Hand Dark
How calm the spangled city spread below! How cool the night! How fair the starry skies! How sweet the dewy breezes! But I know What, under all their seeming beauty, lies. That million-fibred heart, alive, is wrung With every grief that human creatures fear. Could its dumb anguish find a fitting tongue The very […]
Granny
Here, in her elbow chair, she sits A soul alert, alive, A poor old body shrunk and bent- The queen-bee of the hive. But hives of bees and hives of men Obey their several laws; No fiercely-loving filial throng This mother-head adores. This bringer of world-wealth, whereof None may compute the worth, Is possibly […]
Future Verdict
How will our unborn children scoff at us In the good years to come, The happier years to come, Because, like driven sheep, we yielded thus, Before the shearers dumb. What are the words their wiser lips will say? “These men had gained the light; “These women knew the right; “They had their chance, […]
Easter Decorations
O take away your dried and painted garlands! The snow-cloth’s fallen from each quicken’d brow, The stone’s rolled off the sepulchre of winter, And risen leaves and flowers are wanted now. Send out the little ones, that they may gather With their pure hands the firstlings of the birth,- Green-golden tufts and delicate half-blown […]
Dawnlight On The Sea
When I kneel down the dawn is only breaking; Sleep fetters still the brown wings of the lark; The wind blows pure and cool, for day is waking, But stars are scattered still about the dark. With open lattice, looking out and praying, Ere yet the toil and trouble must be faced, I see […]
Dawn
All the wild waves rock’d in shadow, And the world was dim and grey, Dark and silent, hush’d and breathless, Waiting calmly for the day. And the golden light came stealing O’er the mountain-tops at last- Flooding vale and wood and upland,- It was morning-night was past. There they lay-the silvery waters, Fruitful forests, […]
Dawn God039s Sabbath
The dawn of God’s dear Sabbath Breaks o’er the earth again, As some sweet summer morning After a night of pain; It comes as cooling showers To some exhausted land, As shade of clustered palm trees ‘Mid weary wastes of sand. Lord, we would bring for offering Though marred with earthly soil, Our week […]
Candle Lord
“The Spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.” “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Our spirit-ay, our own!-the tree whose fruits Have never fail’d-the sign upon the door ‘Twixt us and God’s intelligent dumb brutes, That parts us evermore! Our spirit-last, best gift-still […]
By The Camp Fire
Ah, ’twas but now I saw the sun flush pink on yonder placid tide; The purple hill-tops, one by one, were strangely lit and glorified; And yet how sweet the night has grown, with palest starlights dimly sown! Those mountain ranges, far and near, enclasp me,- sharply pencilled there, Like blackest sea-waves,-outlined here, like […]
By A Norfolk Broad
One hour ago the crimson sun, that seemed so long a-drowning, sank. The summer day is all but done. Our boat is moored beneath the bank. I bask in peace, content, replete-my faithful comrade at my feet. The water-violet shuts its eye; the water-lily petals close; So in the evening light we lie and […]
Baptistry
One winter eve, at twilight, when the sound Of sorrowful winds scarce troubled Nature’s rest, As she lay sleeping, with her hair unbound, Holding her grey robe to her shivering breast, I enter’d through a low-arch’d oaken door, Circled with curious sculpture; and I crept With slow, hush’d footsteps, o’er the shadow’d floor, Where […]
Aunt Dorothys Lecture
Come, go and practise-get your work- Do something, Nelly, pray. I hate to see you moon about In this uncertain way! Why do you look so vacant, child? I fear you must be ill. Surely you are not thinking of That Captain Cameron still? Ah, yes-I fear’d so! You may blush; I blush for […]
At Sea
When the investing darkness growls, And deep reverberates to deep; When keyhole whines and chimney howls, And all the roofs and windows weep; Then, through the doorless walls of sleep, The still-sealed ear and shuttered sight, Phantoms of memory steal and creep, The very ghosts of sound and light- Dream-visions and dream-voices of a […]
At Long Last
Late, late, the prize is drawn, the goal attained, The Heart’s Desire fulfilled, Love’s guerdon gained. Wealth’s use is past, Fame’s crown of laurel mocks The downward-drooping head and grizzled locks. The end is reached-the end of toil and strife- The end of life. Love flowers and fades like grass, and flowers again; The […]
An Old Doll
Low on her little stool she sits To make a nursing lap, And cares for nothing but the form Her little arms enwrap. With hairless skull that gapes apart, A broken plaster ball, One chipped glass eye that squints askew, And ne’er a nose at all- No raddle left on grimy cheek, No mouth […]
An Anniversary
I. AS flower to sun its drop of dew Gives from its crystal cup, So I, as morning gift to you, This poor verse offer up. II. As flowers upon the summer wind Their air-born odours shake, So, in all fragrance you may find, I give but what I take. III. My tree blooms […]
All Saints Day 1868
“But they are at peace.” Never to weary more, nor suffer sorrow,- Their strife all over, and their work all done: At peace-and only waiting for the morrow; Heaven’s rest and rapture even now begun. So tired once! long fetter’d, sorely burden’d, Ye struggled hard and well for your release; Ye fought in faith […]
All Saints Day 1867
Blessed are they whose baby-souls are bright, Whose brows are sealèd with the cross of light, Whom God Himself has deign’d to robe in white- Blessed are they! Blessed are they who follow through the wild His sacred footprints, as a little child; Who strive to keep their garments undefiled- Blessed are they! Blessed […]
After Our Likeness
Before me now a little picture lies- A little shadow of a childish face, Childishly sweet, yet with the dawning grace Of thought and wisdom on her lips and eyes. Fair, oval, broad-brow’d face-small, delicate head- Transparent skin, with blue veins shining through- All the soft outlines, beautiful and true, Bring me the echo […]
A Story At Dusk
An evening all aglow with summer light And autumn colour-fairest of the year. The wheat-fields, crowned with shocks of tawny gold, All interspersed with rough sowthistle roots, And interlaced with white convolvulus, Lay, flecked with purple shadows, in the sun. The shouts of little children, gleaning there The scattered ears and wild blue-bottle flowers- […]
A Sigh In The Night
O sweet darkness, still, and calm, and lonely! Spread thy downy pinions round about. Spare me from thy hidden riches only One dream-face; blot all the others out. Bring him now, for thou hast power to free him, From that ugly garb he wears by day; Bring him now-my darling!-let me see him Ere […]
A Sermon
Midsummer, 1867. We have heard many sermons, you and I, And many more may hear, When sitting quiet in cathedral nave, With folded palms and faces meek and grave;- But few like this one, dear. We ofttimes watch together ‘fore the veil, With reverent, gleaming eyes, While priestly hands are busy with the folds,- […]
A Prayer
Spirit and Breath of Life, whate’er Thy name! Bear with Thy creature, Man, That makes his dwelling-place a blot of shame Upon the Ordered Plan. Not Thy hand, O Divine Designer, hurled Athwart the starlit skies One blood-stained, greed-diseased, hate-eaten world, To shock celestial eyes. Not Thy default, O Beautiful, this crust Of fratricidal […]
A Dream Of Venice
Numb, half asleep, and dazed with whirl of wheels, And gasp of steam, and measured clank of chains, I heard a blithe voice break a sudden pause, Ringing familiarly through the lamp-lit night, “Wife, here’s your Venice!” I was lifted down, And gazed about in stupid wonderment, Holding my little Katie by the hand- […]
A Supplication
Awake, awake, my Lyre! And tell thy silent master’s humble tale In sounds that may prevail; Sounds that gentle thoughts inspire: Though so exalted she And I so lowly be Tell her, such different notes make all thy harmony. Hark, how the strings awake! And, though the moving hand approach not near, Themselves with […]
Written Juice Lemon
Whilst what I write I do not see, I dare thus, ev’n to you, write poetry. Ah, foolish Muse! which dost so high aspire, And know’st her judgment well, How much it does thy power excel, Yet dar’st be read by, thy just doom, the fire. Alas! thou think’st thyself secure, Because thy form […]
Written In Juice Of Lemon
Whilst what I write I do not see, I dare thus, ev’n to you, write poetry. Ah, foolish Muse! which dost so high aspire, And know’st her judgment well, How much it does thy power excel, Yet dar’st be read by, thy just doom, the fire. Alas! thou think’st thyself secure, Because thy form […]
Wit
TELL me, O tell, what kind of thing is Wit, Thou who Master art of it. For the First matter loves Variety less ; Less Women love ‘t, either in Love or Dress. A thousand different shapes it bears, Comely in thousand shapes appears. Yonder we saw it plain ; and here ’tis now, […]
Welcome
Go, let the fatted calf be kill’d; My prodigal’s come home at last, With noble resolutions fill’d, And fill’d with sorrow for the past: No more will burn with love or wine; But quite has left his women and his swine. Welcome, ah! welcome, my poor heart! Welcome! I little thought, I’ll swear (‘T […]
Vote Excerpt
……… This only grant me : that my means may lie Too low for envy, for contempt too high. Some honour I would have, Not from great deeds, but good alone ; Th’ ignote are better than ill-known, Rumor can ope the grave. Acquaintance I would hug, but when ‘t depends Not from the […]
Usurpation
Thou ‘adst to my soul no title or pretence; I was mine own, and free, Till I had given myself to thee; But thou hast kept me slave and prisoner since. Well, since so insolent thou ‘rt grown, Fond tyrant! I’ll depose thee from thy throne; Such outrages must not admitted be In an […]
Tree Knowledge
THAT THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE. Against the Dogmatists. THE sacred tree ‘midst the fair orchard grew; The Phoenix truth did on it rest, And built his perfum’d nest; That right Porphyrian tree which did true Logick shew, Each leaf did learned notions give, And th’ apples were demonstrative; So clear their colour and divine, […]
To The Royal Society
I. Philosophy the great and only heir Of all that human knowledge which has bin Unforfeited by man’s rebellious sin, Though full of years he do appear, (Philosophy, I say, and call it, he, For whatso’ere the painter’s fancy be, It a male-virtue seems to me) Has still been kept in nonage till of […]
To The Lord Falkland
FOR HIS SAFE RETURN FROM THE NORTHERN EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SCOTS. Great is thy Charge, O North! be wise and just, England commits her Falkland to thy trust; Return him safe; Learning would rather choose Her Bodley or her Vatican to lose: All things that are but writ or printed there, In his unbounded […]
To Sir William Davenant
UPON HIS TWO FIRST BOOKS OF GONDIBERT FINISHED BEFORE HIS VOYAGE TO AMERICA. METHINKS heroick poesy till now, Like some fantastick fairy-land did show; Gods, devils, nymphs, witches and giants’ race, And all but man, in man’s chief work had place. Thou, like some worthy knight with sacred arms, Dost drive the monsters thence, […]
Thisbes Song
Come, love, why stay’st thou? The night Will vanish ere wee taste delight. The moone obscures her selfe from sight, Thou absent, whose eyes give her light. Come quickly deare, be briefe as time, Or we by morne shall be o’retane, Love’s Joy’s thing owne as well as mine, Spend not therefore, time in […]
The Wish
Well then; I now do plainly see This busy world and I shall ne’er agree. The very honey of all earthly joy Does of all meats the soonest cloy; And they (methinks) deserve my pity Who for it can endure the stings, The crowd, and buzz, and murmurings Of this great hive, the city. […]
The Welcome
Go, let the fatted calf be kill’d; My prodigal’s come home at last, With noble resolutions fill’d, And fill’d with sorrow for the past: No more will burn with love or wine; But quite has left his women and his swine. Welcome, ah! welcome, my poor heart! Welcome! I little thought, I’ll swear (‘T […]
The Vote Excerpt
……… This only grant me : that my means may lie Too low for envy, for contempt too high. Some honour I would have, Not from great deeds, but good alone ; Th’ ignote are better than ill-known, Rumor can ope the grave. Acquaintance I would hug, but when ‘t depends Not from the […]
The Usurpation
Thou ‘adst to my soul no title or pretence; I was mine own, and free, Till I had given myself to thee; But thou hast kept me slave and prisoner since. Well, since so insolent thou ‘rt grown, Fond tyrant! I’ll depose thee from thy throne; Such outrages must not admitted be In an […]