only to find Forever, blest
By thine encircling arm;
Only to lie beyond unrest
In passion’s dreamy calm!
Only to meet and never part,
To sleep and never wake,—
Heart unto heart and soul to soul,
Dead for each other’s sake...
It trembled off the keys,—a parting kiss
So sweet,—the angel slept upon his sword
As through the gate of Paradise we swept,—
Partakers of creation’s primal bliss!
—The air was heavy with the breath
Of violets and love till death.—
Forgetful...
I wanted you when skies were red,
And now the sky is gray;
I thought of you when shadows fled—
Now falls the end of day.
I called you when the hills were flame,
And now the hills are bare;
I sought you when the snowflakes came,
And now...
There be many kinds of parting—yes, I know
Some with fond, grieving eyes that overflow,
Some with brave hands that strengthen as they go;
Ah yes, I know—I know.
But there be partings harder still to tell,
That fall in silence, like an evil spell,...
Forgiveness lane is old as youth,
You cannot miss your way;
’T is hedged with flowering thorn forsooth
Where white doves fearless stray.
You must walk gently with your Love,
Frail blossoms dread your feet—
And bloomy branches close above
...
Over the dim confessional cried
Father Amatus,—cloistered young,—
Dropping his rosary by his side,
Careless where his crucifix swung:
“I have been priest since—an endless when!
Sat by the living, consoled the dead,
Fasted and prayed for...
These are my scales to weigh reality,—
A dream, a chord, a longing, love of Thee.
Real as the violets of April days,
Or those soft-hid in unfrequented ways;
Real as the noiseless tune to which we tread
The measure we by life’s old song are led;
...
