From this side, lo! the Lord CHRIST gazes-lo! Hermes I-lo! mine is Hercules' face; All sorrow, labor, suffering, I, tallying it, absorb in myself; Many times have I been rejected, taunted, put in prison, and crucified and many times shall be again; All the world have I given up for my dear brothers' and sisters' sake-for the soul's sake; Wending my way through the homes of men, rich or poor, with the kiss of affection; 20 For I am affection-I am the cheer-bringing God, with hope, and all-enclosing Charity; (Conqueror yet-for before me all the armies and soldiers of the earth shall yet bow-and all the weapons of war become impotent :) With indulgent words, as to children-with fresh and sane words, mine only; Young and strong I pass, knowing well I am destin'd myself to an early death: But my Charity has no death-my Wisdom dies not, neither early nor late, And my sweet Love, bequeath'd here and elsewhere, never dies. 3 Aloof, dissatisfied, plotting revolt, Comrade of criminals, brother of slaves, Crafty, despised, a drudge, ignorant, With sudra face and worn brow, black, but in the depths of my heart, proud as any ; 30 Lifted, now and always, against whoever, scorning, assumes to rule me; Morose, full of guile, full of reminiscences, brooding, with many wiles, (Though it was thought I was baffled and dispell'd, and my wiles done-but that will never be ;) Defiant, I, SATAN, still live-still utter words—in new lands duly appearing, (and old ones also ;) Permanent here, from my side, warlike, equal with any, real as any, Nor time, nor change, shall ever change me or my words. Santa SPIRITA, breather, life, 4 Beyond the light, lighter than light, Beyond the flames of hell-joyous, leaping easily above hell; Beyond Paradise-perfumed solely with mine own perfume; 40 Including all life on earth-touching, including God—including Saviour and Satan ; Ethereal, pervading all, (for without me, what were all? what were God?) Essence of forms-life of the real identities, permanent, positive, (namely the unseen,) Life of the great round world, the sun and stars, and of man- Here the square finishing, the solid, I the most solid, WHISPERS OF HEAVENLY DEATH. WHISPERS OF HEAVENLY DEATH. First published in 1870. WHISPERS of heavenly death, murmur'd I hear; Footsteps gently ascending-mystical breezes, wafted soft and low; Ripples of unseen rivers-tides of a current, flowing, forever flow ing; (Or is it the plashing of tears? the measureless waters of human tears ?) I see, just see, skyward, great cloud-masses; Mournfully, slowly they roll, silently swelling and mixing; (Some parturition, rather-some solemn, immortal birth : DAREST THOU NOW, O SOUL. First published in 1870. DAREST thou now, O Soul, I Wark out with me toward the Unknown Region, Where neither ground is for the feet, nor any path to follow? No map, there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land. I know it not, O Soul; 3 Nor dost thou-all is a blank before us; All waits, undream'd of, in that region-that inaccessible land. Till, when the ties loosen, 4 All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds, bound us. Then we burst forth-we float, 5 In Time and Space, O Soul-prepared for them; ΙΟ Equal, equipt at last-(O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil, O Soul. OF HIM I LOVE DAY AND NIGHT. First published in 1870. OF him I love day and night, I dream'd I heard he was dead; And I dream'd I went where they had buried him I love-but he was not in that place; And I dream'd I wander'd, searching among burial-places, to find him; And I found that every place was a burial-place; The houses full of life were equally full of death, (this house is now ;) The streets, the shipping, the places of amusement, the Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, the Mannahatta, were as full of the dead as of the living, |