 Love and Beauty 71 Minstrels of Dawn 71 The Miser Year 72 A Shooting Star 72 The Bedouins of the Skies 73 An Epitaph 73 The Guest 74 Farringf ord 75 Nature's Renewing 79 Laborare est Orare 81 A Nativity 83 Song of the Vaudois Exiles 85 The Specter 86 An Hour-Glass 88 The Advent 90 Love gives its All 91 Her Violin 92 A Colonial Ambuscade 94 A Puzzle 96 Canticle 97 Hygeia 98 Forgiven 99 The Night Angel loo His Confession T02 TiUOnoliu 103 A Vanished Face 104 A Vesper Prayer 105 vi Contents. Seaward io6 Easter Morning io8 The Milkmaid no At Sunset in In the Cloister 113 The Dividing of the Ways 117 Sappho 119 After a Fragment of Sappho's 121 A City Thoroughfare 122 Pereunt et Imputantur 125 On Judah's Hills.. 126 Content 127 A Protest 128 Her Coming 130 The Gypsy Queen 132 After the Feast 133 " O graceful Amaryllis, — regard, I pray you, my heart-griev- ing pain. I would I could become your buzzing bee, and so enter into your cave, penetrating the ivy and the ferns, with which you are covered in." — Theocritus, '" Idyl III." He shrilled his fife and woke my dream ; I heard his music clear and thin ; And then I found beside the stream The flower-bell that he reveled in. The clouds were floating high and white; A laggard breeze began to play ; Along the bank-side poured the light From out the lavish heart of day. I knew that where the nectar pressed Up from the blossom's perfumed cell, There I should find the tipsy guest, His pining drowned in hydromel. 3 Bn ©aten Ipfpe. O wassailer of the summer's prime ! Gone are the goatherds from the plain ; Across the fields of purple thyme The yellow sunlight streams in vain. Drink to thy lover's memory ; Theocritus is in his grave Beneath the far Sicilian sky, And by the murmuring, sun-kissed wave. Bn ©aten pipe. ©he '^Mtx^, Time at my elbow plucks me sore ; Yet I'll not slack my pace to hear The one sad word which, o'er and o'er, He whispers in my ear. Upon my hair he dusts his rime ; I shake my head full laughingly, For howsoever fleet be Time, He shall not outstrip me. 2ln ©aten BMpc. Two moon-white moths are fluttering Athwart the haunted gloom ; I watch them waver, wing to wing, Past many a spectral bloom. No footfall wakes these mossy walks ; The mist's thin streamers trail. From twisted shrubs and writhen stalks, Round all the coppice pale. Low winds amid the leaves complain ; The firefly's wizard spark Makes mimic lightning where yon twain Go wandering down the dark. And still they flutter side by side, As night's chill currents flow. To that lone tryst-place where they died Long centuries ago. 6 Bn Oaten ipipe. The silver shallop of the moon Is havened in the west ; The river trolls a ceaseless tune About her place of rest. Warm sleep hath sealed her gentle eyes, And round her, vestal white, Sweet dreams and winge'd fantasies Are hovering all the night. A wandering air, soft as a kiss, And burdened with perfume, Steals faint with its own stress of bliss Into her virgin room. Be this my wish : bright spirits keep The current of her dreams, And ever o'er her lilied sleep The good stars shed their beams. Bn ©aten pipe. She comes not, though I tarry long ; The house is not the same ; And every echoing chamber speaks Her dear famiUar name. She is not here, but many a mute And fond remembrancer, Like subtle odors, pure and fine, Breathe memories of her. Bn ©atcn pipe. ^hc §ridal P(rtnin0. O DEWY splendor of the morn, Fall lightly on yon vine-wreathed pane ; Thou honey-gatherer, wind thy horn To tell her day has come again. The shadows of the night are fled; The mists are lifted from the lawn ; From peak to peak a shaft is sped Straight from the kindling heart of dawn, O morning, on her sealed eyes Print the sweet magic of thy kiss ; Breathe softly on her where she lie^, And wake her to the nearing bliss. Bn ©atcn iPipe. ^U ftttt. How quiet is this mossy inn Where weary travelers lie, Unheeding how the morns begin, And how the sunsets die. Here are no sounds of reveling, Here is no flaring light ; Here no fair maids with laughter bring The tankards foaming bright. The guests sleep long, the lights are out ; No bustling landlord calls His serving-men with cheery shoul Along the echoing halls. Who come to this still inn abide Through cycles deep and sweet ; And while the seasons o'er them glide, They rest their tired feet. lo Bn <^aten ipipe. ®hc §^\vn of Wamauhoott. What ! have my rosebud's petals ail Unsealed their musky treasures? My little maid, grown sweet and tall, Now clasps a woman's pleasures ? Ah, sure it was but yesterday I heard her birdlike singing, And in the fields her childish play Set frolic echoes ringing. Now all the glory of her hair In golden coils is lying Crown-like above her forehead fair; Ah, how I loved it flying Like amber spray about her throat, When through the sunny shadows She fairy-like did lightly float Across the daisied meadows. Bn ®aten IPipe. Now little loves on velvet wings, Like bees above a blossom, Hover with timid flutterings About her virgin bosom. Her frock creeps downward to her feet Her dreams grow fondly human ; Ah, one more kiss as child, my sweet, Ere 1 confess you woman. 12 Hn ©atcn ©ipc. mWAvtn of IfSitctaaa. For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow. — Job viii. 9. Chide not that these poor lips of ours Smile not with yours that are so fair; When falls the frost the fading flowers Scarce keep their dream of summer air ; Our hearts are chill, our memories sad, Our laughter is no longer gay ; The songs we sing are never glad — Alas ! we are of yesterday. The skies that o'er us bend their blue Gleam not as did the skies of yore ; The eyes and cheeks of winsome hue, The beauty that our darlings wore. We shall not see on earth again. Our pulses faint, our heads are gray ; You woo us with your joy in vain — Alas ! we are of yesterday. 13 Bn ©aten pipe. The hands that once our own did clasp. With twining fingers warm and sweet, Have slipped from out our trembling grasp, And lie where lie the quiet feet That in the old bright days did run To meet ours in love's primrose way ; Now mists o'ercloud the evening sun — Alas ! we are of yesterday. O eyes like midnight stars that glow, And lips that still like rosebuds ope, And ye within whose breasts of snow Still carols clear the bird of hope, Your freshness, as of morning, keep ; Gather love's harvest while ye may ; But we, ah, we no longer reap — Alas ! we are of yesterday. 14 Bn ®atcn pipe. lytaisi and 'gtvtnU^. In sooth the boy was holding over the fountain an urn that miglit contain a copious draught, hastening to plunge it; when they all clung to his hand : for love for the Argive boy had encircled the tender heaits of them all : and he fell sheer into the black water, like as when a ruddy star hath fallen from the sky sheer into the sea. . . . The Nymphs indeed holding on their knees the weeping boy, began to console him with gentle words ; whilst the son of Amphitiyon, disturbed about the lad, went, with his well-bent bow and arrows after the Scythian fashion, and the club which his right hand ever used to hold. Thrice indeed he shouted Hylas to the full depth of his throat, and thrice, I wot, the boy heard : and a thin voice came from the water ; but though very near he seetned to be afar off.— Theocritus, Idyl XIII., translation of J. Uanks. Down the aisle he singing goes Where the gurgling water flows, Where the swaying rushes are, In his arms the brazen jar. Never yet was boy so fair : Swallow-wort and maiden-hair, Parsley-bloom and green couch-grass, Iviss his white feet as they pass. IS Bn ©aten pipe. Now he bends above the tide Mirror-clear from side to side, Drops upon his glowing knees, And his own bright image sees, O how placid is the pool ! O how sweet the waters cool ! Ah, how good it were to rest In the fountain's flowing breast, Nevermore to rise and dip With the wandering, brine-blanched ship. Hark ! they call him from the strand ; So he thrusts with eager hand, Through the water-weeds and fern, In the wave his bubbling urn. Lo, before his witched eyes Ivory bosoms flash and rise, Faces sweeter than a dream Smile upon him from the stream, And soft fingers, light as mist. Twine about his yielding wrist. Slowly, slowly downward sink. Lower than the spring's green brink, To the fountain's pebbly bed, Wondering eyes and shining head, i6 an ©aten pipe. " Hylas ! Hylas ! " rings the cry Through the woodland mournfully, Ever startling beast and bird, Though no boyish shout be heard Answering him whose weary quest Drives him onward without rest, Upon and down this alien coast, Seeking still the loved and lost. Vain thy search, O hapless one, Sad son of Amphitryon, For the lad shall nevermore Greet thee on a mortal shore. 17 Bn ©aten ipipc. A ROMPING wind blew from the south, And woke the dreaming wood ; It kissed the rose's crimson mouth ; Rumpled the poppy's hood ; It crisped the waters of the brook ; Loosed pine-scents on the air; And round her pallid temples shook The dead girl's silken hair. an ©aten Pipe. Over, ay over, 'tis over, Gone with its dew and its bloom, Gone with the rose and the lover, Gone with its hght and perfume. Over, ay, summer is over ; Days for the wooing were brief, Brief for the bird and the lover, Brief for the sun and the leaf. Over, ay over, 'tis over ; Vanished its laughter and song; Summer departs like a rover ; Ah ! winter shall bide with us long 19 Bn Qatcn pipe. gtutumn. Her's is the mellow booming of the flail, The flaming bough, the sunset-crimsoned rill; O'er every field her smoky banners trail ; She sets her ruby sign on every hill. Her garments, drifting o'er the fallen leaves. Are freaked with spurted purple of the vats; And as she glides amid the amber sheaves Her locks flow down in golden cata- racts. There melts a honey-murmur on her lips ; Her throat is tanned, her eyes are sunny- clear ; She moves forever in a soft eclipse, The rustic darling of the doting year. Bn ©aten iPipc. ©fcattieioit (Itt Patitt. Morning, morning everywhere ! Morning on the misty wood, Morning on the gleaming flood, ^lorning on the drowsy street, Morning o'er the meadows sweet ; Skies are fresh and earth is fair ; Morning, morning everywhere ! Music, music everywhere ! Sad the watches of the night ; Glad the coming of the light ; Now a thousand voices wake, Now a thousand bosoms shake ; Hope dawns in the eyes of care ; Music, music everywhere ! 21 Bn ©aten pipe. Out of the darkling sunset-sea, Out of the windy sky, My ship comes toiling home to me, Climbing the billows high. She wearily mounts the dim sea-line. Treading the foam-wastes down ; Her breast is blanched with the bitter brine ; The spume is round her blown. In alien deeps she has dipt her spars ; She has swept from strand to strand ; Her crew have ransacked strange bazaars In many a sunburnt land. But well I know, on this evening shore, My ship brings not to me The treasure sought, — and nevermore Shall she put out to sea. 22 Bn ®aten pipe. iiisi (^vcn ^tttivtA pirn |lot. No, not the cross on which He hung, Nor blood that wet each bitter thorn, Nor cruel scourgings of hate's tongue, Nor yet the writhing thief's hot scorn — Not these His cup of woe could crown ; But that which crushed His heart with pain Was, that He came unto His own, And to them came, alas ! in vain. 23 Bn ©aten IMpe. O DAWN upon me slowly, Paradise ! Come not too suddenly, Lest my just-opened, unaccustomed eyes Smitten with blindness be. To those who from Time's penury and woe Rise to thy heights afar, Down which the floods of glory fall and flow, Too great thy splendors are. So grow upon me slowly ; sweetly break Across death's silent deep. Till to thy morning brightness I shall wake As one from happy sleep. 24 Bn ©atcn BMpc. Along the snow-fed rivers of the north Ne'er waves a flower, or fern, or fronded palm ; There every frosty stream, and frozen firth. Lies locked in white, unchanging, icy calm. But where the spice-winds fan the orange groves, And trailing vines sway as the waters sway. Is heard the sound of many a voice that loves, Fluting its song through all the happy day. O God, if in Thy heaven, where all is pure, Peace shall infold us like a polar sea, Here in this changeful world let me endure. Where still warm human love can come to me. 25 Hn ©aten Iplpc. ^ ipe. Who plucked this faded, scentless thing From that moist nook wherein it grew, Kissed by the first mild breath of Spring, And fed by April sun and dew? Perchance light fingers touched its meek Blue petals, as with loving care It pressed some sick girl's pallid cheek. Or nestled in her silken hair. Perchance in language sweet and strange It spake what words had ne'er expressed- The gentle love that should not change. The hopes that budded in the breast. Where are the hands that placed it here ? Where are the eyes that bent above This yellowing page with many a tear, In memory of the old-time love ? 32 Bn Ontcn Pipe. Perchance far hence, in alien ways, Her feet may walk because they must ; Or one by one the circling days May glide above her sacred dust. And still the Spring comes as of old, And still the punctual south-winds blow In perfumed aisles the buds unfold, And on the wood-banks violets grow. And still the birds flute in the boughs. Still fields are green and violets blue ; And love repeats its world-old vows. And some are false, and some are true. 33 Bn ©aten ©ipe. (Thousand Islands.) Here beneath the violet skies Dream the isles of Paradise ; Where the sapphire waters run, Dimpling in the summer sun, Countless white-winged shallops dance O'er the river's broad expanse. In this lotus-realm of peace Life's sad mysteries find surcease ; Here the heart grows calm again, After tempest, tears and pain, And the soul's o'erclouded cope Gleams with rainbow smiles of hope. Let the frenzied world pass by. Cheat and wrangle, fight and lie ; Here across life's turbid tide Tranquil influences glide From the drowsy hush that broods O'er these charmed solitudes. 34 a»i ©aten Pipe. Not Avilion's meadowed calm Could afford such sovran balm For the eye distempered, blind, And the self-sick, jaundiced mind, As these billowy isles where play Healing breezes day by day. Lov^e the shy forgets to wear His accustomed fillet here, And his eyes with rapture smile O'er each leaf-embowered isle ; He this haunt his own has made, And within the dappled shade, When is stilled the oar's light beat, You may hear his accents sweet, As again the story old Into happy ears is told, O my spirit, long unblest, Fold thy wings, here take thy rest. 35 2ln ©atcn Pipe. g0 let ^atcfe. Oh happy watch, to lie in her bosom so, Counting the hours in that delicious nest. Hearing her gentle pulses ebb and flow, Rocked by the motions of her dove-white breast — Were I thy jewelled self a little space, I scarce should heed how Time, the winged churl, flies ; And when above me bent her radiant face, I'd smile into the heaven of her eyes. 36 Bn ©aten IPtpc. How very near my heaven lies ! Who seeks may find the place Within the azure of her eyes, The radiance of her face. And of my perfect happiness, How near the charmed land ! 'Tis there where goes her whispering dress, Where glimmers her white hand. 37 an ©aten pipe. i 'mom Pa ^ong %Vm ^iU » <^tav. I WOULD my song were like a star Hung in the purple depths afar, To. lead her eyes, through gates of even. Along the kindling paths of heaven. I would my song were like a rose From whose sweet heart the perfur flows ; Then on her bosom it might lie, And, breathing fragrant music, die 38 Bn Qatcn pipe. Phebe, wandering in a wood, Chanced to spy Dan Cupid sleeping ; Long the curious maiden stood Tiptoe through the branches peeping. For the youngster's lips she yearned, Till, the branches parting slyly. She to slake her thirst that burned Stooped and kissed the rogue's mouth shyly. Now the boy's eyes open wide, And upon the maid he gazes, Grasps an arrow at his side, And his silver bow upraises. Swift the maiden turns to flee ; Swift the arrow follows after, Wounding in its flight a tree ; Hark ! how rings the maid's clear laugh- ter. 39 Bn Oaten pipe. Cupid, with sleep-dazzled eyes, Stares a moment through the bushes Where the laughing maid still flies, Then adown the wood he rushes. Now the shaft o'ertakes the quarry, Now it cleaves poor Phebe's heart : Maidens, ere you wake Love, tarry First to filch his every dart. 40 Sn ©atcn pipe. ®h« (Kaptiic. Whither fare you, Dimple-cheek, Sad and slow ? Why that pale and pensive face As you go ? In your downcast, wistful eyes Half concealed a shadow lies ; — Clouds are in the gusty skies, Trailing low. Leaves are fallen, flowers are dead ; Now the day Clean forgets the smiles it wore When 'twas May ; Why then should your lingering feet Pass where frost and flower meet ? Not a bird-song ripples. Sweet, Down the way. Ah 1 'twas here the gin was set ; Here the dart Pierced thee — here the snare was spread By love's art. 41 Bn Ontcn pipe. Like a bird that cannot sing, While it trails a broken wing, — Bruised, fluttering, captive thing, — Droops your heart. And it throbs, and will not rest ; Throbs in vain ; And you come with aching breast. Come again Where love's honeyed words were said, When the sky was blue o'erhead ; — Ah, the moments that are fled ! Ah, the pain ! But, O summer's darling, wait ; What though now Birds are mute, and madcap winds Strip each bough ? Hastes this way the budding year When, despite each darkling fear, Hope shall place her chrism, Dear, On your brow. 42 Bn Oaten pipe. ®0 a mm. O LITTLE hands and little feet, O little heart whose pulses beat With rhythmic motions, full and sweet ! Soon — ah, how soon ! — O tender one, Shall winter frost and summer sun Waste thy young life, as seasons run. Come hither, press thy soft red lips To mine, before the rude world nips The blossoms from the fragile slips. Not far away the city lies Where all who journey pilgrim-wise Close in the dusk their tired eyes. Keep in thy heart the morning song ; Life's longest journey is not long ; Sing and fare on, be brave and strong. 43 Bn ©aten pipe. 'TwAS here she lay ; amid the pillows white Glimmered her thin sweet face and violet eyes; Sometimes she watched yon moving square of light, Or through the window scanned the wist- ful skies. Outside the casement tiger-lilies swayed, And flickering shadows wavered o'er the sill. As through the vines the frolic breezes played. Bringing faint scents of mignonette and dill. 44 Bn ©aten pipe. Sometimes, flashed o'er her rose-pale lips, would come A sudden smile when through its circling bars Her happy warbler, from its wicker home, Poured forth its song amid the jasmine stars. There are the plants she loved : as gracious skies Shed grateful drops upon the thirsty flowers, So these knew well her gentle ministries, For day by day she brought them fresh- ening showers. Their leaves are drooping now ; the bird is dumb ; Outside the sill no tiger-lilies wave ; The vines are sere and dead ; the snow is come, And round her tomb the winds of winter rave. 45 an But in oar heaits perpetaal smiaer bieadies; Hex presence sdll like perfome fills the Tot as flie buds slip from tJjOT vdret sheathes, She soAty bcigeoDed in:: cri±'.tss UOGOL 46 an ©aten pipe. ipe. That erstwhile, all unawed before the seat Of kings, did dare proclaim sin's loath- some fruit ; Yet, hapless woman ! o'er thee doom-clouds meet, And fateful lightnings of God's anger shoot. 48 Bn i^aten Pipe. Ah, now I lay my parched lips to thine, That I may quench my blood's consum- ing fire ; Swiftly I kneel where fainting winds sus- pire, And odors o'er the earth are spilt like wine, That I may touch thy cool soft cheek with mine. And heal the poignant hurts of my desire. How have I sought thee, though the weary waste Reeled round me, and the dizzy light did glare Athwart my darkling sight, and thorns did tear My naked feet that stumbled in their haste ; With what importunate thirst I longed to taste Thy fragrant breath, thy kisses sweet and rare ! 49 Bn ®aten pipe. O murmur to me ! Of thy voice I dreamed When through my dwindled veins the maddening drouth Did surge like fire, and from the pitiless south A furnace-blast around me ever streamed ; Still did 1 hear thy voice, and still meseemed To feel the liquid touches of thy mouth. Upon thy bosom happy shadows fall, And tender grasses lightly lean to thee ; Beside thee ever pipes the sylvan bee. And the hushed flowers hear thy faery call The conscious reeds weave round thy margin all Their slender leaves in emerald broidery. And now I find thee, and I kneel and lay My brow to thine, and bathe my anguished eyes In the pure depths where infinite sooth- ing lies For thy seared lover whom the heat would slay ; 50 Bn (S>aten pipe. To thee I come and hide me from the day That hurls its blazing barbs from brazen skies. O tresses flowing over crystal sands That rise and stir, I plunge my face in thee, And feel thee ripple down my shoulders free, And in thee wind and wind my glowing hands ; While from my forehead slip the iron bands That, ever tightening, wrought new pangs for me. Here will I lie, nor ever wander more ; For me through endless hours thy billowy breast Shall lightly heave ; to thine shall still be pressed My eager lips for slaking o'er and o'er ; Here will I lie, upon this easeful shore. While thou with song dost lull me into rest. SI Bn ®aten pipe. The great ship's sails are all unfurled, Her prow divides the ancient sea ; Along her cloudy track the world Sweeps through immensity. She bears her freight of tears and graves, Of trampled dust and bloody wreck, While seamen chant their jolly staves Upon her rock-ribbed deck. Day after day a throng of mimes Leap smiling from her swarming womb, To play their little part betimes Ere falls the lampless gloom. Her weary voyage is never done ; The winds about her never sleep ; Forever with the flying sun She cleaves the shoreless deep. 52 an ©aten ipfpe. O GRATEFUL heart of the nation, keep Their memory green forever — Our laureled dead who softly sleep By many a winding river, Where whispering pines and sunny palms, Above each grass-grown grave. Recount through bright and prosperous calms The great deeds of the brave. Shall we for whom they freely shed Their blood, like rain on flowers, Shall we for whom they nobly bled Forget these knights of ours ? — Who fought and fell where shot and shell Ploughed through the lists of death, And as it were the mouth of hell Upsent its withering breath ! 53 Bn (S>aten Ipipe. How by the treacherous morass, Through deadly mists and damps ; How by each wild and savage pass, O'er glooming fens and swamps ; How ever towards the shifting foe They pressed with brave endeavor — While free winds blow and waters flow. The world shall know forever. O how they fell ! No tongue shall tell Death's red and plenteous reaping ; On sandy slope, in woody dell, The countless dead are sleeping, 'Mid silent camps where ne'er again The trumpet's sudden braying Shall wake them to war's leaden rain And battle's iron slaying. O'er each lone tomb shall summer bloom, And grasses sway and bend. And lightly through the fragrant gloom The evening dews descend : 'Tis well I for there they crept to hide Their bodies pierced and maimed. And there, unseen, they bled and died, Alone, but not ashamed. 54 Bn (Paten pipe. And there, by night, look down the stars On many a nameless grave, Where shadows cast their silver bars, And misty streamers wave : Back to her heart doth nature fold Her own, to keep and bless. While o'er them tides of sleep are rolled And sweet forgetfulness. S% Bn ©aten pipe. In the Forest of Arden. LET the sweet winds blow, And let the clear sun shine, For all the world shall know That he is mine. It is not shame to see The leaf upon the vine ; Why should it shameful be To own him mine ? The light that loves the flower, I take it for a sign ; — Love is a maiden's dower. And he is mine. Sweet wind, true leaf, fair light, And joy that shall not tine, 1 know love's sovran might, For he is mine. 56 Bn ®aten pipe. Through night's barred gates a venturous light doth break ; The shadows vanish, and where far peaks rise A splendor burns along the opulent skies ; The birds are stirring, and the winds awake. Now burst the meadows into many a flake Of shifting fire, and still the old surprise Of morning kindles where a glory lies Upon the wrinkled bosom of the lake. As yon proud vessel parts with shining prow A backward-curling waste of molten gold, Down treading the smooth waves, so out- ward now A spirit-craft fares 'mid the strange lights rolled From other suns, while on my Love's dead brow The new day prints its kisses sweet and cold. 57 Bn ®aten pipe. gut (^ttm §utial. My love lies where the wild waves beat Above her shell-strewn bed ; The sands are wrapt about her feet, The weeds about her head. The calm stars, wheeling through their zones, Are doubled o'er her breast ; The moving waste forever moans Round her uncoffined rest. Slow through the gloom, with dreadful eyes, Strange monsters o'er her glide ; On gentle currents fall and rise The tresses at her side. She recks not how the loud winds call, Nor hears the sea-birds scream ; Sea-shadows round her ever fall, Sea-lights about her gleam. 58 Bn ®aten pipe. Naught e'er disturbs her sweet repose ; No fears her breast alarm ; The silent waters round her close, And fold her safe from harm. 5^ Bn ©aten pipe. The world is lovely ; but our eyes are dim With selfish tears, and through the blind- ing mist We cannot see the glorious mountains, kissed By the last rays of sur«et, nor the slim And nascent moon above the night's faint rim, Nor the young stars that keep their early tryst. The world is lovely ; but our pulses beat To the slow measure of a hopeless pain, And the dull throbbing of our heart and brain Shuts out the vision of the fair and sweet ; Yea, even the beauty shining at our feet Shineth for us, the sorrow-blind, in vain. 6w an ©aten pipe. For the ways of thy life are sunny, Nor dimmed by thy crystalline showers, And thy footsteps, 'mid perfume and honey, Are jewelled with radiant flowers. Not so was the troublous morning That dawned on thee first, O sweet, For thy birth-star rose lurid with warning. And thy birth-song was singing of sleet. But terrors of storm could not fright thee, Thou child of the tearful Spring, Nor frost in its cruelty blight thee. For thou heardest the orioles sing. And now the drear days of thy sadness Are vanished as phantoms afar, While forth in thy beauty and gladness Hope beckons thee, chaste as a star. And thy feet press the odorous grasses That spring on the uplands and leas. And before thee the wind, as it passes. Scatters downward the blooms from the trees. 6i 2ln Qnten pipe. The world is lovely ; oh, when night comes on, And long and lonely vigils vex our eyes, God grant that over all the darkened skies The stars of promise may be thickly sown ; And though we wait, and watch, and weep alone, Yet wait as one who knows the dawn shall rise. 62 Bn ®aten pipe. ^ ipe. i« the atm^ut. How wearily the day goes by ! The hateful shadows on the wall Hour after hour unmoving lie ; Outside, I hear the sparrows call. The garden walks, white in the glare, Throb like a pulse beneath the heat ; I see the sun-dial blindly stare ; I count the fountain's steady beat. Along their beds the flowers droop ; All wilted is the trellised vine ; The branches of the ash-tree stoop With dusty berries red as wine. The fly sings in the leaded panes ; And from the echoing chapel steal The livelong day the distant strains Of hymn and chant and organ-peal. 113 Bn ®aten ipipe. I'm tired of the rustling swish Of trailing robes o'er chilly stones ; I wish — what is it that I wish ? I know a crypt where mouldy bones Are piled against the vaulted roof ; There a low taper ever smokes ; The jangling bell sounds far aloof, And muffles its unceasing strokes. There — there are silence, gloom and rest ; No measured step, no solemn air, No meek cross o'er a rebel breast, No downcast eyes, no muttered prayer. Outside, the blinking waters lie ; Beyond, the great world swings and roars, Where many an infant's tender cry Leaps forth from happy human doors. O flesh, vex not my faltering soul, Nor let my fancy, wandering wide From crucifix and saintly stole, Defile the Bridegroom's virgin bride. 114 an ©aten ipfpe. Bride ? — ah, I hate this loathsome cell I I hate yon altar where I kneel, While still with mumbling lips I tell The prayers my heart can never feel. Bride ? — still I think on perfumed aisles. On arching boughs, on grass that springs By streams that keep their morning smiles, Where swallows dip their glancing wings ; Where whispers stir the scented dark Of screening leaves, and where the place Grows sweet with violet eyes that mark The truth and beauty in his face. His face — whose face ? My hair is wet With fevered drops ; my hands are weak ; I know the signal that is set In crimson on my hollow cheek. And Sister Agnes, with the eyes Like doves' eyes, comes to softly weep ; Upon my brow her cool hand lies ; I close my lids and feign to sleep. IIS Bn ©aten BMpc. For I would be alone to dream ; I love my dreams ; thus I escape These maddening walls that ever gleam, Those sickened blooms, that yellowing grape. The sluggard moments come and pass ; The flickering light fades from the sill ; I hear the sounds of evening mass, Of closing doors, and all is still. And o'er the ash-tree hangs a star That trembles through the twilight gray; 'Tis night ; a watch-dog bays afar ; Dear God, send not another day 1 ii6 an ©aten iPipe. (The finding oi the %\^^p. O ANGUISH of parting ! — here sv.'erve the ways, This path to the right, and that to the left; We are come at length to our clay of days, To our moment of moments, and are be- reft. Even so — I will hold your hand for a space, Look once again in your truth-clear e)'es, Read over the lines of your patient face, That my soul may yet hold you picture- wise. Shall we say it is best that it should be so ? Were P'ate not loth, and had we met While the hills were washed with the morning-glow. And all the valleys with balm were wet, We had found our life, then, you and I, Laid hands on the full warm pulse of the years, 117 Bn ©aten iptpc. Had drained the chalice of blessings dry, Nor e'er set lip to this cruse of tears. Still, who shall deny that this bitter hour, As a blind seed sown in the womb of Time, May bear not yet its consummate flower In another sphere and another clime ? Who knows that our loss is not rarer gain ? That ever like fools we choose the less ? That the core of joy is swathed in pain. And peace in uttermost weariness ? The sun drops low, and the twilight falls ; The mist hangs over the moaning burn Like a frosty breath ; a late bird calls. And above the wood the young stars yearn. Must it be farewell ? — yea, it must be so, And we shall fare well, despite grief's threat. For still, wherever our feet may go, Our brows towards the self-same goal are set. ii8 Bn ©aten pipe. Where is that bay-crowned head supreme in song ? The tides that darkle round the Leuca- dian steep Lap her forever into deeper sleep ; About her heart of fire the cool waves long Like cerements have been wound, and voices strong Of winds and waters o'er her pillow keep Their boisterous lullaby. That frenzied leap From the hoar height, when sense of sharp- est wrong Ran in her blood like flame — the fears that strove Within her stormy soul — the lyric tongue .-9 Bn ®aten ipipe. Whose last high music rang through realms of love, Till hushed by that sea-weird which o'er her flung Its sudden doom, — ah, all the dole thereof No equal tears have wept, no lips have sung. ISO an ©ate 11 ipipe. Softly, passer, softly tread, Here lies Timas who is dead ; Ere her bridal robe was made. For the tomb she was arrayed. When she died, with tender care All the virgins dressed their hair, Reaping from each lovely head Curls for strewments o'er her bed. 121 Bn ®atcn pipe. The flags are hot beneath my feet, And up and down the roaring street, 'Twixt blazing fronts of brick and stone, No gracious breath of air is blown. I hear a wheezy violin Above the vast unceasing din, Where at the corner, with bare head, A beggar sits blind as the dead. There creeps misshapen, pale and lean, A cripple, in whose hands is seen A banner whoso runs may read. That " Levy never fails to lead In clothing and in shoes." Now loud Above the turmoil of the crowd, Straight through the city's throbbing heart, 'Mid knots of vans that swiftly part. Its harsh gong pealiRg warningly. An ambulance goes dashing by. Bn aten pipe. A newsboy shrieks and flaunts his wares ; A truckman on the car-track swears And turns aside his ponderous dray, As the bell clangs to clear the way. There Beauty sweeps by Squalor's side ; There Vice and Fashion proudly ride ; There still within his gilded gates Sits Dives, while gaunt Lazarus waits Outside, with dull and weary eye, For some kind soul to come and buy His shoestrings or his pins. And yet, I know a bank where ferns are wet With morning balm, where mosses grow. And 'mid lush sedges softly flow The netted currents of a stream Snared in its own melodious dream. There glance brave wings ; there many a sound Of silver bugles lightly wound Steals sweetly through the haunted shade Of grassy isle and bosky glade. And there lives faith in all things good ; There whispers stir the solitude 123 Bn ®aten pipe. Like prayers ; and there again grow bright The spirits that were clogged with night. There Care her haggard mask lays by To let young Hope smile in her eye, While every breeze from perfumed fields To Grief a sure nepenthe yields. There let me haste, there let me bide. Drenched with the opulent summer-tide. 124 an ©aten pipe. ^ixtmit ft IfmiJutantuv. From sun to sun, on silence-sandled feet The Hours go by, and on each nunlike face Who will may catch a smile than dawn more sweet. Or, leaden-eyed, may miss its fleeting grace. Within her hands each bears a goodly gift, And while she neither proffers nor with- holds, She tarries not to urge upon unthrift The precious things she yields to earnest souls. Not one returns ; no backward look is cast ; Once gone, nor call nor prayer can reach them more, Clasped round with shadows of the vanished past. Housed in the dim, cloud-mantled gates of yore. 125 an ©aten pipe. On Judah's hills the shadows lie ; Heaven's frosty diadem Of clustered stars is burning high O'er sleeping Bethlehem. Lo, countless wings flash on the night, And hark ! celestial strains Pour down the glory-circled height, O'er all the slumbering plains. Sing, sing, ye white-robed heralds, sing ! In yonder narrow shed, Straw-pillowed lies your Lord and King Upon his lowly bed. Moriah, lift thy radiant crest ; O Judah, be not dumb ! Messiah nestles on thy breast. The Prince of Peace hath come. 126 Bn ©atcn pipe. A BREATH of flowers, a flawless sky, And tipsy bees carousing nigh ; A vine o'erhead that weaves its screen Of flickering shadows cool and green ; A muffled, silver-tinkling bell Where nibbling sheep climb yonder dell ; A sinuous stream that laughs and bubbles And sings amid its foamy troubles ; A hush of hours that softly steep The conscious world in fumes of sleep — Ah, these no anxious thoughts shall give; To-day it is enough to li^'e. 127 Bn ©aten flMpe. What ! — old ? Not so ! Who says we're old? Our life still keeps its morning gold; The dew still shines upon the grass Where'er our eager footsteps pass. Young Hope before us waves his wings, Lifts up his voice and bravely sings, While ambushed Joys, with twinkling eyes, Betray us into sweet surprise. No, we're not old ; the lying years Have whispered falsehoods in our ears ; We still are young, and still we keep Our youth's fine wisdom, calm and deep — That wisdom which still holds in fee Faith in our own humanity, And faith in God who veils His face. But whose large language still we trace 128 Bn ©atcn pipe. In blooms below and stars above, Whose burden was and still is — love. Old ? Fie ! Go to ! Let Gaffer Time On other's temples sow his rime, But howe'er wags his churlish tongue, Our own hearts tell us we are young. 129 Bn ©aten iplpe. The Dawn. Now moves the night before me, and the mist Slips from the valley, by the south-wind kissed. The Meadow. Soon will her light feet o'er my bosom pass, And daisies star her foot-prints in the grass. The Brook. And I shall see her smile, as her sweet face Lingers above me for a little space. The Bird. My blithest notes I'll flute into her ear. And her dear spirit shall lean out to hear. 130 Bn ©aten lp(pc. The Rose. My petals she shall touch with her soft lips, While maiden joy thrills to her finger-tips. The Lover. O Love, I wait and watch the new day break ; The dews are drying, and the winds awake ; Thou art my morning ; let thy sovran light Strike on my soul and scatter all my night. 131 Hn ©aten ipipc. I know her where she goes in crimson hood, And motley robe that sets the leaves astir ; Her truant hair, strayed from its silken snood, The frost has lightly tipped with minever. The gypsy blood glows in her sun-browned cheek ; Her rounded arms with liberal fruits are heaped ; Her wine-dark eyes, athwart the shifting reek Of burning weeds, behold the fields new- reaped. Too brief the days of her mild empery, Yet such the ample largess of her grace That in the wintry heart of memory Shall still abide the sunshine of her face. 132 an ©atcn pipe. The music dies, and one by one the guests Rise and depart; the merriment is done; Hushed are the mingled voices, songs and jests ; From the spent glass the noiseless sands are run. Into the dark the feasters turn and go. Some with brave smiles, and some with heavy eyes ; The drooping flowers are pale, the lights burn low, And silence on the empty chambers lies. The last " good-night " is said ; closed is the door; Then slowly, down the blossom-littered floor, The weary master casts a wistful eye. Peopling the gloom with ghostly company. ^33