Algernon Charles Swinburne

SWINBURNE’S POETICAL WORKS

I. Poems and ballads (First Series).

II.  Songs before sunrise, and songs of two Nations.

III.  Poems and ballads (Second and Third
       Series), and songs of the Springtides.

IV.  TRISTRAM of LYONESSE, the tale of BALEN,
       ATALANTA in CALYDON, Erechtheus.

V. Studies in song, A Century of ROUNDELS, sonnets
       on English dramatic poets, the HEPTALOGIA, etc.

VI.  A midsummer Holiday, ASTROPHEL, A Channel passage
       and other poems.

LONDON:  WILLIAM HEINEMANN

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

BIRTHDAY ODE

By

Algernon Charles Swinburne

1917

LONDON:  WILLIAM HEINEMANN

First printed (Chatto), 1904

Reprinted 1904, ’09, ’10, ’12

(Heinemann), 1917

London:  William Heinemann, 1917

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY 293

THALASSIUS 295

ON THE CLIFFS 311

THE GARDEN OF CYMODOCE 326

BIRTHDAY ODE 341

NOTES 359

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

DEDICATION

TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY

A sea-mew on a sea-king’s wrist alighting,
  As the north sea-wind caught and strained and curled
The raven-figured flag that led men fighting
  From field to green field of the water-world,
Might find such brief high favour at his hand
  For wings imbrued with brine, with foam impearled,
As these my songs require at yours on land,
  That durst not save for love’s free sake require,
Being lightly born between the foam and sand,
  But reared by hope and memory and desire
Of lives that were and life that is to be,
  Even such as filled his heavenlier song with fire
Whose very voice, that sang to set man free,
  Was in your ears as ever in ours his lyre,
Once, ere the flame received him from the sea.

THALASSIUS