THOU art mine, thou hast given thy word; Thou art mine, I have made thee mine own; Henceforth we are mingled forever: But in vain, all in vain, I endeavor — Though round thee my garlands are thrown, And thou yieldest thy lips and thy zone To master the spell that alone My hold on thy being can sever. Thou art mine, thou hast come unto me! But thy soul, when I strive to be near it The innermost fold of thy spirit Is as far from my grasp, is as free, As the stars from the mountain-tops be, As the pearl, in the depths of the sea, From the portionless king that would wear it. THE DISCOVERER I HAVE a little kinsman Whose earthly summers are but three, Greater than Drake or Frobisher, And, far beyond the tether Of them who seek the frozen Pole, Has sailed where the noiseless surges roll. Ay, he has travelled whither Suddenly, in his fair young hour, Came one who bore a flower, And laid it in his dimpled hand With this command: "Henceforth thou art a rover ! Thou must make a voyage far, Sail beneath the evening star, And a wondrous land discover." - With his sweet smile innocent Our little kinsman went. Since that time no word Who can tell How he fares, or answer well From the pricking of his chart Ah, no! not so! He is a brave discoverer Of climes his elders do not know. years, A one-eyed Cyclops halted long In tattered cloak of army pattern, And bade the piper, with a shout, A newsboy and a peanut-girl Like little Fauns began to caper: His hair was all in tangled curl, Her tawny legs were bare and taper; And still the gathering larger grew, And gave its pence and crowded nigher, While aye the shepherd-minstrel blew His pipe, and struck the gamut higher. When the battle went ill, and the bravest were solemn, Near the dark Seven Pines, where we still held our ground, He rode down the length of the withering column, And his heart at our war-cry leapt up with a bound; He snuffed, like his charger, the wind of the powder, His sword waved us on and we answered the sign: Loud our cheer as we rushed, but his laugh rang the louder, This was the hand that knew to swing Her son - and made the forest ring, "There's the devil's own fun, boys, along Firm hand, that loftier office took, the whole line!" A conscious leader's will obeyed, |