IN A EWELEAZE

THE years have gathered grayly
Since I danced upon this leaze
With one who kindled gaily
Love's fitful ecstasies!

But despite the term as teacher
I remain what I was then
In each essential feature

Of the fantasies of men.

Yet I note the little chisel
Of never-napping Time
Defacing ghast and grizzel

The blazon of my prime.
When at night he thinks me sleeping
I feel him boring sly
Within my bones, and heaping
Quaintest pains for by and by.

Still, I'd go the world with Beauty, I would laugh with her and sing, I would shun divinest duty

To resume her worshipping.

But she'd scorn my brave endeavour,
She would not balm the breeze

By murmuring "Thine for ever! "
As she did upon this leaze.

1890.

A SPOT

IN years defaced and lost,
Two sat here, transport-tossed,
Lit by a living love

The wilted world knew nothing of:
Scared momently

By gaingivings,
Then hoping things
That could not be.

Of love and us no trace
Abides upon the place;

The sun and shadows wheel, Season and season sere-ward steal;

Foul days and fair

Here, too, prevail,

And gust and gale
As everywhere.

But lonely shepherd souls

Who bask amid these knolls
May catch a faery sound

On sleepy noontides from the ground:
O not again

Till Earth outwears

Shall love like theirs
Suffuse this glen!"

THE DARKLING THRUSH

I LEANT upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.

The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,

And all mankind that haunted nigh Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be The Century's corpse outleant,

His crypt the cloudy canopy,

The wind his death-lament.

The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,

And every spirit upon earth

Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited ;

44

THE DARKLING THRUSH

An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carollings
Of such estatic sound

Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,

That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

December 1900.

THE TEMPORARY THE ALL

(SAPPHICS)

CHANGE and chancefulness in my flowering

youthtime

Set me sun by sun near to one unchosen ; Wrought us fellowlike, and despite divergence, Fused us in friendship.

Cherish him can I while the true one forth

come

Come the rich fulfiller of my prevision;
Life is roomy yet, and the odds unbounded."
So self-communed I.

Thwart my wistful way did a damsel saunter,
Fair, albeit unformed to be all-eclipsing;
"Maiden meet," held I, till arise my forefelt
Wonder of women."

Long a visioned hermitage deep desiring, Tenements uncouth I was fain to house in ; "Let such lodging be for a breath-while," thought I,