The Poems of William Watson Part 20

Then I: "O wondrous trinity, Vouchsafe once more to answer me, And tell me truly, what is He Whose very mask and raiment ye?"

But they replied: "Of Time are we, And of Eternity is He.

Wait thou, and ask Eternity; Belike his mouth shall answer thee."

THE RIVER

I

As drones a bee with sultry hum When all the world with heat lies dumb, Thou dronest through the drowsed lea, To lose thyself and find the sea.

As fares the soul that threads the gloom Toward an unseen goal of doom, Thou farest forth all witlessly, To lose thyself and find the sea.

II

My soul is such a stream as thou, Lapsing along it heeds not how; In one thing only unlike thee,-- Losing itself, it finds no sea.

Albeit I know a day shall come When its dull waters will be dumb; And then this river-soul of Me, Losing itself, shall find the sea.

CHANGED VOICES

Last night the seawind was to me A metaphor of liberty, And every wave along the beach A starlit music seemed to be.

To-day the seawind is to me A fettered soul that would be free, And dumbly striving after speech The tides yearn landward painfully.

To-morrow how shall sound for me The changing voice of wind and sea?

What tidings shall be borne of each?

What rumour of what mystery?

A SUNSET

Westward a league the city lay, with one Cloud's imminent umbrage o'er it: when behold, The incendiary sun Dropped from the womb o' the vapour, rolled 'Mongst huddled towers and temples, 'twixt them set Infinite ardour of candescent gold, Encompa.s.sed minaret And terrace and marmoreal spire With conflagration: roofs enfurnaced, yet Unmolten,--columns and cupolas flanked with fire, Yet standing unconsumed Of the fierce fervency,--and higher Than all, their fringes goldenly illumed, Dishevelled clouds, like ma.s.sed empurpled smoke From smouldering forges fumed: Till suddenly the bright spell broke With the sun sinking through some palace-floor And vanishing wholly. Then the city woke, Her mighty Fire-Dream o'er, As who from out a sleep is raised Of terrible loveliness, lasting hardly more Than one most monumental moment; dazed He looketh, having come Forth of one world and witless gazed Into another: ev'n so looked, for some Brief while, the city--amazed, immobile, dumb.

A SONG OF THREE SINGERS

I

Wave and wind and willow-tree Speak a speech that no man knoweth; Tree that sigheth, wind that bloweth, Wave that floweth to the sea: Wave and wind and willow-tree.

Peerless perfect poets ye, Singing songs all songs excelling, Fine as crystal music dwelling In a welling fountain free: Peerless perfect poets three!

II

Wave and wind and willow-tree Know not aught of poets' rhyming, Yet they make a silver-chiming Sunward-climbing minstrelsy, Soother than all songs that be.

Blows the wind it knows not why, Flows the wave it knows not whither, And the willow swayeth hither Swayeth thither witlessly, Nothing knowing save to sigh.

LOVE'S ASTROLOGY

I know not if they erred Who thought to see The tale of all the times to be, Star-character'd; I know not, neither care, If fools or knaves they were.

But this I know: last night On me there shone _Two stars_ that made all stars look wan And shamed quite, Wherefrom the soul of me Divined her destiny.

THREE FLOWERS

I made a little song about the rose And sang it for the rose to hear, Nor ever marked until the music's close A lily that was listening near.

The red red rose flushed redder with delight, And like a queen her head she raised.

The white white lily blanched a paler white, For anger that she was not praised.

Turning I left the rose unto her pride, The lily to her enviousness, And soon upon the gra.s.sy ground espied A daisy all companionless.

Doubtless no flattered flower is this, I deemed; And not so graciously it grew As rose or lily: but methought it seemed More thankful for the sun and dew.

_Dear love, my sweet small flower that grew'st among The gra.s.s, from all the flowers apart,-- Forgive me that I gave the rose my song, Ere thou, the daisy, hadst my heart!_

THREE ETERNITIES

Lo, thou and I, my love, And the sad stars above,-- Thou and I, I and thou!

Ah could we lie as now Ever and aye, my love, Hand within hand, my love, Heart within heart, my dove, Through night and day For ever!

Lo, thou and I, my love, Up in the sky above, Where the sun makes his home And the G.o.ds are, my love, One day may wander from Star unto star, my love,-- Soul within soul, my love, Yonder afar For ever!

Lo, thou and I, my love, Some time shall lie, my love, Knowing not night from day, Knowing not toil from rest,-- Breast unto breast, my love, Even as now for aye: Clay within clay, my love, Clay within clay For ever!

LOVE OUTLOVED

I

Love cometh and love goeth, And he is wise who knoweth Whither and whence love flies: But wise and yet more wise Are they that heed not whence he flies or whither Who hither speeds to-day, to-morrow thither; Like to the wind that as it listeth blows, And man doth hear the sound thereof, but knows Nor whence it comes nor whither yet it goes.

II

O sweet my sometime loved and worshipt one A day thou gavest me That rose full-orbed in starlike happiness And lit our heaven that other stars had none:-- Sole as that westering sphere companionless When twilight is begun And the dead sun transfigureth the sea: A day so bright Methought the very shadow, from its light Thrown, were enough to bless (Albeit with but a shadow's benison) The unborn days its dark posterity.

Methought our love, though dead, should be Fair as in life, by memory Embalmed, a rose with bloom for aye unblown.