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| O BEAUTEOUS boy a-dream, what visions sought | |
| Of pictures magical thy eyes unfold, | |
| What triumphs of celestial wonders wrought, | |
| What marvels from a breath of beauty rolled! | |
| Skyward and seaward on the clouds are scrolled, | 5 |
| A mystic imagery of castled thought, | |
| A thousand worlds to lose,—or win and mould— | |
| A radiant iridescence swiftly caught | |
| Of ever-changing glory, fancy-fraught. | |
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| Blue wonder of the sea and luminous sky, | 10 |
| A thousand wonders in thy dreamlit face,— | |
| Eyes that behold afar the turrets high | |
| Of Ilium, and the transient mortal grace | |
| Of Deirdre’s sadness, all the conquering race | |
| Of Athens,—eyes that saw Eden’s beauty lie | 15 |
| In passionate adoration—visions trace | |
| Across the tender brooding of the sigh | |
| That wrecked a city and made chieftains die. | |
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| Forward not backward turns the mystic shine | |
| Of those far-seeing orbs that track the gleam— | 20 |
| The fleecy marvel of the cloud is line | |
| On line the wizard tracery of a dream. | |
| O lad, who buildest not of things that seem, | |
| Beyond what bounds of visioning divine | |
| Came that far smile, from what long-strayed sunbeam | 25 |
| Caught thou the radiance, from what fostering vine | |
| The power to build and mould the deep design? | |
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| Knowest thou the secret that thy brush would tell, | |
| Is all the dream a bubbled splendor white, | |
| Beyond those castles cloud-bound, does there dwell | 30 |
| The eternal silence of the dark—or light? | |
| Will thy hand hold the pen which shall indict | |
| The symboled mystery—write the final knell | |
| Of rainbow fancy—is the distant sight | |
| A nothingless encircled by a spell | 35 |
| Of gleaming bubbles wrought of beauty’s shell? | |
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| In vain to question, where the mystery | |
| Of Youth’s short golden dream is lord and king. | |
| The eyes that farthest gaze in ecstasy, | |
| Were never meant to paint the immortal thing | 40 |
| They see, nor understand the joy they bring. | |
| The misty baubles of the sky and sea | |
| Sail on. Dream still, bright-visioned boy, and fling | |
| The glittering mantle of thy thoughts that flee, | |
| Weaving us evermore thy shining pageantry. | 45 |
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