A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 80 pages of information about A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems.

A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 80 pages of information about A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems.
  With flames and colours like a dawn in May,
      As hearts that lowlier live
      With light of thoughts that give
  Light from the depth of souls more deep than they
      Through song’s or story’s kindling scroll,
The splendour of the shadow that reveals the soul.

XXIII.

For, when such light is in the world, we share,
  All of us, all the rays thereof that shine: 
Its presence is alive in the unseen air,
  Its fire within our veins as quickening wine;
A spirit is shed on all men everywhere,
  Known or not known of all men for divine. 
Yea, as the sun makes heaven, that light makes fair
  All souls of ours, all lesser souls than thine,
      Priest, prophet, seer and sage,
      Lord of a subject age
  That bears thy seal upon it for a sign;
      Whose name shall be thy name,
      Whose light thy light of fame,
  The light of love that makes thy soul a shrine;
    Whose record through all years to be
Shall bear this witness written—­that its womb bare thee.

XXIV.

O mystery, whence to one man’s hand was given
  Power upon all things of the spirit, and might
Whereby the veil of all the years was riven
  And naked stood the secret soul of night! 
O marvel, hailed of eyes whence cloud is driven,
  That shows at last wrong reconciled with right
By death divine of evil and sin forgiven! 
  O light of song, whose fire is perfect light! 
      No speech, no voice, no thought,
      No love, avails us aught
  For service of thanksgiving in his sight
      Who hath given us all for ever
      Such gifts that man gave never
  So many and great since first Time’s wings took flight. 
    Man may not praise a spirit above
Man’s:  life and death shall praise him:  we can only love.

XXV.

Life, everlasting while the worlds endure,
  Death, self-abased before a power more high,
Shall bear one witness, and their word stand sure,
  That not till time be dead shall this man die
Love, like a bird, comes loyal to his lure;
  Fame flies before him, wingless else to fly. 
A child’s heart toward his kind is not more pure,
  An eagle’s toward the sun no lordlier eye. 
      Awe sweet as love and proud
      As fame, though hushed and bowed,
  Yearns toward him silent as his face goes by: 
      All crowns before his crown
      Triumphantly bow down,
  For pride that one more great than all draws nigh: 
    All souls applaud, all hearts acclaim,
One heart benign, one soul supreme, one conquering name.

NOTES

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.