IN THE KING'S GARDEN And Other Poems BY JAMES BERRY BENSEL (I BOSTON D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS . COPYRIGHT, 1885, BY D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY. TO EMILY. We gathered apple-blossoms one fair day And pink arbutus from the woodland near. Wild roses growing by the country way And clover too ; can you remember , dear ? We gathered them for mother. Sister mine, I pluck these leaflets from my tree of song For her and you in Heaven^ that sacred shrine Where they by every right of love belong. And you, I do believe > will feel and know The heart-beats through them, and the tears in showers That set so many of them forth to grow ; Therefore I bring these as we brought the flowers. M191806 CONTENTS. PAGE IN THE KING'S GARDEN 7 MY BIRTHDAYS 12 A MARBLEHEAD LEGEND 14 FROM A FIELD 17 IN ARABIA 20 MY SAILOR 24 Two 26 A RHYME OF SUMMER 27 A SONG OF RAIN 30 FAILURE 33 ON AN ANTIQUE CAMEO 34 OF LOVE 35 To BE DEAD . .36 THE PASSING OF SUMMER 37 A PORTRAIT . . . . . . . . 38 SONNET 39 HER FACE 40 PATIENCE 41 QUESTIONINGS 42 CONTENTS. PACK GOLDEN-ROD AND ASTERS A GLOVE . . . . 46 AT EVENING 4 - SHE AND I - THE DESERTED HOUSE *~ THE STATUE IN THE WOOD 5 6 FORGOTTEN 59 REMEMBERED 6 2 A LOCK OF HAIR 6^ THE MUEZZIN 6 7 IN THE RAIN 70 ON THE BRIDGE . . . ... . . .72 THE STAR'S MISSION 7 8 THE WIFE OF ATTILA DIED 81 AMONG THE GRASSES 83 ABOUT MYSELF 86 MEMORIALS 89 SYMPATHY 93 AHMED ^ SOMETIME ^ 7 IN ABSENCE ^8 AT MIDNIGHT I0 i IN THE KING'S GARDEN. A KING of the old time, whose name and race Are clean forgotten as his human face, Beneath the shade of ilex-trees one day, Wandering alone, came where the shadows lay So deep and dark they made a twilight gloom, Such as abides within a shrouded room Where one is dead. The place was cool and sweet With garden scents that made it their retreat; So the king paused awhile, and smiled to feel The musky odors through his senses steal, And the cool dampness of the tree-leaves lie Thick on his hair. He turned, he knew not why, To go, but caught the gleam of some bright thing In a far corner. " Lo, it is a ring ! " And so it was, but a white finger too ; A hand, wrist, arm, a shoulder into view R In tltc K< no; s* Garden. At the king's touch came quickly; then a face Wistful and wan, but with a pallid grace, Such as a lily has, that, plucked and worn, Is white though faded, fragrant though forlorn. And from the leafy cavern to the light Of the fierce sun, the king with cheeks grown white Most strangely white the shrinking figure drew, And murmured with unwilling lips, " I knew A face like this in years so long gone by They might have never been, but for the high And noble heart that fixed them there for me, Firm-planted in the heaven of memory. Who art thou?" And the boy looked sadly up, Then smiled, and took a massive silver cup 'Graven with quaint device, and set around With jewels jacinth, sard, and black pearl found Rarely enough by divers and of size, The amethyst, which heavy drinkers prize, Coral and emerald. This rich cup he From out his girdle took, and on his knee In the King s Garden. 9 Slow-dropping, lifted it to where The king's eye met its inner surface ; there Upon the polished curve the monarch saw Wonder submerged by a swift wave of awe His own passed baby-face, and then the eyes Of his dead mother, who with mild surprise Looked back at him. And then the mouth Of his fair wife pomegranates from the south, Fresh cleft, were never sweeter and the strife Of nations, the fierce turmoils of his life, The precious hours, now gone, that used to be His recompense for kinghood, and the sea Of bitterness that washed against his throne, And the great griefs his later years had known. All of his life he saw there mirrored plain, And gazed, and gazed with mingled joy and pain, And old regret, and new-born longing, and A hundred varied feelings. Yet the hand That held the cup nor trembled nor drooped down, Until at last he only saw his crown Sparkling against the silver, and beyond A sight of grace indeed for maidens fond IO /// tJtc Kings Canlcn. The lad's pale face, with dark eyes fixed on his Immovable as some far planet is. And the king trembled why, he could not tell. From distant towers he heard the sunset bell ; Above the palace wall the white moon rose And shed its gleam upon the garden close ; A sea-breeze stirred the brilliant blossoms hung On slender stems. The birds, with nests among The ilex boughs, began their evening hymn ; And -lo ! the royal sight was growing dim From olden memories, that set to tears The music silenced in those vanished years. So, stretching forth his hand, the monarch said, His palm laid lightly on the golden head Of the strange lad, "What art thou?" Who at last Spake, fading with the answer, " The King's Past." So we, who are not kings but put away, Sadly enough sometimes, each passing day In the King s Garden. 1 1 And then forget it, feel a presence near In lonely hours ; a voice falls on the ear Melodious, strange, yet half-familiar : so We turn and see once more the grievous woe, Bright dreams made real, mistakes, and good deeds done We thought perhaps were hid from light of sun. Ah me ! well is it that some things there be To stir the placid deeps of memory; And, like the king, through misty vistas vast, We watch the resurrection of our past. 12 My Birthdays. MY BIRTHDAYS. TTOW like the beads upon a rosary slip 1 My birthdays through my fingers ! Each one bears Its own prayer with it, but, indeed, the prayers Pause at the cross, and then upon my lip Lingers the longest of them all to sip The fitful striving of my soul, that wears My spirit with its passion and despairs Of rising to fulfilment. Prayers may trip Sometimes, however high the soul is sent Towards Heaven with them ; and, alas, I think Mayhap I dwell upon my cross too long, Noting its burden*. To be penitent For sin is not enough ; the heart must link \\ith penitence its own triumphal song. My Birthdays. 13 Yet burdens are so heavy, and they eat So oft into the very heart of things And take the life out. Even the mighty wings Of song will droop beneath the burning heat And struggles of the day. These years are sweet As honey often, but they have their stings From those who seek the sweetness. Each one clings Close to my hands as I its prayer repeat. Oh, they are few, as older men count years, So few, and yet they held undone so much Worthy the doing; therein lies the loss. But oft I could not see to do for tears, And now this last one slips beneath my touch, And once again the prayers have reached the cross. 14 A Marblchcad Legend. A MARBLEHEAD LEGEND. to the heart of the ocean there, Where fields are green and the rocks are bare, And twittering sea-birds beat the air With wings as restless as feet that tread Its ghost-haunted shores, lies Marblehead. The fishing-smacks to its bays come in, And just below are the lights of Lynn, While long Nahant with its finger thin Points always out to the mystic place On the other side of the ocean's space. In days that were old when these were young, These old gray houses with mosses hung, And long ere yonder cracked bell had rung Its jubilant peal as men made known The hate they flung at an earthly throne; A Marblehead Legend. 15 When clover grew where the lanes to-day Wind in and out their tortuous way, Here to the church and there to the bay, A Spanish galleon rode afar Beyond that point with its lighthouse star. 'Twas laden with riches heavily, And brave, strong men on its decks trod free, When the bride on board came forth to see The rocks that glowed in the sunset's red On the rough, dark shores of Marblehead. But night drew near, and the pirates bold Swarmed over the vessel, stern and hold, And the Spaniards fell 'mid their silks and gold; While one lived only who best had died The* Spanish admiral's English bride. They brought her here to the beach we tread ; They brought her living and left her dead The first great sin upon Marblehead. And when the year to that night comes 'round, In moonlit calm or the tempest's sound, 1 6 A Marblcliead Legend. Above and over all sounds that be, The fisherman in his boat at sea, And the maid that is sleeping peacefully, Hear out on the night air loud and clear A woman shrieking in pain and fear. And do you tell me it is not so, Her voice died, too, in the long ago? You may speak truly, I do not know. But yet I feel it were well to think Her voice still lives by the water's brink. For sin can never be hid so deep It shall not out from its cover creep, And ghosts in our hearts do never sleep; While a man I met this morning said He had heard her cries at Marblehead. From a Field. 17 FROM A FIELD. TJERE is a field of yellow buttercups, Yellow as gold, but the wide-roaming bee Passes them by, and takes long lingering sups From the thick flowers on yonder locust-tree. And yet my buttercups they bend and glint Beneath the soothing whispers of the breeze, Nor ever give to me a single hint Of why they are neglected by the bees. I take one home and put it in a vase, A slender glass an old Venetian wrought, And there the pretty blossom nods and sways As if distressed by some regretful thought. Ah, no, I do it wrong ! It is to me The floweret gently waves its golden shield, Because, unlike the wandering, tricksy bee, I find how much of sweetness it can yield. 1 8 From a Field. Like a bright bit of sunshine in my room It gleams from out my precious little glass, And I am conquered by a meadow-bloom, A gold-capped priest who chanced my way to pass. For it has settled all my weird distrust, All my unrest it quiets by its grace : And grieving fancies blow away like dust When the wild wind sweeps on in wanton race. Ah, little yellow blossom of the mead! Why should you bloom and then to-morrow die? I may not know. I plucked you in my need, And what you brought me none can tell but I. Then wave before me still your shining shield, And face me bravely who have seemed your foe, I pulled you ruthlessly from yonder field, And having filled your mission you will go. So I who fain would be ns great and grand As others who have gone before must be From a Field. 19 Content as you to grow beneath God's hand In the small field where He has planted me. I lay aside the restless discontent, I let the world that seeks for sweets go by, If you fulfilled your mission as God meant, O little blossom, may not sometime I ? 2O /;/ Arabia. IN ARABIA. 1 HOOSE thou between ! " and to his enemy The Arab chief a brawny hand dis- played, Wherein, like moonlight on a sullen sea, Gleamed the gray scimetar's enamelled blade. "Choose thou between death at my hand and thine ! Close in my power, my vengeance I may wreak, Yet hesitate to strike. A hate like mine Is noble still. Thou hast thy choosing, speak ! " And Ackbar stood. About him all the band That hailed his captor chieftain, with grave eyes /// Arabia. 21 His answer waited, while that heavy hand Stretched like a bar between him and the skies. Straight in the face before him Ackbar sent A sneer of scorn, and raised his noble head ; " Strike ! " and the desert monarch, as content, Rehung the weapon at his girdle red. Then Ackbar nearer crept and lifted high His arms toward the heaven so far and blue Wherein the sunset rays began to die, While o'er the band a deeper silence grew. " Strike ! I am ready ! Didst thou think to see A son of Gheva spill upon the dust His noble blood ? Didst hope to have my knee Bend at thy feet, and with one mighty thrust " The life thou hatest flee before thee here ? Shame on thee ! on thy race ! Art thou the one Who hast so long his vengeance counted dear ? My hate is greater ; I did strike thy son, 22 /// Arabia. " Thy one son, Noumid, dead before my face : And by the swiftest courser of my stud Sent to thy door his corpse. Aye, one might trace Their flight across the desert by his blood. " Strike ! for my hate is greater than thy own ! " But with a frown the Arab moved away, \Yulked to a distant palm and stood alone, With eyes that looked where purple moun- tains lay. This for an instant : then he turned again Towards the place where Ackbar waited still, Walking as one benumbed with bitter pain, Or with a hateful mission to fulfil. " Strike, for I hate thee ! " Ackbar cried once more. " Nay, but my hate I cannot find ! " said now His enemy. " Thy freedom I restore. ! life were worse than death to such n. thou." In Arabia. 23 So with his gift of life the Bedouin slept That night untroubled ; but when dawn broke through The purple East, and o'er his eyelids crept The long, thin fingers of the light, he drew A heavy breath and woke : Above him shone A lifted dagger "Yea, he gave thee life, But I give death ! " came in fierce undertone. And Ackbar died. It was dead Noumid's wife. 24 My Sailor. MY SAILOR. TIE lay at my side on that eastern hill, My brave, sweet lad with the golden hair, And gazed at the vessels which seemed to fill The rippling breadth of the harbor there ; The black-hulled vessels from over the sea, The white-sailed vessels that came and went. "I am going to sail away," said he, " To sail some day to my heart's content ! " I shall see the waving of south-land palms, The dark, fierce fronts of the icebergs tall, And gather the grapes, as a beggar alms, From vines on some Spanish convent's wall." Then he drew my hand from beneath his chin, And trailed my fingers across his lips ; My Sailor. 25 " Yes, we both will sail from this town of Lynn In one of those staunch old black-prowed ships." So one Summer evening his ship set sail And floated off in the twilight grim ; I heaped up the vessel with blossoms pale And wept that I could not follow him. And I cannot say that the palms are there, Nor icy mountains he longed to see ; But I know he sailed into lands more fair And stronger arms, when he went from me. O, my brave, sweet lad ! how his angel eyes Will gaze out over the ocean dim That reaches from earth unto Paradise, Till I set my sail and follow him. 26 Two. TWO. E loved two women ; one whose soul was clean As any lily growing on its stalk ; And one with glowing eyes and sensuous mien, Who fired him with her beauty and her talk. The pure one loved him to the day he died, But when he died his dearest friend she wed. The wanton from the wild world drew aside, And no man saw her face till she was dead. A Rhyme of Slimmer. 27 A RHYME OF SUMMER. PHE daisies nodded in the grass, the butter- cups were sleeping, And just across the river sang the farmers at their reaping ; Upon the hills, so blue and far, the maple- leaves were showing Their pallid beauty in the breeze that from the sea was blowing. A little maid came through the land with song and rippling laughter ; The buttercups made way for her, the daisies nodded after. A strong young farmer saw her pause beside the parting river; She drew a lily from its depth with golden heart a-quiver. 28 A Rhyme of Sinunicr. "Thou art more fair than lilies are," said he uith head uplifted; And threw a poppy, which the stream swift to the maiden drifted. She set the flowers within her hair, the red and white together; A cloud grew black before the sun and rainy was the weather. He came across the river then, this farmer, from his mowing; He heeded not the water's depth, he cared not for its flowing. " O love ! " said he, " if gleaming sun and cloud- less skies o'erlean us, The river's barring width may roll unpassed, untried between us ; But when loud thunder fills the air, and clouds and rain come over, I'd cross the ocean to your side, I am no fair- day lover ! " And so one noon the village bells rang out across the river, A Rhyme of Summer. 29 Their music set the buttercups and daisies all a-shiver, While some one drew a lily from the stream so blithely flowing, And plucked a blood-red poppy that amid the wheat was growing ; The maiden set them in her hair the red and white together With many a smile, a tear or two, and glances at the weather. They passed beneath the chapel's shade the farmer and the maiden Where arches crossed above their heads, with snowy blossoms laden, And in that place of holy calm the binding words were spoken ; He in his heart bore out the truth, she on her hand the token. The years went by, and some were bright and some were clouded over, But ever stood he at her side, he was no fair-day lover. 30 A Song of Rain. A SONG OF RAIN. T^HE rain came over the mountain, From a little town beyond, To sprinkle the dust in the roadway, And the lilies in the pond. From the clover-sweetened meadow The kine went up to the shed, As the lightning flashed through heaven, And the o'erfilled brooklet spread. The buttercups bent and shivered, While stricken leaves from the tree Went sailing down to the river, And thence to the mighty sea. The rain passed on to the city, And the clear blue sky once more A Song of Rain. 3 1 Stretched out in its tranquil beauty Above the sea and the shore. The cows went back to the clover, While the children from the school Ran merrily over the highway For the lilies in the pool. The rain of sorrow came over Some distant hills in my life, And the rolling of its thunder Stirred a heart's rebellious strife. I had not patience to shelter Myself till the storm passed by In the refuge of God's promise, In the guiding of His eye. But the rain in time went over To some other life beyond, And the warm, bright sunlight strengthened The power of loving's bond. To be sure, the storm had beaten Some few frail twigs from my trees, 32 A Song of Rain. And I saw them pass my reaching In the shoreless stretch of seas. But I learned which boughs were strongest, Which blossoms were brave to bear ; While a richer incense sweetened The cleansed and freshened air. And yet, and yet I must wonder, If the storm should come again, Have I learned to walk with patience Through its tumult and its pain ? And yet, and yet I must wonder, Would I care to find the sweet, If to gain its fullest fragrance I must walk with aching feet? Ah, God ! shall I pass with meekness, If the bitter rain comes down, From my bloom-sweet field of living To some refuge bare and brown? Failure. 33 FAILURE. T AM so weary of it all ; and yet See how my hands are bleeding with the strain Of trying to be brave, to conquer pain And sorrow ; yea, and trying to forget, That is the hardest of them all. I let The sleet and snow blow over me, the rain And roses of the Summer that would fain With sweet caresses pay my sweet love's debt. I cry to heaven as if there were some spot Through which my pain and passion might be heard; But all must go for naught. No seraph band Comforts or helps me. If I pray or not, 'Tis all the same ; no angel heart is stirred To bring me balm, nor does Christ move His hand. 34 On an Antique Cainco. ON AN ANTIQUE CAMEO. ARVEN in sard, and quite as chastely cold As the deep stone, a woman's face, a Greek, Or, mayhap, Roman. Gods ! if it could speak This red-brown gem what stories might be told Of the old time when even slaves were bold, And weakness only lay in being weak Of nerve and muscle. Some patrician cheek Lent for the jewel's grace its soft sweet mould, The man who carved it may have won him fame Out of this deft, clear limning, and the maid, (Or was she matron?) it were like to be Her regal face was than her blood and name Less regal. Now a tossing leaflet's shade Is more substantial than their memory. Of Love. 35 OF LOVE. '"TO meet thee? Why, to meet thee is to draw Long inward breaths of something more akin To that great strength of strengths my soul would win Than I have known to learn to love the law That governs loving. Faith ! I never saw Thy face but that I read therein How much I love thee, and it were a sin To stifle love that has no fleck nor flaw. Love grows so like the flower in yonder mead That no man ever sowed, that God's own hand Planted and nourished with His sun and rain. So true love grows. And, if thou hast no need Of present love, still here for thee doth stand Love in full blossom, bred of joy and pain. 36 To be Dead. TO BE DEAD. V\7HAT is it to be dead? I think that I, \Yhen I am dead, shall know no more of pain, Shall still be glad in sunshine or in rain ; May, at my mood, unto the ones who lie Fast bound in sleep and whom I love, draw nigh And nestle close, and kiss and kiss again The sweet pink lips ; or when the sunbeams wane And soft stars shine serenely in the sky, With veiling vapors o'er my spirit face, And feet in silence shod, I may as now Glide through the rooms where my small work was done. And those who sit within that haunted place Shall say, " How near to us he is ! " And how The dear, sad souls will long to see the sun ! The Passing of Summer. 37 THE PASSING OF SUMMER. O HE gathers up her robes of green and gold, The fair, sweet Summer, and across the land We see her go, with outward-reaching hand Whose magic spreads its beauties manifold Along the region by her sway controlled. The trees, o'erhung with gorgeous banners, stand To see her pass them with a last command, While all the world is draped in splendor bold. She passes onward, from the lowlands first, Then lays a reverent touch on every hill, A smile of promise lighting up her face ; The brooks are fain to quench her fateful thirst, And glowing carpets line her roadway still, The splendid queen departing from her place. 38 A Portrait. A PORTRAIT. TN the white sweetness of her dimpled chin The pink points of her perfumed ringers press, And 'round her tremulous mouth's loveliness The tears and smiles a sudden strife begin: First one and then the other seems to win : And o'er her drooping eyes a golden tress Falls down to hide what else they might con- fess Their blue-veined lids are striving to shut in. The yellow pearls that bind her throat about \Vith her pale, bosom's throbbing rise or fall : The while her thoughts like carrier-doves have fled To that far land where armies clash and shout, And where, beyond love's reach, a soldier tall With staring eyes and broken sword lies dead. Sonnet. 39 SONNET. IT OW can we say one man has lived in vain ? ' Nay ! every soul that panteth into life Is wonderful, because it hath had strife With the great Death, and conquered, and shall reign Somewhere eternally, and throbs of pain Have purified it. Yea, the earth is rife With monarchs who have battled to the knife And won their kingdoms, yet are free from stain. Behold ! the meanest dolt bears the same spark In him that triple-crowned genius bears, And fights and wins the same. We have no rule By which to measure men, but in the dark Of our own ignorance divide the tares From wheat, and choose the teachers from the school. 4O Her Face. HER FACE. T WOULD not look upon thy face again, Nor now nor ever, though it was as sweet As new-blown rose to me when it would greet My eyes in that old time of love-sick pain. tender face ! how often have I lain And on thee gazed in hours so passing fleet, Consumed by all the fire of passion's heat; And now I fear thee more than woe and bane. 1 would not look upon thy face, lest I Might love it once again ; for know I well My greatest weakness centres in that face, That dear, sweet face, which, till some time I die, I have forsworn to love. And heaven or hell Will be to find or miss thee in Death's space. Patience. 41 PATIENCE. A SWEET-FACED maiden calm as marble is, But powerful to stand against the blows Of an unyielding Fate. No lustre glows From out her eyes save that of peace, no kiss Of passion ever touched her lips I wis, Though their full curve is dewy as the rose That, coloring mid-summer, buds and blows : Albeit they are less tremulous than this. .She teaches to endure, she lays a hand Both firm and cool upon the wounded heart, And then her soft breath fans the heated brow, And every quivering nerve at her command Is still. O Patience ! why did'st thou depart Ere I had learned to be as calm as thou? 42 Questionings. QUESTIONINGS. \ 17 HERE waits the woman I shall one day claim The right to call my own, the one whom I Shall love with that great love which, till I die, Will feed my heart with its enduring flame? For I, who have known many women, blame The Fate which has not given me to lie Prostrate with love that should be grand and high, A fact, a conscious truth, and no mere name. And where is growing, too, the laurel bough That all my life long I have felt was mine? And where is the content my soul has said Should one day come to it? And when and how, And why and what? Who plants the seed- ling fine Whose blossom I shall hold when I am dead ? Questionings. 43 O foolish questions ! O unwise unrest ! Who answers me ? I only have to go, Day after day, along my way, and know That all things come in turn, as it is best : To simply live is simply to be blest ; And doubtless he is like to overthrow His builded hopes who strives to peer below The dim foundations, which, were all confest, Rise only upon vain imaginings, Or, haply, on some whisper of his Fate, Half-heard in some strange silence. Let all be As it shall come : nor let bright Fancy's wings Your fond desires so foolishly elate That what shall come shall come too sud- denly. 44 A Glove. A GLOVE. A H, yesterday I found a glove Grown shabby, full of tiny rips, But dear to me because my love Once through it thrust her finger-tips. A glove one would not care to see Upon his arm in public street ; Yet here I own there is for me No relic in the world more sweet. A faint, far scent of lavender Steals from it, as the clover smelt When through the fields I walked with her And plucked the blossoms for her belt. Faith ! but I loved the little hand That used to wear this time-stained thing! A Glove. 45 Its slightest gesture of command Would set my glad heart fluttering. Or if it touched my finger, so, Or smoothed my hair why should I speak Of those old days? It makes, you know, The tears brim over on my cheek. Poor stained, worn-out, long-wristed glove ! I think it almost understands That reverently and with love I hold it in my trembling hands. And that it is so dear to me, With its old fragrance, far and faint, Because my mother wore it, she, On earth my love, in Heaven my saint. 46 Golden-Rod and Asters. GOLDEN-ROD AND ASTERS. OOME gaudy prince has stayed here over- night : For look, the road-side gleams in splendor bright With gold-embroidered plumes that decked his train, While stars of purple amethyst, like rain, Have fallen from his robes. Mayhap he grew Weary of rioting, and straightway threw His gorgeousness away; then, smiling, went Clad in humility and sweet content, With tender lips and eyes, and open palms, To ask for and, receiving, to give alms; While the rich garments that he laid aside Symbols of earthly glory and of pride The mighty grace of some strange sylvan god Has changed to asters and to golden-rod. At Evening. AT EVENING. T TPON the hills the sunset glories lie, The amaranth, the crimson and the gold. Beside the sinuous brook that ripples by, The dark, damp ferns their feathery grace unfold. The little yellow blossom of the field, That shone a jewel in the splendid day, Holds one small dew-drop in its bosom sealed, And by to-morrow will have passed away. The village windows gleam with gorgeous light, And in the east a purple cloud hangs low, A few brown birds sing out their hymn to night On shadowy boughs then spread their wings and go. Along the road the men that sow and reap With heavy footsteps stir the whitened dust. 48 At And up the sky illimitable steep The moon climbs slowly to her sacred trust. Oh, grand, strange trust ! to be a light to those Who lie all night impatient for the morn, \Yhen the fresh fragrance rises from the rose, And the sweet dew begems the sharpest thorn. The stars, those sleepless eyes, peer through the chinks That pierce the shrouding darkness of night's walls. Each thirsty flower its draught of dampness drinks, And here and there a perfumed petal falls. Then from the east a salty breath comes up To cool the heated bosom of the world, It lays its lip upon the lily's cup, Whose white, soft edge its kiss leaves all empearled. And upward to the splendor of the stars The fragrant moisture rises like a veil. At Evening. 49 Night shuts its gate and drops the heavy bars, And somewhere morning waits, supreme and pale. 50 She and L SHE AND I. A ND I said, " She is dead, I could not brook Again on that marvellous face to look." But they took my hand and they led me in, And left me alone with my nearest kin. Once again alone in that silent place, My beautiful dead and I, face to face. And I could not speak, and I could not stir, But I stood and with love I looked on her. With love, and with rapture, and strange sur- prise I looked on the lips and the close-shut eyes; On the perfect rest and the calm content And the happiness in her features blent, She and L 51 And the thin white hands that had wrought so much, Now nerveless to kisses or fevered touch. My beautiful dead who had known the strife, The pain, and the sorrow that we call Life. Who had never faltered beneath her cross, Nor murmured when loss followed swift on loss. And the smile that sweetened her lips alway Lay light on her Heaven-closed mouth that day. I smoothed from her hair a silver thread, And I wept, but I could not think her dead. I felt, with a wonder too deep for speech, She could tell what only the angels teach. And down over her mouth I leaned my ear, Lest there might be something I should not hear. Then out from the silence between us stole A message that reached to my inmost soul. 52 She a fid I. "Why weep you to-day who have wept before That the road was rough I must journey o'er? " Why mourn that my lips can answer you not When anguish and sorrow are both forgot ? "Behold, all my life I have longed for rest, Yea, e'en when I held you upon my breast. "And now that I lie in a breathless sleep, Instead of rejoicing you sigh and weep. " My dearest, I know that you would not break If you could my slumber and have me wake. "For though life was full of the things that bless, I have never till now known happiness." Then I dried my tears, and with lifted head I left my mother, my beautiful dead. The Deserted House. 53 THE DESERTED HOUSE. T T IGH on the headland it stands, The woodbine clasps it with tremulous hands, And the scarlet leaves through the windows blow, And the waves are fierce below. Bare and dismantled it is; The sunlight creeps in through the crevices And over the stucco and wainscot plays As it used in other days. But then its glimmering tone Through curtains of muslin and lace-work shone Over satin-bound chairs and draperies, And pallid piano-keys. And now the casements are clear Of all save the tendrils that flutter here, 54 The Deserted House. Or some weary bird which, questioning flies To the sill with mild surprise. The rain has soddened the floors, A wandering touch on the creaking doors And they yield, while my feet are free to go All over the mansion low. The walls they will tell no tale Of laughter and cheer, or of mournful wail; Yet one cannot speak in this house of gloom As he could in modern room. So I press the keyless locks, And standing again on the headland rocks Look over the sea that reaches so far With neither limit nor bar. There is the wasting away, Art given over to blight and decay; Here is the freedom of God, with the great Glory of Nature's estate. Why ever wonder again What mingled story of pleasure and pain The Deserted House. 55 Was written within the bond of these walls Where the sunlight faints and falls ? Why question ? It stands, has stood In its place for evil alone or good, And naught that is left in power of man Can lighten desertion's ban. I pass down the cliff : no more Shall my fingers move the shivering door, No soul has the solemn right to intrude On such ancient solitude. Sometime it will fall and lie Unheeded by thought or by human eye, While woodbine, and asters, and golden-rod May shield it from all but God. 56 The Statue in tlic Wood. THE STATUE IN THE WOOD. '"THERE was a statue standing in a wood, A gracious statue of a youth divine Who lightly poised upon one arched foot stood, As though prepared to quit that leafy shrine. I marvelled at the cunning artist's skill Who so could limn each muscle, feature, grace : Even -the marble semblance of a hill Was chiselled carefully as the sweet face. And then I saw a little trembling vine That clung with slight hold to the columned base, And sent its small shoots clambering toward the fine, Nude shape, whose beauty peopled that dull place. The Statue in the Wood. 57 I stood enrapt, and for the moment knew The passion that those ancient heathen felt, Who formed their idols rich in shape and hue And down before the rare perfection knelt. Yea, I admired, heart and soul, and went ; And all day long, and still for many days, My sense was strong with a supreme content, And all my thoughts turned backward still to praise. Years afterward I journeyed through that land Where Summer smiles a half year round, once more, And so I thought again to go and stand Before the statue as in days of yore. With hasty steps I passed the woodland through, Came to the spot and paused, before me still The golden sunlight shone and song-birds flew, But vacant was the chiselled, marble hill. Prostrate before the pedestal it lay, That god-like form, and round about it clung 58 The Statue in the Wood. The tendrils of the little vine ahvay, And on the perfect limbs dark mosses hung. Tears filled my eyes. "Aye, man may do his best In love and art, and sanctify a shrine ! But Nature holds the power within her breast To overthrow his efforts by a vine. "And hand-created idols only serve To point man's follies homeward to his heart." And still that statue, grand in line and curve, Lies prostrate there, a sacrifice of art. Forgotten. 59 FORGOTTEN. A MONG some cast-off trinkets laid away Within a curious box of Eastern make, I found a sandal casket closed to-day, Which had been quite forgotten since that May I kissed the contents for a dead boy's sake. Aye ! and I wept, and bitter tears they were, Although my memory held the things so slight : For the brown scentless bloom had nestled there Above his still heart, and the wisp of hair Had shaded brows forever hid from sight. I thought that day I never could forget How well I loved him, as I sorrowed so : But still, although my eyes have oft been wet, It has not been that we no more have met, Nor for his lying thus beneath the snow. 60 Forgotten. Ah! live and love, then die and be forgot, So roll the cycles of our years away; Nor can we hope to find a single spot Wherein our memories shall fail to blot, And blur, and be effaced some sunny day. Man's love is nothing! mind you, I who speak Do love as strongly as man ever loved : But oh ! 'twere foolishness to think one cheek Shall lose its glow forever, when I seek That haven our gross knowledge ne'er has proved. Yet I who sing this know that there are those Who love me better than aught else on earth, And follow me with prayers till daylights close ; But when I pass the reach of human throes, I know as well they will forget my birth. So little box of sandal and of pearl, An o'er-wise lesson you have taught to-day To me who had forgotten flower and curl, Which, wild with grief as any love-lorn girl, Within your case that Spring I laid away. Forgotten. 6 1 I had forgot ! poor foolish words are these To offer at the dust-bound shrine I raised To him I loved, and where upon my knees I vowed, at each recurring May, though seas Should intervene, to mourn him whom I praised. I had forgot ! well, let it be so ! I Shall gain no other epitaph than this. Let those who love me best so pass me by With these three words while gazing where I lie, I had forgot ! 'tis better so, I wis. 62 Remembered. REMEMBERED. TVTAY, men have been who died to life and me ; And looking back, the memory of all The love I felt for them, the tears as free As rain in autumn, seem a fantasy Behind the years that fall. But him! I have not looked upon his face For years, indeed, and far from mine his way; Yet just as well through time and distance' space I can perceive the olden, loving grace, As he were here to-day. He lives within my world ; however dim My sight might grow, however closed my ears, Remembered. 63 I still could feel his warm lip on the brim Of life's full goblet, and I know from him No lapse could hide my tears. Oh, life is love and love is life, be sure ! And once loved, always must that love be strong ; Through every wave of strife it will endure, From every bitter battle come more pure, And stand in right or wrong. Death only, as in pity, throws a veil Across the burning of its mighty flame ; Death only makes the crimson strength grow pale; Before death, only, love will ever quail, And not for grief or shame. Oh, not because I loved this man the best Do I remember all his gracious ways ! The man I had forgotten in his rest Held just as great a place within my breast, And garnered more my praise. 64 Remembered. But he is safe. If we remembered such As pass beyond us, with our present love, If all day long we hungered for their touch, AYould not the burden weary us overmuch? Would not life endless prove ? Wlien time comes to it, all will be made plain For them, for us. But those who still may tread This earth we know, can find remembrance gain ; Forge tfulness for them were greater pain Than memory for the dead. Then blame me not, because for him who lies Beneath the snow I have no grieving tear ; \Yhile for my friend who looks on foreign skies I wait and long. The dead one is so wise He knows how passing dear He was to me ; and he who lives can feel My love about him, though we should not speak Each unto each for years. One has the weal Of death ; the other bears the binding seal Of life and life is weak: A Lock of Hair. 65 A LOCK OF HAIR. TIER eyes were full of truth and light, ' Her slender hands were very white, Her pretty voice was clear and strong, And often trembled on the air In some old-fashioned sacred song, While I I smoothed her fragrant hair. She used to wear this in a braid My dainty, clear-complexioned maid A bright brown braid, with gleams of gold ; And oh ! her face, so sweet and fair, I loved it with a love untold; And now I love this lock of hair. Oh ! beautiful she was, and true, And where the lovely lilacs grew I used to watch her at her play; And now she sleeps forever there, 66 A Lock of Hair. Where sunbeams lie the livelong day, As once they glimmered in this hair. I dare not pass her place of rest, Where birds that loved her make their nest; I think my heart would break, and I Should never say another prayer With faith that He would hear my cry, Who left me just this lock of hair. My little sister, far from me, My darling dark-eyed Emily ! How much doth lie between us two, How much of distance, time and care! Or are these nothing more to you Than is this curling lock of hair? Sweet ! surely God is good, and so Our hearts and lips can wait to know How some day, somewhere, they shall meet And find the answer to their prayer. Yes, some time God will answer, sweet, My cry above this lock of hair! The Muezzin. 67 THE MUEZZIN. purple hills and azure skies, Tall, slender palms, that rise and rise In plume-like masses towards the sun : While narrow streamlets curve and run As blue as Leda's lovely eyes. Along the lofty parapet A swarth muezzin paces yet, Although the morning call to prayer Long since was sounded on the air, And hours must pass ere day will set. He leans and looks and listens. Far Below him, like a fallen star, A gilded sandal lies unbound From some swift foot that spurned the ground Where the great mosque's long shadows are. 68 The Muezzin. lie holds his robe across his face, And creeping on from space to space, From stair to stair in columned line, He passes from the prophet's shrine And lifts the sandal from its place. What dark muezzin ever knew Such eyes like iris moist with dew? What drunken bee e'er took his sips From roses sweet as Leda's lips? Those lips that trembled as she flew. First woman in the minaret, She came for love of Ashtoblet, And dropped her sandal as she fled, While slept the city like the dead Who nor remember nor forget. And once again the sunset's glare, And once again the call to prayer, And once again Night throws her veil About the lives that faint and fail, And Ashtoblet upon the stair. The Muezzin. 69 No call is sounded from his post When pallid Morning like a ghost Comes stealing through the city's gate, And for a while the people wait About the mosque, a silent host. Then one, with finger at his lip And heavy feet that pause and trip And eyes that scarcely see for fright, Comes stumbling on in woful plight And guides to where the fountains drip. There the muezzin Ashtoblet Lies dead on banks of violet, One red line on his dusky throat : And to his heart, where all may note, He holds a gilded sandal yet. 7O /// the Rain. IN THE RAIN. '"THE black clouds roll across the sun, Their shadows darken all the grass: The songs the sweet birds sang are done, And on wide wings the minstrels pass. There comes a sudden sheet of rain That beats the tender field-flowers down, And in the narrow fragrant lane The white road turns a muddy brown. And then the clouds roll slowly back, The sun again shines fierce and hot, The cows come down the sodden track And munch the wet grass in the lot. The flowers their moistened faces raise, The wet leaves in the sunbeams gleam, The birds, refreshed, resume their lays, The children paddle in the stream. In the Ram. 71 How like to life such days as this ! The brightness and the storm of tears ; So much to gain, so much to miss, The sudden overflow of fears. Yet though the song is hushed a while, We know 'twill break forth by-and-by, We know behind the clouds the smile Of radiant glory still doth lie. Oh, let the sudden storm beat low Our tenderest blossoms as it may ! And let our sweetest song-birds go, They will return some other day. We shall forget the sheeted rain And all that looks so dark and drear, Just as we have forgot the pain That seemed so hard to us last year. 72 On the Bridge. ON THE BRIDGE. (FLORENCE, 1645.) ur T*ELL me, my friend you loved him well, I know, But time enough has passed to kill your woe, Or so at least to dull it, you may speak His cherished name and not bedew your cheek With tears I pray, how did Edgardo die ? Is it the truth, when with averted eye, With crimson face and fingers parted wide, Men murmur softly, 'Twas in shame he died, In wanton rankness?" " He who said it lied ! Were it the king himself, or courtier, priest, Or cup-mad brawler at a midnight feast, He lied most foully! Yes, I loved my friend; Saw him by night and day, and did attend Such gay delights as he partook of ; he Was part and soul of perfect purity; On the Bridge. 73 Edgardo never stepped a foot aside From honor's pathway, and the whisperer lied, Whoe'er he was, that told of shame to him. Why, I have had him when the night was dim Cradled upon my heart, and could believe My own beloved wife would me deceive Whom I do know pure as the virgin gold Clustered within the lily's sealed fold Soon as that he would e'er have hid from me One single deed, whatever it might be. Listen ! He loved a maid who was as sweet As new-blown roses when their petals greet The dewy morning's breaking, and as light Of tread as thistle-blows in airy flight. You knew my friend ! Not as are other men Was he. We were together passing when He saw her first ; we were together, too, When next his eyes met hers. The Arno blue Smiled, danced, and murmured underneath our boat, And from the maiden's forehead to her throat I saw a glow like sunrise on far hills Spread swiftly; while, as wine that spills 74 On the Bridge. Its ruby beauty from Venetian glass, I watched a flush across his swart cheek pass. " Day after day he met her ; day by day Posted himself to cross her in her way. At last he spoke, and she was quick to smile And grasp his love with many a maiden wile. To see them then was as though Paradise Had shown the beauty that within it lies. Her limpid eyes of blue, her chestnut hair, By his dark splendor only showed more fair. And by the charm of Love he grew beyond The youth enraptured to the man most fond. " Love is like some magician as it turns Strange things to glory in the soul it burns. Frail natures strengthen, strongest men grow frail, Vice turns to virtue, virtue oft may fail. An Alchemist is Love, who has no care Save just to work and bring his seed to bear Bear oftentimes poor fruit, and oftentimes The dearest richness, or, it may be, crimes. On the Bridge. 75 " But, at the last, Edgardo came to grow Distraught and restless, starting as a doe At sudden knocks or flashings of the light And, waking startled in the still midnight Would rush across the floor, about to fling The casement wide and through its void to spring. Strong as I am who oft, indeed, have thrown Edgardo prostrate as an olive blown By high sea winds, when in our friendly bouts We wrestled at the noontime 'mid the shouts Of boon companions in such freaks as these I scarce could hold him surer than the breeze. But one night waking, round about my neck He threw his arms, and as though all the wreck Of hopes and dreams burst from his stranded heart, Through groans and tears that might have had their start In some sore-wounded god, he told me how The maid he loved had broken every vow So often pledged to him, and soon would wed A lordly lover, one whose daily bread 76 On the P>ru('-c. \Yas at his call, who need but lift his hand To gain the richest lady in the land. " Then, when the morning broke, Edgardo went His usual way and seemed to be content, Save that his face grew thin ; his eyes so bright I ofttimes thought they saw beyond the sight Of mortal men. Once only did he show Aggrievance ; when a comrade, laughing low, Uttered some scathing taunt of her he bit His under lip, and o'er the curve of it I saw a thin red stream of blood flow down, As, with a glance more full of scorn than frown Toward the man, he rose as one might feel Who on a crawling worm had set his heel. She wedded. So, in time, did I. Three years Sped swiftly by with all their joys and fears, And on the street I heard that she had come Back to the place that was her childhood's home. Then it was said the lord she wed had cast I 1 is wife away with tauntings of the past, Her poorer youth, the lover who was still On the Bridge. 77 Unwed, and waited on her wavering will To come to her. And rumors rose that she Was careless of her honor, loved to see The red wine brimming high within the cup, Was known with men of vile repute to sup. And then and then ah, pity me ! I heard My friend was dying. He had caught a word That slid through latticed windows rushed within, And found her with the comrade of her sin, Who had his right hand raised, about to smite The woman's face. As lightning through the night, Edgardo struck him, when he turned and drew His polished steel and ran its sharpness through My noble friend. This, this is all ! Now go, And unto every man whom you do know Talks of his death as shame, I pray you say What I have told you on the bridge this day. If such a death as his be shame, then I Crave, like my friend, a shameful death to die ! " 78 The Star's Mission. THE STAR'S MISSION. A BABY clasped its hands and slept: Across its eyes like gentians blue The veined white eyelids downward crept, The red lips took a paler hue. They raised it from the cradle low And laid it in a harder bed, Amid soft laces, and the glow Of blossoms at its feet and head. They hid it from the mother's sight The mother with the empty arms The sunshine glimmered blinding bright, And all the field-flowers lost their charms. The night came on with stars and dr\v And clear calm moonlight, and the smell Of moistened flower-cups and the few J );ink mosses by the unused well. The Star's Mission. 79 And " Oh ! " the mother thought, " how bare The earth can be of sweets ! " and still The stars shone straightway through the air, The asters nodded on the hill. But all the world was narrowed down To her for whom it once was wide And crowded in the hillock brown New-rounded on the meadow-side. And then she saw one star that grew Of separate lustre from the rest, Its glorious radiance shimmered through The frozen sorrow in her breast. " Perhaps," she said, " it is the star That led to where the Christ-child lay, And I ? O, I am very far From Him who took my child away ; "I will arise and go to Him, And pray for peace and righteous grace To light the deathly shadows grim That hover o'er my baby's face ! " 8o The Star's Mission. And peace descended from its height, And earth regained its wonted charms, The mother-heart shed warmth and light On other children in her arms; But still she kept one place apart And none but God might enter there, The sacred corner of her heart Where her dead child was shrined in prayer. The Wife of Attila Died. 8 1 THE WIFE OF ATTILA DIED. OO the wife of Attila died, and behold there was mourning in Hunia : And into the stream, which curved like a bow about the crescent-shaped headland, They cast green leaves from the nut trees, that the current might bear them downward, And the maidens of other nations who filled their pitchers and vases, And the warriors who brought their horses to quench their thirst in the river, Seeing the blue-gray bosom of the stream cov- ered thick with the leaflets, Should know that some one beloved of all had died in the land of the Huns. And on the day counting third from the day of her dying, they laid her Straight on the short, sweet grass, with her white, dead face turned upward, 82 The Wife of Attila Died. And eyes that were shut from the sunlight like violets under the snow. They plaited her hair with gems, and locked her fingers together; and then, When the moon stood in the midst of the heavens and the stars in their places, They made her a bed in the ground, and folded a coverlet over Cut from the greenest of turf, and on it they planted a rose-bush, Whose blossoms and leaves should gather all that the world gave voice to, And whose roots, running down, might tell her all that was passing in Hunia. And there they left her alone, for into her grave could go nothing Of husband and children but love, and that love was her portion forever, So long as the breath of life was in Attila and his descendants. Among tJie Grasses. 83 AMONG THE GRASSES. THE sweet, sweet grasses growing in the field, And all the lovely weed-flowers that such faint fragrance yield ! I lie and watch them bending beneath the breeze that blows Across the rolling river and gardens of the rose. O the sweet grasses that ask not name nor fame ! Just a little place to grow each Summer-time the same ; A shower of rain, a breath of wind scented by the fruit, A bit of blessed sunshine to warm them at the root. 84 Among the Grasses. O the sweet, sweet grasses, let them have their way! Nothing makes more beautiful than they the Summer day; The buttercups and clover, the sky-blue chic- cory, When I am laid away at last may these grow over me. I seem to hear them singing, weed-flowers and grass, When here I come to rest me and watch the white clouds pass. They've brought me peace and courage by their unconscious grace When Sorrow's hand was on my heart, its tear- drops on my face. O the sweet grasses and weed-flowers in the mead ! Well they know how best to ease the spirit in its need. Among- the Grasses. 85 What wonder that the bird is glad to make his nest among The tangled stems and blossoms when his blithe song is sung ! O the sweet grasses ! amid them here I rest With all the sunset splendor a-burning in the West. Sometime, when on the tired heart my hands are folded down, Good friends, I pray you, bring me here to sleep outside the town. 86 About Myself. ABOUT MYSELF. A H me ! I met a man to-day Who used to seem the very dream Of what I wished myself to be; He often lingered on his way To watch us in our boyish play, Or ask me something laughingly About myself. And yet to-day he did not know That ever he had met with me. He touched the binding of his hat, And raised his head a trifle so; My name broke up his stiffness though, And then we had a quiet chat About myself. It must have seemed so queer to him To think those years of hopes and fears Had made the little boy a man. About Myself. 87 I wonder why his eyes grew dim When mine began to over-brim As swiftly on his questions ran About myself. He is quite old and gray and bent, And I am well, I will not tell! But he was just as old as I Am now, when on the street he lent Spare moments to my merriment, And I ne'er took a thought or sigh About myself. He said he had been glad to see My name at times affixed to rhymes Or books that won a long review. And that his daughters both would be Much pleased if I would come to tea, They had so often spoken too About myself. I'll take him at his word, and go Some Sunday night to get a sight At Mary and at Margaret. 88 About Myself. They used to like me well, I know, And time cannot have changed me so They'll fail to find some graces yet About myself. But, ah ! my heart ! Those years, those years Through which sharp pain like April rain Fell down my pathway as I walked. So much comes back of loss and fears I almost wish alas ! these tears ! I had not met that man, and talked About myself. Memorials. 89 MEMORIALS. QUEEN'S handmaiden, very young and fair, One early morning planted lilies where The sunlight fell upon a pretty spot Hedged thickly with the blue forget-me-not. Far from the fragrant gardens of the Court In which great roses bloomed of every sort, Where lovely lilacs hung in clusters sweet And pansies made rich carpets for the feet. A little corner she held wondrous dear Because she often met her lover here, A bird-voiced Troubador, whose magic lute Struck, with its music, other minstrels mute. And there she found, one splendid afternoon When all the air was filled with scents of June, The queen in tears. "Who planted these?" she said. 90 Memorials. "Twas I," the maiden answered with bowed head. " And why ? " " Because, your majesty, the place Has precious memories." She raised her face And saw the queen was looking down at her More tenderly than ever through the blur Of tear-drops on her lashes. "And for me," In measured accents spake her majesty, " Long years ago, before my lord was king, When I, a child, cared not for anything * But sun and flowers and all delights of life, We played here, and he called me then his wife : And after years had passed, we older grown, He wooed and won me here to share his throne. My babes here, with their nurses, used to play In merry gambols each sunshiny day. What wonder then the place is consecrate To sacred thoughts that heed no gloomy Fate ? But it is dear to you as well, and you Have planted here these lilies wet with dew Memorials. 9 1 For a memorial. O girl of mine ! Full often shall you leave upon Love's shrine An offering like this in future years And sanctify it by your flowing tears. But, listen child, that day must come to all When castles built in girlhood surely fall. And so sometimes with Love : a tiny worm Eats the foundation that we thought so firm. And the high turrets topple and come down Though she who raised them may have worn a crown. ^ "Be patient, dear, permit not Jealousy To enter at Love's portals ; keep the key Always against your bosom and be sure Nothing can harm you if your soul is pure. Though bitter foes surround, full-armed to fight, Virtue and Faith may slay them in a night. " Take an old woman's counsel (you are young) And set a seal on an impulsive tongue. Give to your lover more than he bestows Not, like some maidens, always rose for rose. 92 Memorials. Not measured singly out a smile for smile, Else frowns will follow every once a while And tears wash Love away as tidal waves Bear land-flowers with them to unhallowed graves." Then the queen blessed her as she blushing stood Like a peach-blossom in her maidenhood. And, after many years had passed away, To this same place a matron came one day And brought a child who played at cup and ball While, once again for a memorial, The mother with a smile that made her fair Planted great white and stately lilies there. Sympathy. 93 SYMPATHY. TN sorrow once there came to me Two friends to proffer sympathy. One pressed warm, dewy lips on mine, And quoted from the word divine : Wiped the hot tear-drops from my eye And gave my sore heart sigh for sigh: Told me of pain he had outgrown Pain that was equal to my own, And left me with a tender touch That should have comforted me much. But still my sorrow was no less For all his loving graciousness. The other only pressed my hand; Within his eyes the tears did stand. 94 Sympathy. He said no word, but laid a rare Bunch of sweet flowers beside my chair; And closely held my hand the while He cheered my sad gloom with his smile. And ere he went he sang a song That I had known and loved for long. And then he clasped my hand again With the same look that shares a pain. So when he went I laid my head Down, and was glad and comforted. What was the difference, can you tell? I loved my friends, alike and well; I loved them both alike, and yet The one's warm kiss I could forget, The other's hand-clasp I could feel For hours through all my being steal. Each shared my sorrow, yet to me One brought but love, one sympathy. Ahmed. 95 AHMED. \I 7ITH wrath-flushed cheeks, and eyelids red Where anger's fiercest sign was spread, And hands whose clenched nails left their print In the brown palm's deep, sun-warmed tint, The chieftains sate in circle wide, And in the centre, on his side, Thrown like a dog, a thieving brute, Lay Ahmed, frowning, bound and mute. "The man who takes an offered bribe From chieftain of an alien tribe Shall die." So ran the Arab law, Read by a scribe ; and Ahmed saw In every eye that scanned his face Burn the hot fury of his race. His fate was told. All men must die Some time ; what cared he how or why ? g6 Ahmed. They loosed his tight-swathed arms and feet, Unwound the cashmere turban, sweet \Yith spice and attar, stripped the vest Of gold and crimson from his breast, And laid his broad, brown bosom bare To scimetar and desert air. He stood as moulded statues stand, With sightless eye and nerveless hand. As moulded statues stand, but through The dark skin, at each breath he drew, The wild heart's wilder beating showed. Then on the sand he kneeled, and bowed His head to meet the ready stroke; The headsman threw aside his cloak, The curved steel circled in the sun Ahmed was dead, and justice done. Sometime. 97 SOMETIME. OOMETIME It gives me patience; Sometime It makes me strong; I think but for that Sometime I should not sing a song. I used to feel you waited Somewhere along the way, And sometime I should find you, As true I did one day. And so I know most surely As up the hills I climb, That to each prayer I lift Him God answers me, Sometime. 98 /;/ Absence. IN ABSENCE. \ 17 HERE art thou, O my friend, who used VV to be So near to me ? Somewhere on earth thou art, for I can feel Times when the dusky Nights about me steal A touch like thine Press lightly on these tired hands of mine. Where art thou, O my friend, who used to be So near to me ? Earth is so very, very wide and rough, I lack enough Of strength to make my voice reach to thine ear, Or my so weary feet to thee draw near. O, when wilt thou In Absence. 99 Come unto me who criest loudly now Where art thou, O my friend, who used to be So near to me? Life is so long and Time so full of pain; Come once again ' To let me look upon thy sweet, pale face, Thine eye so blue, thy wrist so set with grace ! Then shall I grow As sunbeams make the Summer flowers to blow. Where art thou now, my friend, who used to be So near to me ? What if I failed a little in my love ? Those stars above Falter sometimes in what they owe to God; Should not I be forgiven whose feet have trod So sad a way In which more rain than sunshine filled the day? Where art thou, vanished friend, who used to be So near to me ? ioo In Absence. Come with thy fond, forgiving smile, once more From that far shore Lying somewhere with waves of sea set 'round, And I shall hear the gladsomeness of sound From thy dear lips, As the bee joyfully sweet honey sips. Where art thou, my one friend, who used to be So near to me ? Am I to blame that I have weary grown Standing alone? If thou hadst trusted longer I had been Secure of love on which my love to lean. O, sure am I, It would have paid thee to have lingered by. Where art thou, trustless friend, who used to be So near to me ? At Midnight: ^ AT MIDNIGHT. T STOOD in the night's great darkness And heard the calling sea, Ever and ever 'twas speaking Out of its heart to me. It seemed like a voice beloved I had not heard for years, And, like a mist in the morning, My eyes were dim with tears. I felt my heart grow purer, I felt my soul float far As if it were seeking Heaven To shine there like a star. And my lips, my lips made answer Unto the sea's sad moan, As if I had found my darling And stood no more alone. 2 /}/ Midnight. "Come to me, sweetheart," I whispered, "Come to my empty arms, And see how close I will fold thee From earth's most vague alarms ! "Feel how my hands shall caress thee, Feel how my heart will beat Against thy heart as I hold thee Near in this safe retreat 1" But the Voice spake low and sweetly: "Dear, wouldst thou have me break The bonds of peace that surround me, Just for thy longing's sake ? "Here in Death's mystical mansion Waiting for thee am I, Why should I seek thee, who surely Shalt find me, by and by? "Ever my love groweth greater, Ever thy love for me Foldeth me over and over Like the tide of the sea. At Midnight. 103 "Take to thyself more of patience, Learn to be strong and wait, And I O love, I will stand here Very close to the gate." I felt the breeze on my forehead, I heard the moaning wave Hushing itself into silence Like the hush of the grave. And then I grew calm and patient ; What if she did not stay? Close to the gate I shall find her When I go Home some day. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 1C LF (N) 1 I \a til V / All r* WB 3 ft fg 6 g 3 ^ RECEIVED AUG Ifc'fifi-cpu CJ 1 ITI LOAN DFPT *-*^*I^I L/C,I* | 9 M191806 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY