THE TURN OF THE ROAD

SOFT, gray buds on the willow,

Warm, moist winds from the bay,
Sea-gulls out on the sandy beach,
And a road my eager feet would reach,
That leads to the Far-away.

Dust on the wayside flower,

The meadow-lark's luring tone Is silent now, from the grasses tipped With dew at the dawn, the pearls have slipped

Far have I fared alone.

And then, by the alder thicket

The turn of the road-and you!

Though the earth lie white in the noonday heat, Or the swift storm follow our hurrying feet

What do we care-we two!

Love, from whom the world begun,

Hath the secret of the sun.

Love can tell, and love alone,

Whence the million stars were strown,

Why each atom knows its own,

How, in spite of woe and death,

Gay is life, and sweet is breath:

Love at Sea

This he taught us, this we knew,
Happy in his science true,

Hand in hand as we stood

'Neath the shadows of the wood,

Heart to heart as we lay

In the dawning of the day.

Robert Bridges [1844

1159

"O, SAW YE THE LASS"

O, SAW ye the lass wi' the bonny blue een?
Her smile is the sweetest that ever was seen;
Her cheek like the rose is, but fresher, I ween;
She's the loveliest lassie that trips on the green.
The home of my love is below in the valley,
Where wild-flowers welcome the wandering bee;
But the sweetest of flowers in that spot that is seen
Is the maid that I love wi' the bonny blue cen.

When night overshadows her cot in the glen,
She'll steal out to meet her loved Donald again;
And when the moon shines on the valley so green,
I'll welcome the lass wi' the bonny blue een.
As the dove that has wandered away from his nest
Returns to the mate his fond heart loves the best,
I'll fly from the world's false and vanishing scene,
Το
my dear one, the lass wi' the bonny blue een.
Richard Ryan [1796–1849]

LOVE AT SEA

IMITATED FROM THEOPHILE GAUTIER

WE are in love's land to-day;

Where shall we go?

Love, shall we start or stay,

Or sail or row?

There's many a wind and way,
And never a May but May;

We are in love's hand to-day;
Where shall we go?

Our land-wind is the breath
Of sorrows kissed to death
And joys that were;

Our ballast is a rose;

Our way lies where God knows ·
And love knows where.

We are in love's hand to-day

Our seamen are fledged Loves,
Our masts are bills of doves,
Our decks fine gold;

Our ropes are dead maids' hair,
Our stores are love-shafts fair
And manifold.

We are in love's land to-day

Where shall we land you, sweet?
On fields of strange men's feet,
Or fields near home?

Or where the fire-flowers blow,
Or where the flowers of snow
Or flowers of foam?

We are in love's hand to-day—

Land me,

she says, where love Shows but one shaft, one dove,

One heart, one hand,

A shore like that, my dear,

Lies where no man will steer,

No maiden land.

Algernon Charles Swinburne [1837-1909]

MARY BEATON'S SONG

From "Chastelard"

BETWEEN the sunset and the sea
My love laid hands and lips on me;
Of sweet came sour, of day came night,
Of long desire came brief delight:
Ah love, and what thing came of thee
Between the sea-downs and the sea?

Plighted

Between the sea-mark and the sea

Joy grew to grief, grief grew to me;
Love turned to tears, and tears to fire,
And dead delight to new desire;

Love's talk, love's touch there seemed to be

Between the sea-sand and the sea.

Between the sundown and the sea
Love watched one hour of love with me;
Then down the all-golden water-ways
His feet flew after yesterday's;

I saw them come and saw them flee
Between the sea-foam and the sea.

Between the sea-strand and the sea
Love fell on sleep, sleep fell on me;
The first star saw twain turn to one
Between the moonrise and the sun;
The next, that saw not love, saw me
Between the sea-banks and the sea.

1161

Algernon Charles Swinburne [1837-1909]

PLIGHTED

MINE to the core of the heart, my beauty!
Mine, all mine, and for love, not duty:
Love given willingly, full and free,
Love for love's sake,-as mine to thee.
Duty's a slave that keeps the keys,
But Love, the master, goes in and out
Of his goodly chambers with song and shout,
Just as he please,—just as he please.

Mine, from the dear head's crown, brown-golden,

To the silken foot that's scarce beholden;

Give to a few friends hand or smile,

Like a generous lady, now and awhile,

But the sanctuary heart, that none dare win,

Keep holiest of holiest evermore;

The crowd in the aisles may watch the door,

The high-priest only enters in.

Mine, my own, without doubts or terrors,
With all thy goodnesses, all thy errors,
Unto me and to me alone revealed,
"A spring shut up, a fountain sealed."

Many may praise thee,-praise mine as thine,
Many may love thec,-I'll love them too;
But thy heart of hearts, pure, faithful, and true,
Must be mine, mine wholly, and only mine.

Mine!-God, I thank Thee that Thou hast given
Something all mine on this side heaven:
Something as much myself to be

As this my soul which I lift to Thee:

Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone,

Life of my life, whom Thou dost make

Two to the world for the world's work's sake,-
But cach unto each, as in Thy sight, one,
Dinah Maria Mulock Craik [1826-1887]

A WOMAN'S QUESTION

BEFORE I trust my fate to thee,

Or place my hand in thine,
Before I let thy future give

Color and form to mine,

Before I peril all for thee, question thy soul to-night for me.

I break all slighter bonds, nor feel

A shadow of regret:

Is there one link within the past

That holds thy spirit yet?

Or is thy faith as clear and free as that which I can pledge to thee?

Does there within thy dimmest dreams
A possible future shine,

Wherein thy life could henceforth breathe,

Untouched, unshared by mine?

If so, at any pain or cost, O, tell me before all is lost.