| |
| THOU 1 of the pale and lofty brow, | |
| The intellectual eye, | |
| Whose form and beaming look avow | |
| A soul, too sternly proud to bow | |
| Even to destiny— | 5 |
| Say, to what deep and dread design, | |
| Does thy great heart incline? | |
| |
| With beings of another sphere | |
| Thy mystic converse seems; | |
| Like that of some prophetic seer, | 10 |
| Who hid in caverns dark and drear, | |
| Revolves foreboding dreams; | |
| Yet thy fix’d eye’s undying flame | |
| Betokens nought of shame. | |
| |
| Say, dost thou commune with the stars, | 15 |
| And pierce the world beyond! | |
| Seest warriors in their flaming cars, | |
| In other spheres, wage quenchless wars, | |
| While Love and Hope despond? | |
| No! pure the pageantry must be— | 20 |
| Thine eye lights gloriously. | |
| |
| Say, dost thou see a blushing cheek | |
| Through flowing, gleamy hair? | |
| And is there one who kneels to speak | |
| His thoughts of love—in words too weak, | 25 |
| For the fair creature there? | |
| Thou smil’st—but no assent appears, | |
| And now gush forth thy tears. | |
| |
| Speak, I conjure thee by the names | |
| Of mother and of sire; | 30 |
| By every whispering hope that claims | |
| Remembrance; by each spell that flames | |
| The keen heart of desire; | |
| Speak things of terror, words of fire, | |
| I ’ll listen and admire. | 35 |
| |
| “Youth! in yon sparkling firmament | |
| I see a promised heaven. | |
| When mortal toil and man’s intent, | |
| When every evil passion, sent | |
| To earth, with earth is riven— | 40 |
| Then shall I claim in yon bright sky | |
| A joy that cannot die.” | |
