| |
River-spirits HARK! the flow of the four rivers— | |
| Hark the flow! | |
| How the silence round you shivers, | |
| While our voices through it go, | |
| Cold and clear. | 5 |
| |
A softer voice Think a little, while ye hear, | |
| Of the banks | |
| Where the willows and the deer | |
| Crowd in intermingled ranks, | |
| As if all would drink at once | 10 |
| Where the living water runs!— | |
| Of the fishes’ golden edges | |
| Flashing in and out the sedges; | |
| Of the swans on silver thrones, | |
| Floating down the winding streams | 15 |
| With impassive eyes turned shoreward | |
| And a chant of undertones,— | |
| And the lotus leaning forward | |
| To help them into dreams. | |
| Fare ye well, farewell! | 20 |
| The river-sounds, no longer audible, | |
| Expire at Eden’s door. | |
| Each footstep of your treading | |
| Treads out some murmur which ye heard before. | |
| Farewell! the streams of Eden | 25 |
| Ye shall hear nevermore! | |
| |
Bird-spirit I am the nearest nightingale | |
| That singeth in Eden after you; | |
| And I am singing loud and true, | |
| And sweet,—I do not fail. | 30 |
| I sit upon a cypress bough, | |
| Close to the gate, and I fling my song | |
| Over the gate and through the mail | |
| Of the warden angels marshall’d strong,— | |
| Over the gate and after you! | 35 |
| And the warden angels let it pass, | |
| Because the poor brown bird, alas, | |
| Sings in the garden, sweet and true. | |
| And I build my song of high pure notes, | |
| Note over note, height over height, | 40 |
| Till I strike the arch of the Infinite, | |
| And I bridge abysmal agonies | |
| With strong, clear calms of harmonies,— | |
| And something abides, and something floats, | |
| In the song which I sing after you. | 45 |
| Fare ye well, farewell! | |
| The creature-sounds, no longer audible, | |
| Expire at Eden’s door. | |
| Each footstep of your treading | |
| Treads out some cadence which ye heard before. | 50 |
| Farewell! the birds of Eden | |
| Ye shall hear nevermore! | |
| |
