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From “The Day Dream”
YEAR after year unto her feet, | |
| She lying on her couch alone, | |
| Across the purple coverlet, | |
| The maiden’s jet-black hair has grown; | |
| On either side her trancèd form | 5 |
| Forth streaming from a braid of pearl; | |
| The slumberous light is rich and warm, | |
| And moves not on the rounded curl. | |
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| The silk star-broidered coverlid | |
| Unto her limbs itself doth mould, | 10 |
| Languidly ever; and amid | |
| Her full black ringlets, downward rolled, | |
| Glows forth each softly-shadowed arm, | |
| With bracelets of the diamond bright. | |
| Her constant beauty doth inform | 15 |
| Stillness with love, and day with light. | |
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| She sleeps: her breathings are not heard | |
| In palace chambers far apart. | |
| The fragrant tresses are not stirred | |
| That lie upon her charmèd heart. | 20 |
| She sleeps; on either hand upswells | |
| The gold-fringed pillow lightly prest: | |
| She sleeps, nor dreams, but ever dwells | |
| A perfect form in perfect rest. | |
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THE ARRIVAL ALL precious things discovered late, | 25 |
| To those that seek them issue forth; | |
| For love in sequel works with fate, | |
| And draws the veil from hidden worth. | |
| He travels far from other skies, | |
| His mantle glitters on the rocks— | 30 |
| A fairy prince, with joyful eyes, | |
| And lighter-footed than the fox. | |
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| The bodies and the bones of those | |
| That strove in other days to pass, | |
| Are withered in the thorny close, | 35 |
| Or scattered blanching in the grass. | |
| He gazes on the silent dead: | |
| “They perished in their daring deeds.” | |
| This proverb flashes through his head: | |
| “The many fail; the one succeeds.” | 40 |
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| He comes, scarce knowing what he seeks. | |
| He breaks the hedge; he enters there; | |
| The color flies into his cheeks; | |
| He trusts to light on something fair; | |
| For all his life the charm did talk | 45 |
| About his path, and hover near | |
| With words of promise in his walk, | |
| And whispered voices in his ear. | |
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| More close and close his footsteps wind; | |
| The magic music in his heart | 50 |
| Beats quick and quicker, till he find | |
| The quiet chamber far apart. | |
| His spirit flutters like a lark, | |
| He stoops, to kiss her, on his knee: | |
| “Love, if thy tresses be so dark, | 55 |
| How dark those hidden eyes must be!” | |
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THE REVIVAL A touch, a kiss! the charm was snapt. | |
| There rose a noise of striking clocks, | |
| And feet that ran, and doors that clapt, | |
| And barking dogs, and crowing cocks; | 60 |
| A fuller light illumined all, | |
| A breeze through all the garden swept, | |
| A sudden hubbub shook the hall, | |
| And sixty feet the fountain leapt. | |
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| The hedge broke in, the banner blew, | 65 |
| The butler drank, the steward scrawled, | |
| The fire shot up, the martin flew, | |
| The parrot screamed, the peacock squalled, | |
| The maid and page renewed their strife, | |
| The palace banged, and buzzed and clackt, | 70 |
| And all the long-pent stream of life | |
| Dashed downward in a cataract. | |
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| At last with these the king awoke, | |
| And in his chair himself upreared, | |
| And yawned, and rubbed his face, and spoke, | 75 |
| “By holy rood, a royal beard! | |
| How say you? we have slept, my lords. | |
| My beard has grown into my lap.” | |
| The barons swore, with many words, | |
| ’T was but an after-dinner’s nap. | 80 |
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| “Pardy,” returned the king, “but still | |
| My joints are something stiff or so. | |
| My lord, and shall we pass the bill | |
| I mentioned half an hour ago?” | |
| The chancellor, sedate and vain, | 85 |
| In courteous words returned reply: | |
| But dallied with his golden chain, | |
| And, smiling, put the question by. | |
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THE DEPARTURE And on her lover’s arm she leant, | |
| And round her waist she felt it fold; | 90 |
| And far across the hills they went | |
| In that new world which is the old. | |
| Across the hills, and far away | |
| Beyond their utmost purple rim, | |
| And deep into the dying day, | 95 |
| The happy princess followed him. | |
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| “I ’d sleep another hundred years, | |
| O love, for such another kiss;” | |
| “O wake forever, love,” she hears, | |
| “O love, ’t was such as this and this.” | 100 |
| And o’er them many a sliding star, | |
| And many a merry wind was borne, | |
| And, streamed through many a golden bar, | |
| The twilight melted into morn. | |
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| “O eyes long laid in happy sleep!” | 105 |
| “O happy sleep that lightly fled!” | |
| “O happy kiss, that woke thy sleep!” | |
| “O love, thy kiss would wake the dead!” | |
| And o’er them many a flowing range | |
| Of vapor buoyed the crescent bark; | 110 |
| And, rapt thro’ many a rosy change, | |
| The twilight died into the dark. | |
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| “A hundred summers! can it be? | |
| And whither goest thou, tell me where?” | |
| “O, seek my father’s court with me, | 115 |
| For there are greater wonders there.” | |
| And o’er the hills, and far away | |
| Beyond their utmost purple rim, | |
| Beyond the night, across the day, | |
| Thro’ all the world she followed him. | 120 |
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