The Poetical Works Of Robert Bridges Part 69

He, ere men dared his watery path, Fenced them aloof in wrath; Their jealous brotherhoods Sund'ring with bitter floods: Till science grew and skill, And their adventurous will Challenged his boundaries, and went free To know the round world, and the sea From midday night to midnight sun Binding all nations into one.

2

Yet shall his storm and mastering wave a.s.sure the empire to the brave; And to his billowy ba.s.s belongs The music of our patriot songs, When to the wind his ridges go In furious following, careering a-row, Lasht with hail and withering snow: And ever undaunted hearts outride His rushing waters wide.

3

But when the winds fatigued or fled Have left the drooping barks unsped, And nothing stirs his idle plain Save fire-breathed ships with silvery train, While lovingly his waves he layeth, And his slow heart in pa.s.sion swells To the pale moon in heav'n that strayeth, And all his mighty music deep Whispers among the heaped sh.e.l.ls, Or in dark caverns lies asleep;-- Then dreams of Peace invite, Haunting our sh.o.r.e with kisses light: Nay--even Love's Paphian Queen hath come Out of her long retired home To show again her beauty bright; And twice or thrice in sight hath play'd Of a young lover unaffray'd, And all his verse immortal made.

V

1

Love to Love calleth, Love unto Love replieth: From the ends of the earth, drawn by invisible bands, Over the dawning and darkening lands Love cometh to Love.

To the pangs of desire; To the heart by courage and might Escaped from h.e.l.l, From the torment of raging fire, From the sighs of the drowning main, From shipwreck of fear and pain, From the terror of night.

2

All mankind by Love shall be banded To combat Evil, the many-handed: For the spirit of man on beauty feedeth, The airy fancy he heedeth, He regardeth Truth in the heavenly height, In changeful pavilions of loveliness dight, The sovran sun that knows not the night; He loveth the beauty of earth, And the sweet birds' mirth; And out of his heart there falleth A melody-making river Of pa.s.sion, that runneth ever To the ends of the earth and crieth, That yearneth and calleth; And Love from the heart of man To the heart of man replieth: On the wings of desire Love cometh to Love.

VI

1

To me, to me, fair hearted G.o.ddess, come, To Sorrow come, Where by the grave I linger dumb; With sorrow bow thine head, For all my beauty is dead, Leave Freedom's vaunt and playful thought awhile, Come with thine unimpa.s.sioned smile Of heavenly peace, and with thy fourfold choir Of fair uncloying harmony Unveil the palaces where man's desire Keepeth celestial solemnity.

2

Lament, fair hearted queen, lament with me: For when thy seer died no song was sung, Nor for our heroes fal'n by land or sea Hath honour found a tongue: Nor aught of beauty for their tomb can frame Worthy their n.o.ble name.

Let Mirth go bare: make mute thy dancing string: With thy majestic consolation Sweeten our suffering.

Speak thou my woe; that from her pain My spirit arise to see again The Truth unknown that keeps our faith, The Beauty unseen that bates our breath, The heaven that doth our joy renew, And drinketh up our tears as dew.

VII

DIRGE

Man born of desire Cometh out of the night, A wandering spark of fire, A lonely word of eternal thought Echoing in chance and forgot.

1

He seeth the sun, He calleth the stars by name, He saluteth the flowers.-- Wonders of land and sea, The mountain towers Of ice and air He seeth, and calleth them fair: Then he hideth his face;-- Whence he came to pa.s.s away Where all is forgot, Unmade--lost for aye With the things that are not.

2

He striveth to know, To unravel the Mind That veileth in horror: He wills to adore.

In wisdom he walketh And loveth his kind; His labouring breath Would keep evermore: Then he hideth his face;-- Whence he came to pa.s.s away Where all is forgot, Unmade--lost for aye With the things that are not.

3

He dreameth of beauty, He seeks to create Fairer and fairer To vanquish his Fate; No hindrance he-- No curse will brook, He maketh a law No ill shall be: Then he hideth his face;-- Whence he came to pa.s.s away Where all is forgot, Unmade--lost for aye With the things that are not.

VIII

Rejoice, ye dead, where'er your spirits dwell, Rejoice that yet on earth your fame is bright, And that your names, remember'd day and night, Live on the lips of those who love you well.

'Tis ye that conquer'd have the powers of h.e.l.l Each with the special grace of your delight; Ye are the world's creators, and by might Alone of Heavenly love ye did excel.

Now ye are starry names Behind the sun ye climb To light the glooms of Time With deathless flames.

IX

Open for me the gates of delight, The gates of the garden of man's desire; Where spirits touch'd by heavenly fire Have planted the trees of life.-- Their branches in beauty are spread, Their fruit divine To the nations is given for bread, And crush'd into wine.

To thee, O man, the sun his truth hath given, The moon hath whisper'd in love her silvery dreams; Night hath unlockt the starry heaven, The sea the trust of his streams: And the rapture of woodland spring Is stay'd in its flying; And Death cannot sting Its beauty undying.

Fear and Pity disentwine Their aching beams in colours fine; Pain and woe forgo their might.

After darkness thy leaping sight, After dumbness thy dancing sound, After fainting thy heavenly flight, After sorrow thy pleasure crown'd: O enter the garden of thy delight, Thy solace is found.

X

To us, O Queen of sinless grace, Now at our prayer unveil thy face: Awake again thy beauty free; Return and make our Graces three.

And with our thronging strength to the ends of the earth Thy myriad-voiced loveliness go forth, To lead o'er all the world's wide ways G.o.d's everlasting praise, And every heart inspire With the joy of man in the beauty of Love's desire.

19

A HYMN OF NATURE

AN ODE WRITTEN FOR MUSIC

_The music composed by Sir Hubert Parry, performed at the Gloucester Festival, 1898_

I

Power eternal, power unknown, uncreate: Force of force, fate of fate.

Beauty and light are thy seeing, Wisdom and right thy decreeing, Life of life is thy being.

In the smile of thine infinite starry gleam, Without beginning or end, Measure or number, Beyond time and s.p.a.ce, Without foe or friend, In the void of thy formless embrace, All things pa.s.s as a dream Of thine unbroken slumber.

II

Gloom and the night are thine: On the face of thy mirror darkness and terror, The smoke of thy blood, the frost of thy breath.

In silence and woful awe Thy harrying angels of death Destroy whate'er thou makest-- Makest, destroyest, destroyest and makest.

Thy gems of life thou dost squander, Their virginal beauty givest to plunder, Doomest to uttermost regions of age-long ice To starve and expire: Consumest with glance of fire, Or back to confusion shakest With earthquake, elemental storm and thunder.

III

In ways of beauty and peace Fair desire, companion of man, Leadeth the children of earth.