The triumph of time. Mystical poem

Prologue

The Grave of Love.

I stand between two lives, a life that's gone, A life that's dead, yet died to live again ; unforgotte.n joys, remembered pain ! Feed all my years with memory alone. Flow hidden tears, and sorrows deep atone, For that dear past is dead whom grief hath slain, Yet green the grave where love so long hath lain, And roses bloom above one time washed stone.

days and months and years that are to be, What gifts bring ye sad fruits of grief and toil ? What treasures from the unrelenting sea ? Heap high your riches, yield the victor spoil. Lo ! at the grave of love on bended knee

1 pour as incense all my precious oil.

art I.

IN ABSENCE.

THE TKIUMPH OF TIME.

" Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it : If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."

" Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm ; jealousy is cruel as the grave ; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame."

Solomon's Song viii. 6-7.

Song.

Dim forms half seen through tears, Shadows of other years, Hopes that give way to fears.

Mists of the morn.

Treasures that seem as lost, Buds nipped by winter frost, Count these love's bitter cost. O heart forlorn !

Why Did We Part.

Why did we part ? I know not how nor why.

My bark has drifted far from love's green shore,

And now the land of light I see no more,

Only a waste of sea, and brooding sky ;

The pennon droops that once I proudly bore,

And all the blessed visions seen of yore

Live only as the dead in memory.

When shall the trump sound to awake those dead ?

When shall their bodies from the graves arise

And stand confronting us with solemn eyes,

Showing their pierced hands and feet which bled ?

Will it then avail our sorrowful surprise ?

" These are mv little ones," the voice hath said.

When I Am Dead.

When I am dead what man will say- She used to smile in such a way, Her eyes were dark and strangely bright As are the solemn stars of night ? What man will say her voice's tone Was like the far-off winds that moan Through forest trees ? voice and eyes That brought me dreams of Paradise !

I think no man, when I am dead,

Will say these things that thou hast said

Unto my living human face,

And all the bloom, and all the grace

W 7 ill then be buried out of sight,

Thought of no more, forgotten quite,

As are the flowers of other days,

And songs of birds who sang their praise,

As are the flowers of other springs,

Upon whose grave the wild bird sings.

flowers and songs of other days ! What sweet new voice will sing your praise ? What choir will celebrate the spring When love and I went wandering Between the glades, beneath the trees, Or by the calm blue summer seas, And thought no thing beneath the skies So lovely as each other's eyes ?

When we are dead, when both are gone, Buried in separate graves alone, Perchance the restless salt sea wave Will sing its dirge above my grave, While you, on some far foreign shore, May hear the distant ocean roar, And long at last your arms to twine About this cold dead form of mine.

When we are dead, when both are cold, When love is as a tale that's told, Will not our lips so still and mute Still long for love's untasted fruit ? Though lands and seas hold us apart Will not my dead heart reach thy heart, And call to thee from farthest space Until we both stand face to face ?

When we are dead, yea, God doth know When that shall be, if it were so This moment now, if thou and I Lay dead together neath this sky, Could any future to us bring So sad and desolate a thing As this sad life ? nay, can there be Such sorrow in eternity ?

O long sad days ! we need in truth Some recompense for our lost youth : By woes forlorn, and sins forborne, By joys renounced or from us torn, By thorns that bore no single rose, By loving hands that dealt us blows ; We pray that when this life shall cease We then may know eternal peace.

When we are dead, when sea and air

Have claimed the forms that once were fair,

Will joys of Heaven compensate

For two lone hearts left desolate

On earth so long ? Will all these years

Of anxious love and burning tears

Be as the water turned to wine,

The best of all that feast divine ?

Sea Waves.

The wild waves dash and roar Along the shingly shore, Their voice is near, but Oh ! I hear My loved one's voice no more.

The sea-gulls wheel and fly Against an amber sky, And so of yore we watched them soar, Together he and I.

Wild waves along the shore Eoll on and dash and roar With ceaseless moan since I alone Eecall those days of yore.

Oh ! shall we ever stand By sea or pleasant land As once we stood and thought it good Hand closely clasped in hand ?

Oh ! shall it ever be, By land or flowing sea, That he and I beneath the sky May clasp hands silently ?

Though we may never stand Together on green land, In Heaven above I'll meet my love And take him by the hand.

Though it should never be, Again by land or sea, In Paradise I'll greet his eyes, And they shall look on me.

Aspiration.

11 From me is thy fruit found.'" — Ho sea xiv. 8. I am the vine, ye are the branches." — St. John xv. 5.

My soul must feed on heavenly fruits, My feet must walk in heavenly ways, I cannot live by bread alone.

Thy word, God ! my spirit stays, Eemember all my weary days, Eemember, Lord, my parched roots, Then let Thy will in me be done, That I mav bring forth heavenly fruits.

" Inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of these My little ones, ye did it unto Me."

Unto Thee, my God, unto Thee, Alas ! what have I done ?

What angry word not spoken, What deep made vow not broken.

And now I stand alone, Filled full of grief and shame, Self scorn and bitter blame ; Oh ! let Thy Holy Name

In me atone.

Though cankering sin doth cling and cleave to me,

Lord set me free !

Unto Thee, my God, unto Thee, When have I ministered ?

When have I given Thee bread ?

Has Thy hungry heart been fed By my thought or deed or word ? Oh ! poor and weak am I, Yet Jesus heed my cry.

Thou wilt not pass me by.

Yea, Thou hast heard.

My broken heart at last I give to Thee.

Christ, set me free !

Sonnet.

- k That where I am ye may be also."

That where Thou art Thy chosen ones may be,

Thy chosen ones to sit upon Thy throne,

As Thou hast shared Thy Father's throne alone,

So may we share Thy throne and be with Thee,

With Thee, sweet Lord, throughout eternity ;

With Thee who art as God and with Him one,

For where Thou art His will is ever done,

And there all angels praise His unity.

O faithful, holy, wonderful, and true,

Defend me now, let no man take my crown ;

Oh! cleanse my life; Yea, cleanse my heart anew;

But bear me up lest in the deeps I drown,

From many called, the chosen are but few,

Who smite the Son must meet the Father's frown b2

Sweeter than Honey.

Sweeter than honey in the honeycomb Are Thy sweet words, O Father, unto me, Like some lost exile seeking after home, Thus have I sought and found myself in Thee. Prized above all gold and precious stones Are Thy commandments written on my heart, Thy voice is clearer than the dove's low tones, There is no night nor darkness where Thou art. Blest are the pure in heart for they shall see Their God ; Oh ! rapture to behold His face, Our blessed Lord who comes to set us free, And lead His wandering sheep to resting place. Gome quickly, Lord Jesus ! quickly come, That Thy meek souls of earth may find their home.

Waters in the Desert.

Long tinie I wandered in a barren land, My stumbling feet beset by unknown ways, The scorching sun blinding my weary gaze, A brazen sky above a waste of sand, No shelter from the torturing burning rays : God ! I cried, end now my nights and days, Smite me with death, yea, strike me where I stand. And Thou did'st smite as Moses smote the rock, Not unto death, for forth there gushing flowed' A stream of life, and suddenly there glowed Bright roses where had been an earthquake's shock, And grasses green appeared, and cattle lowed, And by a stream a shepherd fed his flock.

I Gave Thee Jewels.

I gave thee jewels, priceless jewels set

In a crown of gold ; I gave thee blooming flowers,

Plucked in an eastern land from sacred bowers,

I gave thee love ; that love can'st thou forget ?

Can'st thou wipe out the day our spirits met ?

Eesign the throne and crowm that once was ours ?

Yield up thy freedom to earth's tyrannous powers?

Obliterate thy love and thy regret ?

Yea, thou hast left me ; only in my dreams

Do I behold the wonder of thy face,

Across my cloudy sky thy spirit gleams,

A haunting shadow in a lonely place,

Pale as still waters lit by moon's pale beams,

Silent as wings that flying leave no trace.

Nocturne.

Sacred the day we met ;

Sacred the" dews that shed Their drops on the crimson rose,

In her mossy bed, When the east was a streak of gold,

And the west was golden red.

The evening star trembled for love

Of the moon's pale light, Whilst the nightingale in the grove,

Sang his song to the heart of night.

Still was the air, Oh ! still,

Save the evening breeze That sighed with a rustling thrill

Through the forest trees.

Calm was the sky above, No sound was heard

Save the throbbing note of love From the throbbing bird.

Let those who will forget Love's sacred ways ;

Mine eyes with tears are wet For love's lost days.

Mine eyes with tears are wet,

My heart is sad, Let those who will forget

To make it glad.

The rose is dried and dead, That once was crimson red, No sacred dews are shed, From out the sky.

Hushed is the nightingale, Silent his tender wail, Throughout the darksome vale, None hear his cry.

Dark is the face of night, Thick clouds shut out from sight The stars, and moon's pale light Shut out the sky.

Moaning through quivering trees, Shudders the sighing breeze, The shivering waters freeze, The streams run dry.

All nature makes her moan, When love is left alone, When cold hearts turned to stone, Leave love to die.

The Wind Harp.

At night when the stars shine,

My soul is filled with light,

Their bright rays pierce my heart,

I tremble with joy,

Harp -like I sing wild songs,

Glad songs of liberty,

For the cords of my being are strained,

Strained till they vibrate ;

And the winds breathe low music through my soul,

I hear the song the wind plays upon my heart :

Its sweetness is ravishing,

I almost faint to hear it ;

Between life and death I lie in the land of song.

death in life thou art sweet !

life born of death thou ar£ sweeter !

The Song of the Wind.

In the dark night forth going,

Whither my soul and where ?

Whither and where not knowing,

Forth on the storm-filled air, Forth on the airy ocean ;

Alone, my soul ! wilt thou dare To brave the wild wind's dread commotion,

The darkening gloom of despair?

Forth in the darkness lonely,

Lone on the open sea, With thee, O my soul ! thee only,

Sailing the ether free ; While the winds of night are raving,

And the stars have hid their light, I with my soul am braving

The gloom of the deep black night.

Andromeda.

Andromeda upon her lonely rock,

Was not more lone nor more forlorn than I ;

Above, the dark face of the barren sky,

And at my feet the cold sea's cruel shock,

Why cometh not the saving Perseus ? Why

Doomed to a living death do I not die ?

Or chained to stone become like stone or stock ?

How long, how long swift-footed warrior fair,

Shall woman wait thy coming ? When be free ?

When thou with thy bright sword shalt cleave the air,

And slay the cruel monster of the sea ; [snare,

Freed from her chains, from rock, from tempter's

She then shall glorify the heavens with thee !

World Weary.

Brother wake and come away, Where the golden waters gleam ; Come where flows the sacred stream, Where the lilies lie asleep, On the waters cool and deep, Far away and far away.

Far ; Oh ! far our country lies, 'Neath the deep blue tropic skies ; I can hear the sweet birds call, I can hear the waters fall ; Hark ! the sweet birds call us home, Hark ! they call us ! brother, come !

Brother, wake and take my hand, I have travelled far alone ; See behind me white seas moan ; ' I have crossed the desert's track All alone, nor once looked back ; Left the weary waste of sand Far behind — A new found land Full of promise bids us come, Brother, wake ! and take me home !

The Lost Sheep.

My Father sought my love,

But night and day

I turned away ; And ever as He strove,

In sorrow meek,

My love to seek, I ever spurned His love.

I dwelt with mine own pride,

To Him no gift

Did I uplift, Earth's loves I deified ;

I sat in state,

Queen of my fate, When lo ! one day love died.

Then I cried out in scorn,

" Is God above

A God of love ?

Why was I ever born ?

Now let Him take

My soul, and make Some creature less forlorn."

Then answered He, and spake,

" I sought thine heart,

Of mine a part ; I sought thy thirst to slake,

Come drink of Me,"

I said, " be free, But ye did idols make.

" I give and take away,

That ye may turn

To me and burn With love no man can slay,

That ye at last

May hold Me fast, I give ye power to stray.

" I give ye power to sin,

If sin ye must,

Who are as dust, That I your souls may win ;

Ye must be free,

To turn from Me, As to return within."

But still I strayed away, Earth's fruits to eat, And called them sweet,

And still forgot to pray ; My Lord looked down, With jealous frown,

My idols turned to clay.

And then I saw my soul,

Blackened with sin,

And dark within ; I heard the thunders roll,

"0 God! I cried,

Would I had died, Can'st Thou not make me whole ?

" At last I come to Thee,

Oh ! let me hear

Thy voice, nor fear Thy gracious face to see,

Unworthy I,

To live or die, Unworthy e'en to be.

" Lord, I believe Thy power,

Thou can'st remake

My soul and take Me up at this last hour ;

Oh ! make me Thine,

By love Divine, My strength, my shield, my tower.

" Thy love hath walled me in,

By night and day

I cannot stray, Yea, walled by mine own sin,

Thus bound to Thee,

In liberty, I'm Thine, without, within."

MnUxlnbt.

THE TENOR VOICE.

c^

Winged Sleep.

Lo ! in the night with my arms wound around thee, I carry thee far to some clear limpid stream, There where my love hath recaptured and bound

thee, I kiss thee at will in thy deep mystic dream.

Child of the lotos, and pearl of the ocean, Queen of my bosom, and queen of the air, I call thy deep soul to receive my devotion, And whisper delight to thy spirit most fair.

Day may divide us, but night-time unites us, Dreams shall restore us to music and love, A dream of enchantment that lures and invites us To groves of sweet spices, the home of the dove.

What though our feet tread the earth on the morrow, To-night we are winged, to-night we are free, Let me drink deep of joy, forget earth and its sorrow, And bask in the love-light of Heaven and thee.

We will rest 'neath the palms, we will bathe in

clear waters, Where thy sisters the lilies are waking from sleep, They will call thee the fairest of all earth's fair

daughters, And amid thy long tresses they'll lovingly creep.

The soft breezes woo us, the birds sing above us, The waters caress us, the white lilies shine, All nature rejoices to hold and to love us, And shares in our mystical rapture divine.

Through the cool shad)' groves let us wander

together, And eat of the fruit of each blossoming tree, A garden of spices in balmy spring weather, Where sweet doves are cooing and calling for thee.

Now the low T song of birds my dear love is awaking, A soft tender kiss on her lips I will press, And now the bright day her sweet soul is re -taking, She will w T ake and remember her lover's caress.

Thine eyes are my starlight, thy face is my moonlight,

Thy hair is my sunlight, thy lips are my morn,

Let me kiss them, night wanes and the day waxes soon bright,

And lo ! from my heart a new love lay is. born.

art I.

(CONTIN U ED.)

Avenged.

Forget me, Oh ! forget me ; let me be

By thee forgotten, dead and out of sight,

Yea, more than dead, obliterated quite

From out the records of thy memory ;

Strew my white ashes to the foaming sea,

Cast them away in darkness of the night ;

Let this pale form that once was thy delight,

Be blotted out from earth, from Heaven, from thee.

Then when resolved to dew and fire and air,

Or turned to dust lying beneath thy feet,

When all my dissolution is complete ;

Then let some woman rise serenely fair,

Saying with voice unutterably sweet,

Behold in me thy dead love's dead despair.

Relenting.

" Sweetheart," he said; "what sweeter word than

this Can lover call the lady of his love ? O sweet sweetheart ! " and therewith fell a kiss Upon my brow as falls a fluttering dove. Oh ! will that blessed word fall on mine ear Again from those dear lips ? and is it meet To leave this heart a prey to doubt and fear ? This heart which you beholding called most sweet. No other eye hath seen its inmost shrine, No other ear hath heard its inmost voice, For thee alone it sang its song divine, And can'st thou now reject thine own heart's

choice ?

Cast me not from thee on life's bitter sea, Thou know'st, love ! my Heaven lies hid in thee.

Yearning. .

We walk through life o'er steep and stony ways, We singers who make other lives so sweet, We gain the heights with torn and bleeding feet, xlnd hear perchance some far-off word of praise, Some talk of crowns, faint odours of green bays Borne on the wind — while voices still repeat Our songs of early love, we yearn to greet Some radiant face lost now these many days. The multitudes may echo what we sing, Or list with bated breath to thrilling strain. Born of a soul tortured by lonely pain ; But while we hear the loud applauses ring, Our hungering hearts would give them all to bring One vision back, one lost hope to regain.

Light in Darkness.

Where art thou, O my love ? where art thou? where ?

Will time console me ever for thy loss ?

Behold, I bear alone my heavy cross,

And thou alone thy thorny crown doth wear,

Alone ? not so, O my beloved ! there

Above us stands the One ; — our love as dross

Beside His gold doth show, though billows toss

Between us we may walk where faith doth dare.

Our Master leads, we follow on His way,

Follow the self same hand, the tender voice,

Nightly we kneel and to one God we pray,

Daily the gladsome sun doth both rejoice ;

He leads us still, earth cannot our hearts sever,

Our God doth guide us now and will for ever.

Strong as Death.

I loved, God took my love, I did not die,

I love my lost one still, and God knows why ;

me ! the love God gave, Must either kill or save,

'Twill follow to my grave, And with me lie.

My star was shining bright , it shines no more, Quenched is its golden light, dark is my shore,

1 watch for its lost beam, When will its radiant gleam Light up my darkened dream,

With light of yore ?

My bird that sweetly sang has taken flight,

Its voice now throbs no more through shades of

I'm suddenly bereaved, [night ;

By hope and love deceived,

My losses unretrieved, Sad is my plight.

Some balmy night my lost bird will return, Low in the eastern sky my star will burn, And o'er my silent grave, Where the tall grass will wave, The heart I longed to save, Will weep and yearn.

Dreams of the Night.