Works

I.

That phantoms fair, with radiant hair,
May seek at midnight hour
The sons of men, belov'd again,
And give them holy power;
That souls survive the mortal hive, and sinless come and go,...

I.

This is a song of serfs that I have made,
A song of sympathy for grief and joy: -
The old, the young, the lov'd and the betrayed,
All, all must serve, for all must be obeyed.


II....

The lightning is the shorthand of the storm
That tells of chaos; and I read the same
As one may read the writing of a name, -
As one in Hell may see the sudden form
Of God's fore-finger pointed as in blame....

I knew thee first as one may know the fame
Of some apostle, as a man may know
The mid-day sun far-shining o'er the snow.
I hail'd thee prince of poets! I became
Vassal of thine, and warm'd me at the flame...

Beethoven At The Piano.


I.

See where Beethoven sits alone - a dream of days elysian,
A crownless king upon a throne, reflected in a vision -...

He was a god descended from the skies
To fight the fight of Freedom o'er a grave,
And consecrate a hope he could not save;
For he was weak withal, and foolish-wise....

Cynthia.


O Lady Moon, elect of all the spheres
To be the guardian of the ocean-tides,
I charge thee, say, by all thy hopes and fears,
And by thy face, the oracle of brides,...

Daisies Out At Sea.


I.

These are the buds we bear beyond the surf, -
Enshrined in mould and turf, -
To take to fields far off, a land's salute
Of high and vast repute, -...

Dante.


He liv'd and lov'd; he suffer'd; he was poor;
But he was gifted with the gifts of Heaven,
And those of all the week-days that are seven,
And those of all the centuries that endure....

Death.


It is the joy, it is the zest of life,
To know that Death, ungainly to the vile,
Is not a traitor with a reckless knife,
And not a serpent with a look of guile,...

I cannot deck my thought in proud attire,
Or make it fit for thee in any dress,
Or sing to thee the songs of thy desire,
In summer's heat, or by the winter's fire,
Or give thee cause to comfort or to bless....

Ecstasy.


I cannot sing to thee as I would sing
If I were quickened like the holy lark
With fire from Heaven and sunlight on his wing,
Who wakes the world with witcheries of the dark...

I.

The forest flowers are faded all,
The winds complain, the snow-flakes fall,
El'anore!
I turn to thee, as to a bower: -
Thou breathest beauty like a flower,
Thou smilest like a happy hour,...

Ex Tenebra.


The winds have shower'd their rains upon the sod,
And flowers and trees have murmur'd as with lips.
The very silence has appeal'd to God.
In man's behalf, though smitten by His rod,...

VII.

Fairies.


Glory endures when calumny hath fled;
And fairies show themselves, in friendly guise,
To all who hold a trust beyond the dead,
And all who pray, albeit so worldly-wise,...

I.

O mesto bambino col capo chinato,
Rispondi; rispondi. Che fece Renato?
Fu vinto Morello? Fu salvo Lindoro?
Rispondi; rispondi! - Son padre di loro.


II.
...

I.

Ti saluto, Margherita
Fior di vita, ... ti saluto!
Sei la speme del mattino,
Sei la gioja del giardino.


II.

Ti saluto, Rosignolo
Nel tuo duolo, ... ti saluto!...

In Tuscany.


Dost thou remember, friend of vanish'd days,
How in the golden land of love and song,
We met in April in the crowded ways
Of that fair city where the soul is strong,...

I.

Dimmi, dimmi, o trovatore,
Tu che canti sul l'uto,
Bello e bruno e pien d'amore
Dalla valle in su venuto,
Non ti fermi sull' altura
Per mostrar la tua bravura?...

Letter III. Regrets.


I.

When I did wake, to-day, a bird of Heaven,
A wanton, woeless thing, a wandering sprite,
Did seem to sing a song for my delight;...