I
O! nothing earthly save the ray
(Thrown back from flowers) of BeautyвАЩs eye,
As in those gardens where the day
Springs from the germs of CircassyвБ†вАФ
O! nothing earthly save the thrill
Of melody in woodland rillвБ†вАФ
Or (music of the passion-hearted)
JoyвАЩs voice so peacefully departed
That like the murmur in the shell,
Its echo dwelleth and will dwellвБ†вАФ
O! nothing of the dross of oursвБ†вАФ
Yet all the beautyвБ†вАФall the flowers
That list our Love, and deck our bowersвБ†вАФ
Adorn yon world afar, afarвБ†вАФ
The wandering star.
вАЩTwas a sweet time for NesaceвБ†вАФfor there
Her world lay lolling on the golden air,
Near four bright sunsвБ†вАФa temporary restвБ†вАФ
An oasis in desert of the blest.
AwayвБ†вАФawayвБ†вАФвАЩmid seas of rays that roll
Empyrean splendor oвАЩer thвАЩ unchained soulвБ†вАФ
The soul that scarce (the billows are so dense)
Can struggle to its destinвАЩd eminenceвБ†вАФ
To distant spheres, from time to time, she rode,
And late to ours, the favorвАЩd one of GodвБ†вАФ
But, now, the ruler of an anchorвАЩd realm,
She throws aside the sceptreвБ†вАФleaves the helm,
And, amid incense and high spiritual hymns,
Laves in quadruple light her angel limbs.
Now happiest, loveliest in yon lovely Earth,
Whence sprang the вАЬIdea of BeautyвАЭ into birth,
(Falling in wreaths throвАЩ many a startled star,
Like womanвАЩs hair вАЩmid pearls, until, afar,
It lit on hills Achaian, and there dwelt),
She lookвАЩd into InfinityвБ†вАФand knelt.
Rich clouds, for canopies, about her curledвБ†вАФ
Fit emblems of the model of her worldвБ†вАФ
Seen but in beautyвБ†вАФnot impeding sightвБ†вАФ
Of other beauty glittering throвАЩ the lightвБ†вАФ
A wreath that twined each starry form around,
And all the opalвАЩd air in color bound.
All hurriedly she knelt upon a bed
Of flowers: of lilies such as rearвАЩd the head
On the fair Capo Deucato, and sprang
So eagerly around about to hang
Upon the flying footsteps ofвБ†вАФdeep prideвБ†вАФ
Of her who lovвАЩd a mortalвБ†вАФand so died.
The Sephalica, budding with young bees,
UprearвАЩd its purple stem around her knees:
And gemmy flower, of Trebizond misnamвАЩdвБ†вАФ
Inmate of highest stars, where erst it shamвАЩd
All other loveliness: its honied dew
(The fabled nectar that the heathen knew)
Deliriously sweet, was droppвАЩd from Heaven,
And fell on gardens of the unforgiven
In TrebizondвБ†вАФand on a sunny flower
So like its own above that, to this hour,
It still remaineth, torturing the bee
With madness, and unwonted reverie:
In Heaven, and all its environs, the leaf
And blossom of the fairy plant, in grief
Disconsolate lingerвБ†вАФgrief that hangs her head,
Repenting follies that full long have fled,
Heaving her white breast to the balmy air,
Like guilty beauty, chastenвАЩd, and more fair:
Nyctanthes too, as sacred as the light
She fears to perfume, perfuming the night:
And Clytia pondering between many a sun,
While pettish tears adown her petals run:
And that aspiring flower that sprang on EarthвБ†вАФ
And died, ere scarce exalted into birth,
Bursting its odorous heart in spirit to wing
Its way to Heaven, from garden of a king:
And Valisnerian lotus thither flown
From struggling with the waters of the Rhone:
And thy most lovely purple perfume, Zante!
Isola dвАЩoro!вБ†вАФFior di Levante!
And the Nelumbo bud that floats forever.
With Indian Cupid down the holy riverвБ†вАФ
Fair flowers, and fairy! to whose care is given
To bear the GoddessвАЩ song, in odors up to Heaven.
вАЬSpirit! that dwellest where,
In the deep sky,
The terrible and fair,
In beauty vie!
Beyond the line of blueвБ†вАФ
The boundary of the star
Which turneth at the view
Of thy barrier and thy barвБ†вАФ
Of the barrier overgone
By the comets who were cast
From their pride, and from their throne
To be drudges till the lastвБ†вАФ
To be carriers of fire
(The red fire of their heart)
With speed that may not tire
And with pain that shall not partвБ†вАФ
Who livestвБ†вАФthat we knowвБ†вАФ
In EternityвБ†вАФwe feelвБ†вАФ
But the shadow of whose brow
What spirit shall reveal?
ThoвАЩ the beings whom thy Nesace,
Thy messenger hath known
Have dreamвАЩd for thy Infinity
A model of their ownвБ†вАФ
Thy will is done, O, God!
The star hath ridden high
ThroвАЩ many a tempest, but she rode
Beneath thy burning eye;
And here, in thought, to theeвБ†вАФ
In thought that can alone
Ascend thy empire and so be
A partner of thy throneвБ†вАФ
By wingèd Fantasy,
My embassy is given,
Till secrecy shall knowledge be
In the environs of Heaven.вАЭ
She ceasвАЩdвБ†вАФand buried then her burning cheek
AbashвАЩd, amid the lilies there, to seek
A shelter from the fervor of His eye;
For the stars trembled at the Deity.
She stirrвАЩd notвБ†вАФbreathвАЩd notвБ†вАФfor a voice was there
How solemnly pervading the calm air!
A sound of silence on the startled ear
Which dreamy poets name вАЬthe music of the sphere.вАЭ
Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call
вАЬSilenceвАЭвБ†вАФwhich is the merest word of all.
All Nature speaks, and evвАЩn ideal things
Flap shadowy sounds from visionary wingsвБ†вАФ
But ah! not so when, thus, in realms on high
The eternal voice of God is passing by,
And the red winds are withering in the sky!
вАЬWhat thoвАЩ in worlds which sightless cycles run,
LinkвАЩd to a little system, and one sunвБ†вАФ
Where all my love is folly, and the crowd
Still think my terrors but the thunder cloud,
The storm, the earthquake, and the ocean-wrathвБ†вАФ
(Ah! will they cross me in my angrier path?)
What thoвАЩ in worlds which own a single sun
The sands of Time grow dimmer as they run,
Yet thine is my resplendency, so given
To bear my secrets throвАЩ the upper Heaven.
Leave tenantless thy crystal home, and fly,
With all thy train, athwart the moony skyвБ†вАФ
ApartвБ†вАФlike fire-flies in Sicilian night,
And wing to other worlds another light!
Divulge the secrets of thy embassy
To the proud orbs that twinkleвБ†вАФand so be
To evвАЩry heart a barrier and a ban
Lest the stars totter in the guilt of man!вАЭ
Up rose the maiden in the yellow night,
The single-moon√®d eve!вБ†вАФon Earth we plight
Our faith to one loveвБ†вАФand one moon adoreвБ†вАФ
The birthplace of young Beauty had no more.
As sprang that yellow star from downy hours,
Up rose the maiden from her shrine of flowers,
And bent oвАЩer sheeny mountain and dim plain
Her wayвБ†вАФbut left not yet her Therasaean reign.