Symbol OF H APPINESS

I sought the Blue Bird near and far,
In verdant woods and azure skies,
On purple peaks of Paradise,
In golden gardens of a star;
But in your eyes
It flits, and flies,
And in your heart its nestings are —
So near, so far.

Like a wild lark that longs for space,
It beats and beats against the blue
Of your bright eyes, then flutters through
Your eyelids, and lights up your face,
As all the true
Warm love of you
Comes flying to my love's embrace,
Out of blue space.

A little while, and all in silence ends
My best or worst! On each at last descends
The fatal curtain! Soul, thy part is played:
No voice thou heedest now of foes or friends!

In one strait space of clinging earth I lie,
Unmoved for storm or sunlight drifting by:
Yea, though one praise and love, or all forget,
That stark thing recks not, that but now was I.

Ah! so in dreams tired life affects content,
And wakes rebellious. " Not for this were sent,
My God, " she cries, " Thy beauty and Thy love,

(To a Poetess)

I

Like swans on an enchanted lake
Your dreamy days have drifted by;
Now, lovely, dreamy Lady, wake,
A Glory lightens in the sky!
The empyrean dome above
Is burning, blinding, sapphire blue;
Your misty morning dream of love
Is now a dream come true.

II

We two have wandered hand in hand
In merry moonlit fairyland;
We two have culled Parnassus thyme
Above the clouds on peaks sublime;
But far more bright
Than fairy-light
This love that dawns upon your eyes,

AW EDDING O DE

The mountain-air has grown so still,
The silence maketh audible
Your very hearts; and strange and new
Your lonely voices seem to you;
While to your eyes,
By Love made wise,
The earth, the skies,
The stars, the dew,
Seem merely symbols of the True.
Nay, all the outer world, I wis,
Is as an empty chrysalis,
Wherein ye dwelt ere Love ye knew,
The Love who with a summer kiss
Made your wings burn and blossom through
The hatching-place

Love is our Reason's Paradox, which still
Against the Judgment doth maintain the Will,
And governs by such arbitrary laws
It onely makes the Act our Liking's cause:
We have no brave revenge, but to forgo
Our full desires, and starve the Tyrant so.
They whom the rising blood tempts not to taste
Preserve a stock of Love can never waste;
When easie people who their wish enjoy
Like Prodigalls at once their wealth destroy.
Adam till now had stay'd in Paradise
Had his desires been bounded by his eyes:

My Saviour's risen from the Dead,
And lives enthron'd Above.
The Price of my Salvation's paid;
My Life is in His Love.

With holy Sabbaths and Peace
Hath me victorious Blest.
Lord, bring thou my Holiness,
To Victory and Rest.

Health, Bread , with Life , my God mee sends,
My Consort, Father, Friends;
Employment , with Free Speech and Fame ,
And Books to feed the Same.

For This , but most, for thy dear Son ,
My Thanks are now begun .
Help mee, Good God, to love and praise ,
And serve thee all my Dayes.

The Sin of my First Father is
Mine, the Just Law doth say,
The Sin of a Vile Nature , This
Doth unto me Convey.

Innumerable Sins I do
Hence madly Perpetrate;
Sins , which the Good I Have and Know;
Doth sadly aggravate.

But, O my Precious CHRIST, I see,
THOU art my Surety made:
A Full Obedience was by Thee
To Thy Great Father Paid.

Thy Vast Obedience is by Him

(Double ballade sur le mesme propos)

Go, love as much as love you will,
And forth to feasts and banquets stray,
Yet at the end there comes the bill,
And broken heads at break of day.
For light loves make men beasts of prey,
They bent towards idols, Solomon,
From Samson took his eyes away.
Happy is he not so undone.

For this did Orpheus, who could thrill
With pipe and flute the mountains grey,
Come near to death where stands to kill
Four-headed Cerberus at bay;
Also Narcissus, fair as May,
Who in a deep, dark pool did drown

For a song, or a dance, over all the gay plain,
Young Damon was justly esteem'd the best swain;
Yet a great imperfection his mind had impress'd,
He thought beauty a trifle and love but a jest.

As often young Collin to him wou'd repair,
And sighing relate all his anguish and care;
He laugh'd at his folly, and said from his breast,
He thought beauty a trifle, and love but a jest.

Sly Cupid determin'd to take down his pride,
Who impiously dar'd sacred love to deride;
An arrow well aim'd sent twang at his breast,