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The Scourge Of M irwayle

!A Threnody!

JOSEPH LAP SLEY MURRAY

N EW YOR!

THE COSMOPOLITAN PRESS

1912

The Scourge of Mirwayle

A Threnody

P RE LU D E

I

The Scourge of Mirwayle has haunted the years ,The frailest of things is hunted and wronged ;

A menace,a sigh

,a prophet in tears ,

A burden,a stroke

,impending

,prolonged !

The Child of the ages ! miracle, toy ,Contention of time and Idol of worlds ,Prevision of Gods

,of rapture the joy,

Intractable foe of evil,that hurls

Defiance at death , and clambers aboveThe portals of hate to kingdoms of love

,

0 Scourge of Mirwayle !

A vision unveiled of whispering agesOf altars enshrined o f temples and steeplesNor vaster concern disturbs nor engagesThe passions inflamed of ser ious peoples

,

Than burden of seer,or warning of prophet

Who parries the fall of nations that stumble ;

7

THE SCOURGE OF MIRWAYLE

If conscience were tangled over the TophetThat demons despair

,nor eons can crumble,

Who ventures to weave the screen of detailOf bliss and delight—where cherubs assail

The Scourge of Mirwayle ?

Arenas and forums , uncomprehendedThru cycles of souls o f intricate measure,Were heralds and symbols, focust and blendedTo sanest displays o f passion and pleasure ;Nor marvel that men are brothered and guided

,

Or, held to the stress of selfish achievement ,Are rallied and mocked by fantoms

,and chided

With more than the last assault of bereavement,

The nether attempt to buttress the stationOf insolent death, - the blank consternation

,

The Scourge of Mirwayle .

I f peril and risk,then wide avocation

Emboldens the test of largest endeavor,

Nor seers even hint by scant revelationThat manhood and death must battle forever ;The contest is here,—the universe enteredNo struggle is shunned, no destiny chided ;In tangles of doubt confusions have centeredAnd virtue and vice have met and collidedWho eases defeat

,who totals the fall

,

The croon of a child,the triumph

,the call

,

The Scourge of Mirwayle ?

8


II

N o dalliance bars the boldest advances,Tho evil intrude its plausible off ers ;Nor demons delude where gladness entrances ,Tho idleness lure with gold in its coffers !But since it were so that virtue were real ,That honor were more than idle pretension ,Who

,then

,shall deny the masterful feal !

That Good were beyond the art of invention ,That Innocence’ claim

,

! that nothing prevailOf evil

,

! were more than fatuous tale ,0 Scourge of Mi rwayle ?

Tho power confer,by dint of decreeing

,

The tariff s o f l ife to witch or delusionNo vision despairs o f helplessness seeingThat death still intrudes the rankest intrusion .

What mist has not blurred the Vision of years ?

What fantom not feigned life’s fabric with clouds ?

What sorrow not won from fountains of tearsThe dowries of earth in vestments of shrouds ?

Is Childhood untold,— left choiceless as matter ?

Must Innocence weep till eons can shatterThe Scourge o f Mirwayle ?

O Luminousness make real the Vision !Horizons retreat as eagerness gazes

At possible heights whose utter decisionAnd realm are ablaze with infinite blazes ;

9


No major should taunt the minor refrains,

For suns are assured since constancy cheers,And caskets contain more precious remainsBecause of the Friend with pity and tears ;All urns are embost with gladness and trust,Nor mortals despair, for Heaven is just,

O Scourge of Mirwayle !

Why reckon of Where ? The Here is pro found ;And presence allots the pleasure of spheres ;No seeding were cast but harvests abound ;And . ere they are wept are bottled the tearsThe Universe thrills with Being and holdsAssurances that no atom is lost ;And Fancy is here ; tho shadow infolds ,Her beauty abides ; and Mourning is tostTo barrens of Death

,and angels appear

,

And seraphim find that Heaven is Here,

0 Scourge of Mirwayle .

III

The barbs of the thorn are wildly forbidding,

The tosses of sin no weakling can banter ;The Infant has fetched a compass in riddingThe chill o f the blast from fiendish enchanter .Shall waif be distraught and left to distortion

,

No beauty transform the lust of the valley ?Shall peoples so hurt—abortive abortionDiscover no realm to reckon and rally ?

IO


No cleft in the rock,no spring at the fountains ,

N o ri ft in the clouds , no peak on the mountains ,All Scourge of Mirwayle ?

Shall listless surveys imperil the Vision ,Unlimited cycles shadow the portals ?

Profusion of hope derides the derisionThat time were the rim that circle-s immortals .

This problem foretells its own consummations ;Thru myriad calls all answers agreeing,Imperial weld of all demonstrationsA master avouches permanent Being !

And Death must respond of empty enthronementSince Love has enthroned impartial atonement ,

O Scourge of Mirwayle !

The Infant awakes the saner laudation ,Makes beautiful all unselfish surrender ;Nor yielding the charm of first habitationIncarnates for all the foremost Defender ;Let all o f the fays be hooded and knighted ,The conquest of Death interprets the Vision ;Since Heaven has smiled the earth is delighted,The Scourge of Mirwayle awakens Elysian ;And Gladness and Joy,

the heralds o f ages ,Engage the Divine where ruin engages

The Scourge of Mirwayle .

The dawning of hope ! 0 Prophet of years ,Integri ty toils with virtue and truth !

I I


The Infant has won the battle of tearsAnd fashioned incarnate promise of youth .

Immutable gods,the struggle for breath

,

Inscrutable dust,miraculous , gay,

Who renders reward,defiance of Death ?

The portals o f life are fairer than day !The burden is sung ! the chastisement borneOf Master enthroned ! no creature need mourn

The Scourge of Mirwayle !

1 2

The Scourge of M irwayle

Rem'orseless fang, the tooth o f Time,Revengeful , swift and sure,What issues hang of sin and crimeTo damn the immature !

Aye,he must dare the hidden foe,

Undaunted press the maskWhere furies glare

,must meet and know!

The universal task .

Tho gu ilelessness should urge and tressAbreast unfriendly forces

,

A strange duress o f consciousnessOutlines untrodden courses .

2

Undaunted there himsel f must call ,Himself demand reply ;

And he must bear the checkered pallAs echoed from on high .

I 3


Must he respond ? as cattle dumb,

To barnest wheel be driven ?He goes beyond ; he says ,

! I come,Before the call is given .

This innocent, untold of artsOf speech or eloquence,Is eloquent in all the partsOf artless innocence .

3

Himself agreed in covenants,

Integrities sublime,He holds the creed of permanenceIn golden sands of time .

Some voice ! accrues of tender wailThat mocks volcanic fireAnd ceaseless sues the far

,All hail

,

Beyond the near desire .

4

Tho immature a creedless thing,

The sirens urge him on ;No novice newer to spite and flingThan down his path is gone .

Must he endure the curse and stingTill tardy futures dawn

,

Where cherubs lure and seraphs bringWhat demons had withdrawn ?

I4


5

Without pretense,but doomed to al l

The goads o f suff eringAnd insolence

,the frantic hates

Could yet concoct and bring,Such boundless speech appeals to allThere is of God in himWith godlike reach he swings the gatesFor all

,—and core and rim .

A child at play amid his choiceOf toys ; and uninspiredBeyond the day wherein he roseTo what his heart desired,Tho prototype and prophecyOf biast man , is moreThan some unripe

,delicious fruit

With wormed and bitter core ;Is more than mass to be sledge - struck

,

And then of hammered artAdorned as brass ; than flower sniftAwhile and thrown apart

,

And left to chafe where ignoranceIgnores affinity ;

1 5


Is more than waif , tho demons wait,With venomed fang and claw

,

Prospective fall, this child, so fair,Unused to pain or awe,Must seem to all an embryonOf pure divinity .

Aye, so declared in writ and courtThru ages long agone ;

Yet chafed, impaired thru primal lapse,He scales the heights of dawn .

For Gods esteem him so,and men ;

Yet ghouls their orgies tellThru hazard, scheme, thru banter, risk,Thru lurid

,putrid hell .

And these have scarred his soul with pangsOf venom and of blight

,

Till , evil - starred, he arms with thoseAccustomed fiends of night .

And man were that amid the yearsOf youth - begot alloys

,

Engaging at the largess - callWhere duty shapes employs ;Were that and more ; for e

’en withalHe counter- flames the ill ;He goes before ! he beckons allTo highest courts of Will .

16


2

Himself so frail of counterpoise,So rent and shadowed backOf dark Mirwayle, that he, of ghoulsAlong the open track,Is hurled askance as trifle downBeneath the last debris ,

Where demons dance a holocaustOf vain security .

Yet still were he the sovereign lordAnd arbiter of joys ,To frame and be the prophecy

,

The throne and crown of poise .

3

And yet what scene is this ? a childAt toys

,tho void of fear

’

Mid pleasures keen,is mocked

,and knows

It not, of foeman near .

The paradox o f li fe were thisThat playing child should die ;

Have sudden shocks of dastard death,

And master - issues try .

The like hath been and who condonesTo mortal mind and senseThe why o f s in, death - plague of all

,

Near- scourge of Providence ?

I7


The infant dies without a fear,Without a hint of sorrow,

To enterprise the risks and testEternity ’s to - morrow ;Tho sought the while of insolence

,

The ghost of ghouls forever,

Seraphic smile i s signaled backAs seraph’s first endeavor .

4

So,hedged and met of constant illThru all the burdened years ,Responsive yet, he rims and chordsThe harmony of spheresThe answered call of masteries,The more than sullen sod,He is withal a veritas

,

An embryonic god,

To carve and build of dust and strawThe templed halls of story

,

As writ and willed of li fe and lawThru corridors of glory .

So ; Gods esteem him so , and men ;So Gods thei r purpose frame

Thru realms that seem familiar courtsTo his eccentric aim .

18

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I f left alone or worse ; can wakeThe conscience and the truthAlarm ; condone the restlessnessOf irrepressive youth ?

7

Unmeasure-d joy were wished and willed,And by all seals conveyedTo God or toy

,who

,sel f - denied,

Speeds peace and love delayedShapes right import of Being’s whyWith every poised conventionOf any court of judgmentAnd original intentionWho hurls confusions with all contemptTo foundling ignoranceAnd sin ! delusions and pits that spoilThe child’s significance !Who marks the truth as query springsOf what is prest o f good

And leads bold youth to baldest heightsOf conscious rectitude .

8

All hail ! all hail ! to him or thatAnd Heaven signals so ;No good can fail ; and soon or lateThe most untold shall know .

2 0


What lure can coy persuasiveness ?What eagerness disarmThe thorn or boy and lend to eachNew piquancy of charm ?

9

What dextrous hands outline and carveTo planes of natal beautyThe borderlands of youth’s responseTo ethics

,worth and duty ?

What brother brings climacterics,

The unalloyed o f earth ?What sister sings unbroken j oysIn passion - throbs of birth ?

Ah,brother

,stay and calculate

And know the present worthOf hour and day

,— the brief that adds

A whit to sister’s mirth .

What curse or ill , demon i c, bold,Imperious

,savage

,weak

,

Can yet fulfil the menace andThe utter vengeance wreak ?

What alien arm can disconcertThe last resort and plan ?Without alarm

,disturb the thought

And harmony o f man ?

2 1


IO

What skill so urged of selfishness,

Or yet so prest of art,Or whipt and scourged of conscience thruThe provinces of heart

,

That guides the weak and ignorantSecurely thru the straits

And barrens,bleak with evil and

The fiend ishness of hates ,To lofty planes of rectitudeWhere consciousness of truthInspires and trains the equipoiseAnd purity of youth ?

If Patience tread her forward path,

Composed,conclusive

,clear

,

No curse can spread the wails of woeTo realms of such a sphere .

I I

And Equipoise itsel f must guideThe halting amateurAbreast the j oys unspeakableAnd so withal must lureAloft the heir o f great desire

,

So big with late distractionsAnd fiercest stare of sacrifice,To later satis factions .

2 2


1 2

And Purity,no less serene

Itsel f,shall gu ide with all

Security the frailest thing,

Should ill and menace fall .

Tho el fs have strewed the earth with filmsOf mystery and blight

,

And imps eschewed persistent goodIn contravening right

,

The flowers elude the stains o f soilWhile struggling out of nightAnd burst their hearts with gladness

,tint ,

With sweetness and perfume ,Till beauty starts remotest climesAnd continents with bloom .

1 3

Are soils so skilled of wisdom,or

Is Nature so imbuedWith love and filled with good as guidesA plant to certitude ?

I4

Yet here we see a tender thing,

Of so divine a strainThat naught can be more pure

,nor

So liable to stain

2 3


A cherub poised amid the shoalsOf conflict still untoldOf what is noised of destiny

,

About the life unrolled,

Of love ingrained,—a mystery

That angels shun or meetWith dread

,as pained of awe to peer

On parchments pure and sweet !

1 5

Attackt, careened, distraught, opprest,Pursued of dogged Fate ;

Ensnared,maligned

,misjudged, condemned ,

Accurst of frothing hate !Such blasts as that of vengeance andMirwayle , the frail appall

Magnificat ! no menace ofThe stroke declares the fall .

But amateurs—amazing factBewilderment o f thoughtFling wide the sewers of risk and passUncha llenged what is brought .

2 4


2

Does constancy elude the loveAnd innocence of youth ?What quality of stuff is woeOr bliss ? Where lurks the truth ?

3

What alchemy of action , or.What synthesis o f love,What chemistry of living chymesCan lead this child aboveThe pits o f woe and poise his wingsUntried where angels kissThe bright - hued bow that weeps and laughsIts promises o f bliss ?

4

Should act of thine,by strange mischance ,

Cause wild foreboding inThe basest spine

,

’twere pagan notTo mend such overt sin ;Could act o f mine disarm the hordesOf evil tempting thisFrail

,pliant vine

,

’twere godless notTo seize such chance o f bliss .

Has Equity forgot his skill,

Compassion left her throne ?Or destiny dismantled LoveAnd fled this waif alone ?

2 5


And still unwarned,must he be left

To guess and grope his wayAmid the scorned and barren wastesOf being up to day ?

What chance so ski lled of j ustice, orWhat fortune so imbuedWith right , or willed to good, that leadsThe soul to rectitude ?

5

The arts of deft and skilful ! hem ,

Beyond alchemic powerOf thought

,have left indelibly

Their hues upon li fe’s flower ;Beyond his skill or wisdom

,weave

Thru li fe the silent threadsOf worth and will where Character

,

So boldly conscious,treads ;

Beyond his will or wish,have sunk

Their hidden venoms there,

And there distil,thru all the years

,

The bitter- sweet o f prayer ;Or blast and bane the fruitage ofThe soul and sift it downThe fitful train of circumstanceWhere scowling demons frown .

2 6


And told or not,these germs have yet

Themselves, with silent awe,Disclosed the blot incurred by manThru disregard of law ;Have edged thus near the cobble - stonesFor his assured advance

,

As if of fear he miss or slightThe one significanceThat he were child ; have masteryHimsel f of highest birth ;As undefiled have sport with Gods

,

Himsel f the sport of earth .

8

N o l ink is gone ! the multi - hostsAre mast and ranked to hedgeThe errant pawn and fix his gazeAthwart the bonded pledge.

Tho unattained and hope be stillDeferred

,incessant prayer

Breaks unexplained from him if loveBe not for him somewhere .

Were skies as dumb—compassionlessAs what they sometimes seemNo cry could drum response beyondThe throes of garish dream .

2 8


’Twere for his sake,and not his bane

Contentions high were met ;Must he have dreams

,yet moan but wails

And fantoms of regret ?

9

He yet must wake to visions thatHimsel f hath hopeless sought

,

To bolder schemes and purposesThan born o f chosen thought ;Must peer and gaze with equipoiseWith bold and moteless eyesUpon the ways concealed beyondThe problems of the wise ;Must know the grail of last resortIn full monitions given ;Must scourge Mirwayle ; with trust assaultThe battlements of Heaven .

And sprung to this,his victories

Are foreordained and wonOf hope and bliss before the testOf battles is Begun .

IV

This child in tears,with upward gaze

And prayer,from sudden start

2 9


As ill appears,withal appeals

To primal love and heart ;Finds more than balm for all his ills

,

And echoes far and nearTriumphant psalm

,interpreted

And told ! There is no fear .

’Twere ever so ; and now and aye ,Except for dregs of hellThat sift below h i s l i fe and hurtWith fumes as foul as fell .

2

Yet whence has sprung mad progeniesThat shape such deadly fruitFor one so young ? Amazed , appalled,Left uninspired and mute

,

He gropes and reels,with shadowed dread

,

Where he should laugh and leap,

Make glad appeals from mystic dreamsOf vagueness , swoon and sleep ,

To certitude ; yet never onceIn thought concealed behindFalse brotherhood ; nor lost o f sel fIn universal mindOf sphinx or maze ! himsel f he is

,

To dream,i f need

,and face

Unblushed the gaze analysisConfers ! consummate grace !

30


3

Misunderstood,assailed, or where

Or how of hell,he’s found

Of every good ! since fair the formAnd vision

,hope and ground

Of rectitude,attackt of ill

,

He doth the ill astound ;In brotherhood is leagued of li fe

,

H imself the unconfound .

What love can smk beneath such depths ?What blasts o f hell consume ?

And,from the brink o f woe

,li ft bliss

And heaven out of doom ?

4

With myriad rays where myriad huesO f tangled blues abound

,

The stars have blazed for aye,nor yet

One seeming ill has foundTheir morning days ; yet fantom ghostsDeport him round and round

Till , wandering dazed, he fingers wildAt tame uncertainty ;

Or blamed , or praised, he seeks and knowsIt not

,the equity

Of just caress ; hears utmost Vo ice ;But deeming outer call sDelusiveness , he grasps in vainAt self - support, and falls .

3 1


5

But list again ! articulateHe hears ; he sees ; and moreThan shapes of men appear ; a touchAnd thrill as naught before ;For Hand were placed about his frame,

’Twere tender—heart and core !Of loves embraced , —such Brother—loveAs ne’er he’d felt before .

And purpose, high and deep as lifeHas won or hope inspires

,

Permits no why,till he has spun

The flame, that, quenchless , firesThe god o f him again, with lastAssault to risk the vastTho mystic rim o f l i fe

,and bear

His portions thus amast.

’Twere no surprise nor wonder heRenews the stri fe ! a wormWould paralyze the Fates or makeUncertain footing firm,

Tho forced appeals from failure tripTill hopeless seems the stand

,

If it but feels the friction ofA mobile grain of sand .

32


6

Beatitude ! Tho hound of ill,He presses to his ownWide interludes o f possiblesAnd hithers yet unknown .

Fair dreamer,still pursued

,still bear

The judgment o f thy lot ;Hope’s wishes will fruition bringWhen anguish is forgot !The suns are spaced, and stars are fixtOf blues to tide thee well ;For one embraced o f love as thouIs never hoped of hell .

O tender weaver what tasks for thee,

What bold ambitions thine !What torrid fever can urge thee upThis hazardous incline ?Or, fateful turn thee down hell

’s gulfsWith speed of frenzied hates

,

With wraths to spurn all proff erd aidFrom hal f - propitious mates ?

33


2

What meager need ! A hut or hall ,A cave or kindly tree,Has answered him when povertyHad feasted on a crust ;

And yet his creed proclaims the searchOf vast eternity !

The utmost rim of passion does ,As vaster being must,Respond to him,

who,seeking God

,

Were winnowed from the dustTo bloom and seed within the courtsOf immortality .

VI

Who reckons here must rise aboveAll passion . Reason, aimAnd purpose

,sheer as death and glad

As love,must delve and frame

Each under - beam and architrave,

Lay deep the corner - stoneNo buccaneer can issues meetWhere he contends alone

,

N o fragile dreams for him createLife’s lone and awful cone !Prediction seems at flood exprest

In storm - lit chaos flown ;

34


And yet withal o f fatal treadHe crushes bud and flower

,

Inflames the thrall that menacesThe corner - stones of power

,

Or shapes a thing to every senseAbhorrent that repels ,With spite and fling

,all terrible

,

The imps of nether hells .

4

To be and feel were all sublimeAbove the dull death - rustOf sodden weal

,— to highest forms

Is shaped the flimsy dust .

As time has fraught the frailest wishWith largest aspirations

,

So Youth has caught the pentacostOf vaster consecrations .

To be and feel the thought and willWere provinces of man

,

And half reveal who carved the pierOf his stupendous planTo round the lines

,adorn the shapes

And spur to lofty aimWere countersigns of Sin’s defeatAnd Death’s disastrous shame .

36


5

What wraith or power shall reel shy,thin

Threads of li fe and blendOf debt and dower earth’s canopiesTo fitly comprehendThe sacred bower he seeks ; shall growWith him

,with him ascend

Thru li fe’s brief hour ! from final heightsPour fruitage in the end ?

6

Majestic poise ! the royaltiesOf royalty enthronedNo throne destroys a kingdom wonO f what the man atoned

Thru sacrifice of sel f for s inAnd others ’ benefaction ;The paradise of privilege

,

The willingness of actionPermuted j oys—must yet becomeDominion’s first attraction .

Imperfect blooms have oft maturedA fruit well worth the seeing ;Thru rare perfumes have frankly pouredLife’s just reply o f sweetness ;From hurtling wombs o f darkling frownBrought aftermath’s repleteness ;

So man assumes in sentient selfThe last resort of being .

37


7

By what consent—wto - worth the thoughtShall i ssues unassumedHave voice or vent thru judgment graveOr chivalries foredoomed ?

No lord escapes the law by mereMechanical evasions,Howe’er he apes the Gods or feignsConventional occasions .

VII

.l

Assumed unsought the vested chargeThat angels gladly shrink ?

Prenatal thought in embryo !How possible to thinkThat man could be

,unless as child

Of God or pregnant cell ,That must agree to ri sk the threatsInsanely hatched of hell

,

If there be given,withal

,the chance

To be embodied truth,

To mold the leaven of virile loveWhere stalwart right

,forsooth

,

Had always striven thru Time’s defeatsTo aid what form and featureWould issue Heaven for lowest typesO f any sentient creature ?

38


A lord in form should be in factBeyond inspector’s ken ;

Should dread no storm discernment brewsWithin the courts of men .

Beatitude ! What swings of poiseAnd sanity must witnessThe utmost good of thing or soulIn love’s eternal fitness !

N o councils high,convened of least

Pretensions , say that manMust make reply to what was notAgreed in writ and plan .

And God in fact is so in form,

Tho man unveiled were blind ;Whate

’

er the pact, His will declaresThat He unleashes mind .

3

But Duty stands ! nor long can manEvade authentic pause ;For all commands are final inThe lexicon of laws .

39


Is Will decree ? E’en Will availsIn man and worm and sod

,

Because of plea of council s thatWere held of them and God .

4

’Twere good to Be,tho driven back

Of Hazard, hist and tostOf Poverty,— the test and claimOf scorn and blight and frostTho stars of night should never solveThe mystery of tears

,

It were no slight to be a thing,

A mote amid the spheres .

Yet ’twere sublime to be a manTo suffer and endure

,

To spurn the slime of touch and beImmaculate and pure ;Defy the crime

,—unparalleled

Of want,tho immature,

And thence to climb the rungs of lifeAnd forest - blaze the newer !

5

What happiness to thirst,to feel

The pang of urgent need,

The rasping stress of appetite,Desire that craves to feed

40


Unsatisfied, immortal hopeAnd toil ! he bows and thrivesWhere most denied

,where most distraught

,

There still more greatly strives .

Maturity ? Beatitude !To claim the longer term ,

To serve and seize beyond the realmsOf sod and thoughtless wormWere liberties proclaimed of manBeyond the mote or germ ,

Unfurled and free to be matured ,The

'

centuries affirm .

I f bliss were lost,no surer path

Could clue the maze of joy,Nor at less cost than his to findThe wizard o f employ

Surchanged , he reels intoxicateOf wines of joy embrewed

Of last appeals o f suff eringTo universal good .

6

It were not willed of dust,—this wealth ;

Nor codicil conveysHow wrought and filled the thing that growsIn spiritual clays ;

41


N or rusts corrode,thru waste and blight

To Time’s remotest knave,

The mystic lode that lures and leadsAlike the weak and brave .

No goal is past ! propitiousnessDiscreetly spurs him on

,

With hopes aghast,to haunts beyond

The rims of anxious dawn,

And there unbinds the willing feetOf urgent constancy

,

Until he finds himself surchargedWith virile mastery .

N o slave of need is whipt of scourgeOr hunger more than he ;Nor fiery steed is driven moreOf any destinyHe goes abreast of Fate ! he knowsNo boundaries o f goalsNor courts he rest till lodged amidThe corridors of souls .

7

Sublime it were to be a manTo press the gates of stri feFrom thence confer to millions moreTriumphant grasp of li fe .

42


Yet never numbs the hope and dashThat spur this courtly child

,

Amid earth’s slums,exposed and lured

,

To seek the undefiled .

VIII

I

O love and home,what powers are thine !

What fragrant sweets distilFrom shrine to dome

,to woo this child

Of upward wish and will !

And where,is home but with the loving ?

Where devotion startsIf love should roam

,with shudders that

Bewilder human hearts ?

Enchantment’s dream ! A universeIn limits all its own

,

Where vistas seem infinitude,Where grief and tears condone

,

Within the zone of sovereigntyAnd home

,—the paradise

Where love is known in off eringThe altar’s sacrifice .

Enchanted blues,in rhythmic whorls

,

Perspective,fiery

,new

,

44


Evolve the clues of beaten bliss ,Transporte’d

,weld and hue ,

And bring to him in haste,profuse

Confessions out of night ,That naught can dim the realms of loveWithin the realms of right .

3

The stars confess,with dimpled glow

And more with sparkling blush,The love - caress of love at homeWhen whispers charm and hush .

But stars are dumb and realms are pent ,Amid the vast processions

,

When Love is come,and

,voiceless

,fills

Unspeakable confessionsWith songs of hymn and harmony ;And he is key and chord ,Upon the brim of holdings whereThe heart is sovereign lord .

O wish and will,that woo this child

With upward glance and turn,

Why not fulfil the longings nowThat cause his heart to yearn ?

45


2

Why thus defer ? Why not at onceAnticipate ? make goodWhat must occur ? What world - old seersHave always understood ?

Why linger thru the disciplines ,The struggles and temptations ?Why not accrue the essencesTo final consummations ?

Is all pursuit ? Must love eludeIntegrity ? be wonAs savage loot ? No cessions thereI f having once begun ?

3

O cry and stress that urge him thruSuch adventitious venture ;

What omens press refinements whereThe ghouls reek blame and censure !

What hunger his , what cravings stillUnsatisfied

,what charm

Of beatuy is embraced of loveWith loved ones in alarm !

4

Beatitude ! What safety andContentment o f concern

,

46


What constant good provision bringsWhen vital issues turn !

No fear can daunt,nor alien love

Allure,nor wish elude

,

N o r meager want forego supply,

Nor enemy intrude ;For once enshrined of sacred holdsAffection - fortified

In heart and mind, what sacrificeOf life or love denied ?

He laughs at scorn without,within

Reveals his strength,enlarged

Upon the morn of love ! nor staysTill duty is discharged .

5

With love unfeigned he guaranteesAll manly avenues

,

And leaves unstained the robes of right ;With rectitude pursuesThe unattained of prior hope ;He neither rests nor ruesO f largess gained ; he presses on ,Unswayed o f parvenues .

6

Tho there he fail , he there attemptsThe more ; tho naught accrue

47


Of yon entail of heritage,

He presses boldly thruThe thorofares of sinecuresAnd gleans of other wheatsThan common tares an issuanceBeyond the wares and cheatsInheritance may yield—beyondThe bluster and the lowSignificance of wealth

,he strives

Himsel f to shape and know .

7

I f right were not his right who claims,

Then claiming o ften must,

To answer what response confers,Be catalogued of lust ;And he admits a passion here,A longi ng for the handThat yields the writs of righteousnessIn equals councils planned .

And tales may prove his claim were high,And judged of last resourceOf ethic love , who then may bearThe first unjust divorceOf righteousness — that long detailOf ill

,withholden good

,

The wild duress of emptinessAnd moral platitude ?

48


Not merely high,

- his claim were just,For justice has concurred ;

And such reply must have responseEre selfishness is heard .

8

Community and brotherhood,

And share and share alike,

Law,history, declare naught else ,

Or other portions strike,

Nor halt to chide of compromiseOr pique of dalliance !

N 0 problem tried can show unblushed

A fairer countenance .

9

I f old discounts were sought and found,

Or judgment rested there,

He might denounce the pittance lost,

As cheat of hapless care ;I f hint of righ t were his

,and that

Must still unquestioned beThe polar light of duty

,— sane

,

Impassioned, fixt,but free

,

And balanced goad,—that urges him

Beyond the first intense,

Tho partial code,to entries vast

,

Of soul to soul immense .

49


Such lofty aims, so vast they chillMore timid souls

,inspire

All mighty frames,tho stunned of sense,

Beyond star - dusts and higher.

Were these his own ? there rushes forthCongenial atmospheresTo brace and tone the fiber ofThe frailest harvesters ,Who

,tho unknown , were comrades boon

Of Heaven’s first desire ;Whose rimless zone of harmonyMust woo excelsior nigher

The ceaseless quest, unfagging hope,The utmost grasp of manWhose love confest must carve and shapeTo some diviner plan.

Beatitude ! How blest the airs ,All vital cells attest !Since all is good, in bosoms fit,All being is carest .

50


Now,since he sows to sacred soils ,

With equipoise he goes,

Lest evil blows to barrennessWhat righteousness bestows ;Lest wide concern of high reportIs left to ill and marred

,

He yet must earn his trophied goodFrom Self

,the evil - starred .

For right is right,and law is law ,

And Go d the undenied ;And naught may blight itsel f o f right ,Since Christ is crucified .

4

Why thus declare within sane realmsOf mind where science hurlsHer gaze and glare across the orbsAnd boundaries o f worlds ?Where thought of man

,tho hurled aloft ,

Is hedged by curve and boundTo settled plan of plat and choreWithin some vast profound ?

Tho query lower and answers balkAnd stoop and swoon to earth ,Yet cavils roar in ignoranceThru high pretense of worth .

Yet man i s urged to vast estatesNor chance can unrelate

52


Him who,tho scourged of dark Mirwayle ,

Hath answers soon and great .

5

The ill - advised,within the mask

Of frenzy,deaf and blind

,

Or well - disguised Utopias ,Can never hope to find

And fix a shape in semblancesOf any sport or child,Or e’en to drape comparisonsTo distances so wild

,

As thus is found in cosmic man,

The one atomic moteThat whirls around the Mighty asReputed Thing of note .

The Man has come ; Mirwayle must goTo kingdoms well defined ;Must go abashed , must go abaft,Must go to utmost rout ;Must go till lashed of sel f - remorseWith justest scourge and knout ;And naught is dumb with voice to singBut sings o f love enshrined .

6

On life’s brief span , athwart the gulfsOf fierce contending barriers

,

53

Is girded man for Gods and imps,As stern opposing carriers

,

To issue on ; to greet and lodgeThe ghosts that deaths devour,As battles dawn to test the mightAnd lurking place of power !

Like mighty elf,from tragi c deeds

The one incarnate ManHad swung Himself across the gulfsEre sin in sooth beganTo li ft its form of hybrid ghouls ,As fiendish horror would

,

To threat and storm the last resortAnd citadel of good .

7

What reeking fields confuse the gazeFrom heights o f being, whereThe evil yields the victoryTo suff ering and to prayer !

And ere there rise and flee the smokeAnd carnage of defeat,The demon flies as woe and wailDismisses his retreatWithin the folds o f insolence

,

Profanity and shame,

Where Hades holds to hounds of hellThe lips and fangs of flame

54


Where all that howl must deafen deathWith consternations blind ,Till demons foul exude the breathOf hell to hell assigned .

Unconscious suns,with matchless blaze

,

Are hid from peering eyesAs each one runs his lawful courseWithin unbosomed skies ;Nor hitch nor jar thru centuriesDisturbs this ceaseless raceWhere, flung afar in majesty ,Each spins the threads o f space

,

So grandly beauti ful that spawns of hateCan but adore or hideIn suave and dutiful acceptance ofUnknown

,subconscious pride ;

And these inscrutable ambitions areN o single man denied .

2

A universe were each aloneOf wonders so pro foundThat to rehearse the tenth wereAs atoms outerbound

55


In anxious poise,they seek the rims

Of space ; nor interfereWhere God ’s envoys thru solitudesOf boundless vasts career !Where harmony is pitched to keysOf universal barsOf unity ; nor selfishnessBetrays

,nor discord mars ,

With rasping stress,the rhythmic swells

Of star and universe ;There is no guess ! for offspring butProclaims the patron nurse ;From cosmic mess was called and rankedThe vast domain of starsWhose yea and yes declare the OneWho rimes the medleyed bars .

3

Could selfishness the equipoiseOf worlds disturb at odds

,

\Vhat mad duress would wreck mostCompanionable gods !

So like to man ! thru passion - sweepsOf toil and sweat he runsNone other can—the gauntlet ofAmbition with the suns .

56


4

Nor harbors doubt if will or wishBut urge or favor him ;Nor halts about abilityTo trace the utmost rimOf his desire ; he only chafesO f fiends obstructing him,

In rising higher on ready wingsO f urgency and vim .

No jot is lost in all the whorlsOf white and gold and blue ;Thru realms of frost or fire

,or twixt

,

No scruple need accrueWith skies embost with amber- tintsFrom last retorts o f hue ;

And hither tost of space these sunsThe untrod paths pursue !

5

Thru time’s consent,in early paths

They skipt and ran as lambsOf firmament ; and revel stil lIn first attempted psalmsWhen just begun these tri als

,won

Of flight, foretold the speedsThat star and sun acquire and runWhere timbered tens ion leads ;

57


Till face to face with power and place ,As ages startled gaze

,

They coy and race thru outer spaceAthwart the rhythmic blaze ;And on

,and on

,to wider dawn ,

When folded centuriesAre come and gone

,they still but yawn

Their morning symphonies .

6

O man why fret and squirm withinThis ! lilliputian cell ?This sense forget

,as yet thou may

,

And with all worthies dwell !

7

No truth is lost in all the whorlsO f ether

,maze or clue ;

Nor virtue crost of ethics byThe morals of the few ,

To men embost with intellectThat seraphim reviewHence

,hither tost of Mind

,O man

,

Essential good pursue !

Go,then

,with thought

,as yet thou must

,

On fullest paths of light,For space has naught to bar thy suitIn comradeship with flight ;

58


9

Can these always this struggle thwart,

Intense,unbroken be ?

Orion blaze for aye and aye,

The sun and stars go free,

NVhile man surveys thru films of senseHis tardy destiny ?Or thought appraise herself in fleshThruout eternity ?

IO

O spirit - mind,thy realms , tho pent,

Thy toil and hope endure '

Thy thought refined,thy tasks assuage,

And thy rewards mature !

Anticipate the goal of loveAnd there erect thy shrine ;She flies ! nor late she hails thy posts

,

I f thou and she combine .

To be a man were so sublimeThat never man conceivedThe outer plan achievement winsOf what himsel f believed .

I I

So won of love, so lost to hate,So keyed and closeted

60


To realms above the temporal ,He reckons not the deadDecays that slough of mortal wares ;He grasps the far extremesThat mold the rough exteriors ,And lifts the mists whence beamsHis counterpart in splendors allDiffused with fervencyWhose burning heart forebodes and guardsThe throne of maj esty .

For man were built to wider plansThan fall of time and sense !Tho stung of guilt , incarnate tearsSurpass his mad offense .

Since such were so , and man were so ,So must it be that he

Must somehow go beyond the birthOf earthly d estiny .

1 2

The unexplained of hope de ferred,

Of li fe’s perpetual care ,Were not distrained o f him

,i f love

Were not for him somewhere .

To be complete a man must beEntangled and entwined

,

Beyond conceit and unconfined,

With sanest love and mind .

6 1

0 patient child,how soon the years

Of sluggish pain are spent !How far and Wild would seem the pathWhere weary steps are bentIf it were not for fragrant dewsThat light the inner way ;Or griefs forgot in stress o f joys

,

How filled with wide dismay !

2

If ill were what the years propose,The centuries convey

,

How then allot the equities ?The purposes obey ?

3

A child at play ! O patient child,Impatient yet to go !Why urge the day ? My heart hath tears !Why leave me weeping so ?

Hast thou foreseen Elys ian fieldsThat thou must haste to tread ?Thy sight seems keen , but mine is blurred ,My tears embalm the dead.

62


Ah,spirit - child

,when once ’tis known

Rough paths are lately madeAcross the wild frontiers o f death ,How hot the tears conveyed !

4

As there is given to direst hoursOf anguish

,croons and dreams

Of stars and heaven , so utter nightGives overpowering beamsThat dart and gleam like fairy elfsOf pure phantastic birthBeyond all dream of ecstasyOr strangest moods o f mirth ,The mirth that flows of faith and joyConviction run to flowerWhich Nectar chose when roses blushtAnd Beauty kist the bower .

XIII

I

Vast force is spent to keep yon frameIn mighty balance swung

,

Yon boundless tent of bending skiesAs universe out- hung

,

And thru all time the lamps of GodIn rhythmic cycles wheel ;More than sublime direct their courseTo some remote appeal .

63


They hum the dirge and thread the mazeOf vague etheric spheres ,Nor yet converge to chaos thruA thousand million years .

Outspread in space unfathomed gulfsThru outer reaches deep

,

They reel and race in high careerWith whirl and dash and sweep ;They still invite the gaze o f man ,Beyond earth’s rugged steep ,Thru blazing night to flounder inThe mysteries they keep .

3

Out thru the grand,dumb s ilences

,

They tempt and woo him higherThan hither planned

,until the soul

Absorbs the opaled fireAnd burning blues of folded heatFrom out their own abysms !He still pursues with holy gazeAnd consecrated chrysms

Their upward lead ; unrivaled there,He claims those realms his own !

Tho prest o f need he lordly bearsAs if he ruled alone .

64


No sun renews for second testsThe races first begun

,

But still pursues of Primal ForceVast distances unwon .

The leech and snide achieve by roundsAnd rounds of repetitions !

! ind Gods provide kind cessions forSuch quarter - deck positions .

4

Must man ascend thru disciplines ,Tho signally defeated ?

All good offend by languid moodsAs o ’er and o ’er repeated ?

Must he, attired of dignities,Return godlike returns ?

O f virtue fired,retorch his shrines

Where alien incense burns ?

That Primal Force is pledged to guideHim back to normal placesThru upward course, averse of pride,To meet exalted races ;From sources’ Source adorns him withThe rationale of graces ;Repeats

,per force of love o f him

,

Most cardinal embraces .

65


5

And light accrues athwart his pathTo j ustify the plan ,Since godlike thews thru eons urgeThis God - empiric man ;

So that he hymns with recklessness,With scant regard for sorrow ,

Fore - handed trims the edge of griefFor gladness and to - morrow .

6

What furies urge to labors vast,Titanic, stunned and curbed ?What powers sane contrive to shapeAnd poise the sane resultWhere boon and bane are fused or foiledBy agencies occult ?Beneath what scourge o f driven slave

,

With purpose undisturbed,

Does he engage where conquest’s fieldsAre fiercely sought and won ?

Himself a sage or fool for timeAnd sphinx to gaze upon ;Or both, as they may wit, by whimOr prayer or platitudeOf choice, to flay or praise him forH is labors high or crude ?Should he array as ill or goodEarth’s restless interlude ?

66


The paths o f stars scarce symbolizeThe stages he must know

,

Nor ether bars his distancesAs zoneless ages go .

The morning hymn of infancy,

As sung of human chords ,Must seraphim remotest !toilsThat thrill remote rewards .

Condensed,refined

,remodeled for

A thousand times,his toils

Of heart and mind must channel downThe years their autumn spoils .

9

That he were wise were well ! and soHe loiters not abroadBeneath foul skies as i f the sportOf chance or child of fraud,But must be wooed ! with greed he hauntsAll coverts low and high,Till he has sued the wraiths of wit,Of woodland and o f sky .

The fauns and terns of forest - wilds,

With witching call and blow,

Where moss and ferns in native dellsIn fragrant tresses flow

,

68


Are piping to his Willing ears

Thru chorust lutes and lyres ,Till song falls thru a wildernessOf golden fluted choirs .

The blues bend down,the stars peep thru

The whirr o f airy wings ,Till wood and town but echo backWhat Nature wildly sings ;

Enshrine regards for harmony,

In music undefiled ,Till all the bards of all the songsHave spoken medleys wild .

Enrapt o f this,remote and nigh,

Are rushing wildly thru,

The nodes o f bliss,till chord and flute

And throat are strung anew !

Past all control o f inner fires,

These rhapsodies entrance,

Till heart and soul of orchestrasBecome the utterance .

IO

O it were sad to chase a fool,

Like hob - nob pendulum,

From good to bad ; a nondescriptThat time may thread and thrum ;

69


Recurring curse and toy balloonOf vital human mystery ,A universe that emptinessMay brand as vacant history .

0 it were joy without alloy,

With nature wild and free,

To be a boy in high employOf sel f and liberty .

A prince were he of high degreeBeyond that written downFrom destiny his maj estyDemands no other crown .

O it were rude to chafe and broodWhere paradise were flung ;Tho raw and nude from bad to goodInspire the mobile young.

0 it were sweet to guide the feetOf such prophetic birthTo heights replete with wise conceit

’Twere paradise on earth !

I I

Sublime i t were to be a man,

To be the what is smi tten,To rank the sphere of self and law,

To meet agreements wri tten,

70


Tit act the par t and fill the nicheOf but one creep ing thingWi th purposed hear t of harmony;To move and touch and cling

Amid d espair ; to long and yearn

For s oli tary ray

To lighten care, and ear ly springBelated dawn to day;

To serve and bear amid such painWi th eager answering,

Were wor th the prayer of ear th’

s own

And her d ivines t thing.

XIV

Tho lurid schemes were oft proposedFor some great final good ,To seek what seems phenomenalWere still misunderstood ;To rip the seams of wrong and bringIncomparable goodTo shrive where dreams or demons lureTo fatal brotherhood

,

Were far from base,tho meanly frowned

Upon by vision crostO ’er jaundiced face from pedestalsOf sel f - delusion tost

As of disgrace ; yea, vastly good ,As ’twere supremely true

,

71


Tho fiends displace the altar andThe broken shrines pursue

,

So good, in deed, to—day and now ,

As tempts all lo fty zealBeyond the greed that satisfiesOr woos a sordid weal

,

Tho laid to shel f where prestige isThe privilege and sealOf common sel f ,— the selfishnessDisclosed of coarse appeal

,

Instead of wares as worthy asThe gentle NazareneIn sweetness shares with animals

,

The creatures low and mean .

Sublimely good it were to beThe Man ; i f that , to be

So understood, were balanced poiseThruout eternity .

2

But O to be involved and mixtImplicitly with oddsOf destiny, as purposed manTo mani fest the Gods

,

Were virtue worth the struggle,toil

And superhuman shame ;That lowly Birth

,who enters li fe

For li fe’s Conclusive Aim,

72


Unfolds to earth amid the sneersOf public slight and blame ,That nations stare and wonder atThe power of his NameBenignly fair, the sacrosanctOf passionate acclaimBut clarifies the taunt o f toilAnd bluff o f indolenceThat j eopardize all virtue fromThe pedestals of sense .

Thus involute and mixt and blentInviolate with them

,

Is this recruit too crude to springFrom so divine a stem ?

3

He forges on , unmoved o f thornOr chafe, o f taunt or sneer ,And li fts the brawn of worth and willTo heights o f sane career !He forges on , impelled and thrustBy that ! far- off divineEvent ! of dawn

,when truth and right

And grace and good enshrineThe native haunts of righteousness

,

Inspired himsel f o f these,

Him nothing daunts o f mortal sense,

Chaotic drift or ease .

73


4

No chrysalis dares wilder dreamsThan he ; no burning starSuch heir of bliss ! his deeds make gladThe centuries

,Or mar

The moments flushed with hopes of suchDelight of gain

, or’

d ryThe check sore crushed with tears ! man

doomedTo struggle once and die .

And yet with what abandon doesHe press the final goal

,

As , self - forgot, he haunts the tombWith majesty of soul !

As broken gleam is glanced athwartA yearning leaf or limb

,

So , it would seem,in last embrace

Death hies away from him .

XV

Yet doubtful haste ! it mars and hurtsLife’s best appointed hours

,

Lays direful waste on fragi le youthAnd undiscovered powers ;

74


4

An enemy has tampered hereAnd here has left h l S S ign ,The destiny of imp or GodAt sepulcher or shrine !The law of love, the law o f hate,The law of ghost or shape ;The law above

,the law beneath

,

Is law that none escape .

5

So here amid the flush of doubtAnd spectral helplessnessMust death be rid of lambrequinsAnd doff illusive dress ;Must here appear in open court

,

Illicit shames confess,

Tho insincere,in hapless straits

Must bear sincere duress .

6

A signal wrong has come to man,

Pervasive, thoro , fell ;It fingers strong the grip of death

,

It must have slunk of hell !Accurst

,condign

,imper !sonal

,

The bane of utterness,

76


The ample sign that here is wroughtThe havoc o f distressThe pang of tears

,the curse of woe ,

The trail where Chaos trodWith wreck and jeers the thorofaresWhen men were cleft from God .

7

T i ! so ! the frail res iduum,

The fringe that death concedes,

Condones no wail o f human hearts,

No cross where Jesus bleeds .

XVI

And so , transfixt of Love, the soulMust go in realms its own ;

And thus , unmixt o f stain , must reapIncarnate fruitage sownItsel f confess aberrant will

,

Itself no accident,

Nor false caress of arroganceMakes it more permanentTo shrive amid the wrecks o f wrong

,

Of idols nude and bare !Bereft and rid o f shameless shams

,

It locks of Love somewhere .

77


XVII

O star- eyed lure, thou pledge of love,Thou symboled trust of heaven,Tho insecure , who may not dareAccept the pledges given ?

Remotest limb may sway secureWhere Being hangs the bout

! Complete in Him ! then why be rentOf least concern of doubt ?

3

And tho the child be trapt of ill,Be nebulously driven,

’Tis yet beguiled of certaintiesTo test the spans of Heaven .

4

O star- eyed lure, the voice of love,Nor vaster reach of reason,

Tho immature, thou embryon !Thou hast thy proper sea son .

78


5

Not yet, not yet ! too brief the tale ;No fleeting moments measuredCan cycles set against the lossIn which this child is treasured .

6

The foe is pale ! nor doubt is castAcross the issues pending !Avaunt , Mirwayle ! triumphant notesAngelic choirs are blending .

7

And rushing back thru posted yearsTo moments madly driven

,

N o records lack assurancesOf Christ’s momentous Heaven .

8

O star - eyed lure,thou child of love !

What fairer gift o f HeavenCould love assure ? now rift and pale

,

Could darker grief be given ?

79


XVIII

Momentous calm,—all stress relaxt

’Twere Beauty void of breath,

Life ’s brief,rich psalm in rhapsody

Is sung ; they call it death !Nor balm can heal

,nor art dislodge

,

The pallor o f the dead ;Nor last appeal disturb reposeWhen once the soul were fled .

2

Of dust to dust ! is writ so deepImperious mortals knowThat ungorged lust and insolenceInflame the arrant foe .

3

And yet—All hail -this insolenceAnd lust abashed

,forsooth

,

Themselves must quail beneath theOf Sacrosanct and truth .

4

This hurt must have complete repair ;This fiend must find his foe

80


Within the grave,his pleasure - park

And battle - ground of woeDeath there must meet Antagonist

,

Invincible and strong,

Must there repeat his challengesFor all this lust of wrong ;Must there defend this insolence

,

This blatant bluff recall,

From there ascend to victoryOr thence to hell must fall .

5

In last embrace Death!

hies awayAnd leaves a smile uponThe V ictor’s face that thus declaresNo fatal ill were done !The answered call across the wastesAnd borders of the wildWhere woes appall but hinder noPerfection of the child .

6

Ah,pale Mirwayle, of goodAnd last impertinence !All hail

, al l hail to victory ,Triumphant recompense !

8 1


7

Sublime the act ! exultant ChildImpels the fiend below

,

Despoiled and sackt of battle - field s ,

To tangled copse of woe .

8

So hastes there seasons when he shall tellThe triumphs of His sorrows

,

With ample reasons why grief distraughtWas left to other morrows .

And when there blows those breezes fairAround Life’s sacred leavenNo evil goes with lures of deathTo breach the fays of Heaven .

The breath of Life must fan the plainsAnd hierarchs of gloryWhen all is ri fe with cherub wingsTo hear the Victor’s story .

9

O star - eyed lure,thou hint of Gods ,

Thou ghost of predilections ,Tho ghouls abjure

,the wraiths confess

Complying resurrections !

82


By sacred priest too holy forHis touch ; no province whereHe may not feast desire that breathesThe atmosphere of prayer,The holiest of holies tryWith all assurance go

,

With unreprest tho reverent tread,Into that holy place

,

Officiate assemblages ;As master there bestowAs on the great and good, the charmAnd ministry of grace .

3

Unquenched desires on rightful questLead him ! as urgent swain

Unblushed aspires to win a love ,Tho caution must restrainHim thru a day ! to sound all depths ,To clambei over worldsThru right of way, to dream where spaceHer canopy unfurls

Himself in love of souls,so he

Behaves in native landsHe drifts above star - paths profound

,

To spirit still expands .

4

Beatitude ! Delightful sphere !All spirit realms are such ,

84


Whose interludes and tendenciesImpart d ivmest touch .

Beati tud e ! To heed the callAnd be familiar friends ;In li fe ’s prelude commune with allBe peer where All attends .

Beatitude ! And thus pursue,

Attain the lawful planOf highest good in likeness toThe wholly normal Man .

5

To meet the braves on equal planesHe equal honors shares ;And yet he craves distinguished placeHe seeks the toils and bearsThe sacrifice of suff ering

,

He shuns no frowning crossOf woe ; nor cries surcease if loveWe ’re but exposed to loss ;And on the beams o f Spi rit - BeingHe leads the caravanWhose chasing teams were posting goalsBefore his race began .

6

It were sublime a man to be ;To suffer and to wait

85


The rush of time that goads the vulgarAnd inflames the great .

This child of God,tho halt and blind

,

And stung of guilt and need,

A crumbling sod whose issues nameAnd justi fy the deed

,

Must rise perforce of will and choice,

Pursuant to a chaseWith Him in course along the waysOf purpose

,worth and place .

7

Companionships of boundariesOf outerbound s inspireThe thin

,blanched lips of song to li ft

And voice the pulsing lyre ;To tempt and coy all harmony,Assault with frenzied toneThe peaks of joy

,till music breathes

Beyond the broad,white zone

Of time ’s vast good and echoes backIn silver - luted rimesOf brotherhood across li fe’s chordsHer golden - fluted chimes .

XX

I

O calm sweet breath of victoryInflame the astonished years ,

86


Till blatant Death were ushered outIn choruses of j eers !

Since here no palms of anguish canDespoil the least frontier

,

Triumphant psalms of Being choir,

Enraptured,sphere on sphere .

2

For aye and long the l ight descendsTo templed arks of men

,

And turns to song and beauty inThe grottos and the biers

,

Transmutes the wrong,and poises right

Athwart the shrines again,

Till pipe and gong assuage the seasThat surge with human tears .

3

O startled song of Being’s why,Peal out beyond the tides

That,low and long

,have moaned the wail

Of immolated guides !

4

Resound the drill with cleft and trill,

With music glad and free,

Till echoes thri ll resistent willWith wildest melody .

87


5

And,reinforced of echoed song,

Make harmonies so highThat stars divorced of burningFor earth will leave the sky .

6

For once the stars belonged to earth ,And angels had concealed themBehind the bars of children’s eyes ,Whence fairy - el fs revealed them .

7

Now far above impartial blues,

The seraphs winging byWith song and love

,like cherubs’ souls

,

Hang out the stars on high ;And nymphal eyes , in laughing aweAnd uncontained surprise

,

Reflect the skies aback to earthIn purely human guise .

O star- eyed lure,reproachless thing

,

What Easters fill thy morning !No sinecure inspired thy toilsNor wrought for thy adorning !

88


8

What wonder then the realms of loveFrom far and wide extentsShould meet again upon the heightsOf cosmic parliaments ?

O Godward man ! Presumptuous ,Were not his welcomes plighted !Whose wits may scan the Infinite

,

I f not of Him invited ?

2

No chaos dark can culminateThis yearning upward trend ;No failure mark ambitions whichPropitious Gods may send !

And yet ’twould seem this waif of earth ,With Eden at his back,

A broken dream,—must face and claim

Earth’s forests,track by track ;

Must blaze and rack the fastnesses,

And strangely lone,must meet

And answer back all boundariesOf conquest and defeat .

89


3

Distraught among the wrecks of time,Revengeful sinecures

,

What issues,sprung of sin and crime ,

Must ripen immatures ?

Propitiousness,the priest of time

,

In judgments swift and sure,

Must shrive and bless uncycled rimeTo have all realms mature !Delightful trysts

,companionships

,

Delectables of mind,

Can wrench no twists to flaw the slipsOr balk the ill - assigned .

Yet he hath met the hidden foe,

Undaunted torn the maskThat demons threat

,—hath dared to know

The secrets of the task .

4

Where guilelessness hath met distressAbreast unequal courses

,

A fatal guess of wickednessAwoke discordant forces .

Will he respond ? as cattle dumb ,To barnest wheel be driven ?

He goes beyond ! he says ,! I come ,

Before the call is given .

90


6

Opposed by cold, blind force without ,

Whose terrors paralyzeThe heart and hold and chill hot bloodsAnd daze the partial eyes ;Beset within by ignoranceAnd doubt

,whose specters loom

Like fiends of sin above the browOf overhanging doom

,

His dirge unfolds a song of suchWild, unaccustomed strainThat it resouls his faith

,refires

His blood and thrills his brainTo keenest flights of passion

,—heart

And soul ! unbending theseThru hapless n ights he vanquishesAll realms of toil ; he keysThe spectral call of substancesTo melody and praise

,

He filters all forgetfulnessAnd rescues all decays .

7

He soars and mounts,himself forgot

,

Beyond the utmost stress,

Nor stays , nor counts the worth of whatIs hither to success .

Tho whipt o f ill and cursed of lordsAnd stunned of ignorance

,

92


Some Master -Will has touched the chordsAnd urges bold advance .

He runs abreast of all desire ;If whim were that he creepsOr worms ! i f prest o f need or tires ,May slack but never sleeps ;Foretells the course of winds and stars ;Divines the lurking elf ;

He tempts the source of power and heedsNo bar beyond himsel f .

8

With heart afire he quarries downBeneath the crusts of worlds ,Till pressing higher all central cores ,Eurekas he unfurls ;With eager feet trips fearlesslyThe Milky Way

,pursues

The arching street o f heaven whereThe angels cast their shoes .

9

And focust light, in prodigalProfusion

,streams far out

Across the night and puts the ghostsAnd goblins all to rout !

And wherefore Light, i f yet there comesNot with it or before

93


The power of seeing whose puny orbsAll provinces explore ?

Or realms of Right,tho unexplored

,

If souls may not adoreThe source of Being and turn their ownPet issues all about ?

XXII

1

The harmonies of orchestrals ,The ministrants of senseAnd poesies of sound that thusEff ect Omnipotence,Weave trilogies and consonanceOf souls ; discountenanceThe dark - browed hordes of gutteralsThat writhe a tortuous lengthOf harsh discords in sacred courtsAnd corridors of strength

,

And cast glad eyes of beauty toThe wards of Providence .

2

And wherefore tone,without concrete

Tho labyrinthine ears,

Whose halls alone entrance her nodesAnd act as volunteers

94


Of mysteries whose elfish tricksHave taught to leap and boundPhilosophies along key - boardsOf tone’s substantial sound ?

Or why defile those hallowed shrinesWith blatant panegyrics ?

And thus offend these gates of strengthWith blistering subtonics ?

Or pour the vile,discordant stream

Of counterpane hystericsAgainst the trend of sullen factsIn volumes of ironies ?

3

Ears haste to lend their courts to faint,Elusory harmonics ;Reverberate with rhapsody

,

Explosive overturesOf delicate chromatics rare

,

But caught of amateurs ;And so attend the pleasantriesOf Chesterfield euphonicsMay e’en translate

,by means o f two

Twin gods ,—the heart and soul ,The tongues of hate to voices sweetAs surging rhythmics roll

,

And thus commend discordancesTo love’s refined control .

95

4

Tho matter shrive her portals withThe mystery o f dust,And death contrive to forti fyThe well - defended trust

,

Yet energy and Being surgeAnd leap thru films of senseTill P otency reveals new charmsThru arts of eloquenceAnd leaves Mirwayle with rue and flailAnd sheer incompetence .

Such strictures knot to tendons , tillThe tissues

,corded grown ,

Seem but the plot that mysteryIs guarding as her own ;She neither foils environment,Nor yet retards the strife ,Since hindrance coils but visiblesAnd outerness of l ife .

Tho thus she numb the essencesWith such repulsive crusts

,

Mere things become more marvelousThru sanctities of dusts

,

As Love despoils the wreck and barAnd wards the leech’s lustsWhich dark Mirwayle had planned finaleThru overmath of rusts .

96


5

And wherefore li fe i f but to gropeAnd suff er

,yield and die

Amid the stri fe and fruitlessnessOf Love’s most bitter cry ,That breaks across tumultuousNiagaras of grief ?Aff ords no gloss for doubt and woeThat caterwaul belief ?

6

And wherefore these ? of one , of allCombined

,without the soul

Whose harmonies direct and charmAnd elevate the whole ?Confirm the good

,alarm the ills

That conscience startles hence ,Yet never could apostrophizeSuch deadly elements ?

And if the soul,then why not Him

Who widens every thrall ,Who gives parole to seraphim

,

To stars and dust and all ?

A child at play ! ! Thou kept o f Him !The Man of masteries

97


No more can say ! thou tender wardOf sleepless destinies !

2

Tho sparrow fell in direst straitsAnd yielded breath by breath

,

When strikes the knell of struggle,God

Gives notice o f its death .

Should nymph adore,He waits the while

In patient contemplations ;Or angel pour its nectars out

,

Returns He salutations .

Should child o f His,however small

,

Have chance of hint of sorrow,

Naught surer is that He regards,

Nor waits the dawning morrow .

3

No seraph more than thou or thatHe waits for each for aye ;He tramps before untempered feetAnd guides the paths to day .

Sublime it were to be that childReach out and up and on !Receive, confer, and strive and win ,Where seraphim are gone .

98

THE SCOURG!E OF MIRWAYLE

XXIV

1

Ah,tender thing ! no ill can fallAcross yon cloudless skyThat does not bring a counter - throbTo

\

H im who stands so nigh .

2

Came weal,came rest

,came Fancy on

The dawn of Love’s caress ,Came as Love’s guest to - day nor comesTo - morrow’s laziness .

3

Go time’s behest,since Fancy nigh

Awaits the inner bar,Go try the test of hearts ! she livesWhere Love’s aff ections are .

So,thread by thread , she gathers in,

Each golden strand agreeing,Till shred by shred all webs are kinIn Love’s exhaustless Being .

The shuttles flew,yet no one knew

That soon the webs were ended ;How Mirwayle blew the dole and rueWhere she her marvels blended .

IOO


Her toils were brief ; nor lingered sheWhen early ebbed the tides ;Unfurled belief

,unfurled the sa i ls

Since master Sailor guides .

4

But is she gOne ? She visits withThe cherubs where the hillsAre lit with dawn

,and morning

,flushed

With love,her li fe fulfils .

She trips along yon fairy lands ;She soon must hasten hereWith cherub song since now she breathesAngelic atmosphere .

O cherub song and cherub self,

And many,many more

,

A fairy throng must come with herTo see so weird a shore .

5

Too soon,too soon ! Ah

,pain ! There came

To - morrow ’s hastiness !At dawn ’twas noon ; she lingers thereWith more than time’s caress .

Now native there ; congenial sinceCongenial friends are known

As sweet and fair as Fancy isShe tarries with her own .

101


6

Gone weal,gone zest

, gone Fancy withThe dawn of sweet caress ,Gone as Love’s guest for aye, and man

’sImmortal upwardness .

7

Seraphic thing ! seraphic spheres !Seraphic comradeships !

There cherubs sing seraphic yearsWith more than cherub lips .

Gone leal,gone best

,gone Fancy

Seraphic loveliness !Gone as His guest to - day to HisImperial address .

8

Ah,tender thing no ill betidesThee now

,imparadised !

Nor song can sing that does notWith Cavalry and Christ .

9

A flower blew ! wide sections boreAfar the sweet perfumes ;It died and drew new films of lifeThru Nature’s busy looms .

102


This present hour hath love’s defenseIs love’s appeal to Heaven ;No urgency has sped decaysTo chafe to—day’s E lysiansWhy shrink and cower at that or thenceWith love now lover’s leaven ?

But is she gone ? How can it be ?

Und re-ampt,abrupt

,unwarned !

Withdrawn ! withdrawn ! by whose decree ?

Is Heaven more adorned ?

So,love agrees that all is well ,That tho he start and quailThere come decrees from down and dellThat reassure the frail !That flagel late the imps of hate ,Where death and doom prevail ;That reinstate the love of mate,Yet curse and blight Mirwayle .

I 3

0 sing to me o f yester - love,

Of gladness free and wild ;Of memory

,sunlit with all

The sweetness of the child

An infant crooned on natal breasts ,New mother - joys transpired ;

104


But ere the booned and brief , rich yearsAre flown these hopes retired

,

The common lot and heritageOf all ; and so are tears ;They dim and blot the visions ofThe fairest human yea rs .

Has Fancy flown for aye , and leftLove’s sacred emblems strewn ,As chance had thrown its mockeries ,Athwart love ’s early noon ?

This child of my imperfect love,

This fairy dream of all,

May yet tell why the frail are hurtAnd innocence can fallBeneath the frown of sudden dea th ,And leave love quiveringAnd stricken down o f sob and s ighFor such a tiny thing.

The smitten rose a fragrance yieldsWhich

,hitherto unknown

And hastening,goes not hence until

More bounteous yield is sown .

And so does she , abiding inThe sacred flow of love’sDelightful sea , become the soulO f what she early proves

105


And leaves li fe freighted with memoriesThe real joys

,forsooth

,

That men have dated in love’s best - knownMeridian of youth .

But rose and tears shall weave the websA - most o f love’s perfumes ;Shall thrill the years

,enrich the toils

For fairer paths and blooms,Till fancied tastes materializeIn lofty forms of touch

,

And barren wastes of barren lifeHave fruited overmuch .

O star - eyed lure the ecstasiesUnloose

,no palms confine

For naught is truer—Thy life has palmedIts sweetness off on mine .

Tho passion sweeps the j ewel fromThe casket

,—torn away,

’Tis Heaven reaps this tender thingTo bloom beyond decay .

No fairer bud could blossom thereOn life ’s integral stem

,

For vital blood had mixt and blentSoul - pigments in the gem .

No lily - white more fair,nor nymph

Had yet to earth been given

106


! Go weal,go best, go Fancy on

The wings of ether - light ;G0 try the crest o f day, go whereThe Star of Life is bright .

Some by and bye—and wafted onThe wish and prayer and sigh

,

Above the sky, - where kinships meetIn realms imparadised,There she and I will meet

,and know

Before the feet o f Christ,

Thru His reply, such tokens stillAre ours ; nor can they die .

N0 less can she since Love is by ;And Love and she grow young

Eternally ! her song of trothIs still but partly sung .

!

I4

The fervency of yester - loveIs still to be impartedO sing to me o f morrow—love

,

Unseen, unheard, unhearted

The unexplained of hope deferred,

Of love’s incessant prayer,

Tho unattained,but prophesies

That Love is waiting there .

108


But who can sing of what is yetTo be Love’s future capture ?

Or voice and bring the first assetOf love ’s immortal rapture ?

O sing to - day of what does nowEclipse enraptured morrows

! This angel fay has taught me howTo vanquish future sorrows .

XXV

Should shadows fall,then

,high above

Them must the sun appear ;Should griefs appall

,love yet must shed

For absent love a tear,

With such delight that grief itsel fBecomes a sacred thing

,

Tho shrouded night should startle timeWith Death’s unshielded sting .

2

Remorseless fang,the tooth of Time,

Revengeful,swift and sure ;

What issues hang of love sublimeTo poise the immature !

Aye,he does dare the hidden foe

,

Undaunted wrecks the mask

109


Where furies glare that he may showLove’s universal task .

3

Enraptured there,himself must call

,

Himsel f demand reply ;And he must bear the utmost pallThat signal virtues try .

Must he respond ? as cattle dumb,

To harnest wheel be driven ?

He goes beyond ! he says ,! I come

,

Before the call is given .

4

Himsel f agreed in covenants,

In masteries sublime,

Has won the creed of permanenceFrom fleeting sands of time .

5

Without off ense,but coaxed of all

The grooms of suff eringAnd tolerance

,capricious mates

Could there concoct and bring,

Such boundless speech appeals to allThere is of God in him !

With royal reach he swings the gatesFor all

,—and core and rim .

1 10


2

No right can fail,and soon or late

The last respect shall owe ;No hurt entails

,and soon or late

The least erect shall go ;No truth can pale

,and soon or late

The full effect will show ;No ill prevails

,and soon or late

The Gods proj ect it so ;No love need wail

,and soon or late

The last elect shall know ;Mirwayle, Mirwayle ! ah , soon or lateThou shalt detect thy foe !

To feel,to know

,to - day and now

,

To brea st the maelstrom soNo wit can go beyond the vowThat love and troth bestow .

No thing is barred companionships,

The tombs denied ! Christ gaveThe love and marred the ill

,— the love

Survives ! it has no grave ;Yet evil goes to sepultureForgotten ill forgets ;Who sanely knows the Easter - loveEscapes profound regrets .

3

In vain ? The rose is frail , yet noAff ront of death can blast

1 1 2


What God thus chose of tendernessAnd sweetness unsurpast.

In vain ? Not so ! Love knows how loveWith rapid Death hath run ;From chase with woe , across all wastes ,What signal triumphs won .

No li fe is vain ! no struggle, sinceThe child receives and givesThe glad refrain of joy ! since LoveAwoke all being lives .

N o li fe is vain, however brief ,However great with ills ;Tho doomed to pain , l i fe justifiesThe mission it fulfil s .

4

Since countless stars have cleft and sungTheir first wild song

,since then

Across the bars of time and spaceGlad hearts commune ; and when ,

’Mid rack and j ar,are borne and shaped

Triumphal archs of menWhat rift can mar

,disturb or shift

Li fe’s architrave again ?

And can it be that Death forgets ,So relegates ! All hails !

1 13


To destiny that helplessness,

Innate-ly,wrong assails ?

That He,from hence, who cried ! Forgive,

Must heed the lavish wailsOf penitence ? That innocence,As strong or frail , avails ?

Avaunt,avaunt

,ah

,wild Mirwayle !

Thou ghost of palli d shade,Tho shadows haunt and mar the tale ,Thy mockeries are stayed .

5

All hail ! all hail ! the sovereign PrinceTriumphant

,kingdom come !

All demons pale at His approach,Till demonry is dumb .

All hail,all hail to victory

,

Exultant,—core and rim

N0 ghost can veil the vast immense,

A soul in love of Him .

N 0 Scourge entails ! no hurt enduresThe sacrifice repliesIn holy grails ! the universeIs glad ! it testifies .

6

The All - High - Priest is love,—al l love ;

The odds of all delights

1 14


Thru all turmoil,thru all the joy.

Thru all the dumb belief ;Thru barrenness

,thru all the wrong

,

Thru all unheeded wails,

Thru all excess o f imp or fiendTo where the good assails

Thru threat o f powers,thru drift and sham ,

Thru grasping after breath ,Strange gift o f ours

,—thru that far hope

,

Thru most exclusive death ;Thru guilelessness

,thru banter

,charm,

Thru all that love bequests,

Thru patient stress,thru all the rasp

Of anxious trial—tests

Thru all the flings , thru all the ebbsOf aim

,and high rehearse ,

Thru all that brings the surging ofA moral universe ;Thru all the blunder

,thru all the shock ,

Thru all the reach of mind,Thru all the wonder

,thru all the man ,

The being undefined ;

Thru every reed,thru every thought,

Thru every revelation,Thru every creed , thru every cross ,Thru every aspiration

1 16


Of every soul,or soon or late

,

There comes the one desire,

To grasp the whole,to stand and call

For universes higher .

9

Thru all the throes,thru all the sighs ,

Thru all the dire convuls ions,

Thru all repose,thru all the choice

,

Thru all the sheer expulsionsThere comes to all

,or low or high ,

In ranks of all denialThe over- call ! !

N o field is wonWithout heroic trial . !

Thru all decei ts , thru all obscureDesire

,thru all decay,

Thru all defeats, all good to al l

Forgiveness must convey.

Thru all earth’s stri fe perpetualDesire aspires to beThe soul of li fe—the choice o f LoveThruout eternity .

XXVI'

I

All hail ! all hail ! O Christ the Lamb !And Heaven signals so !

1 17


Mirwayle, Mirwayle ! no ill can damnWhere crimson fountains flow !

All hail,all hail ! To compensate

The caterwaul of woeN0 good can fail ! and soon or lateAbjectest death shall know .

All hail,all hail ! To justi fy

The crimson cross of Christ,All ill must fai l ! as far, all goodMust be imparadised !

1 18


What God thus chose o f tendernessAnd sweetness unsurpast .

In vain ? Not so ! Love knows how loveWith rapid Death hath run ;From chase with woe, across all wastes ,What signal triumphs won .

No li fe is vain ! no struggle, sinceThe child receives and givesThe glad refrain of joy ! since LoveAwoke all being lives .

No l ife is vain , however brief ,However great with ills ;Tho doomed to pain , l i fe justifiesThe mission it fulfils .

4

Since countless stars have cleft and sungTheir first wild song

,since then

Across the bars of time and spaceGlad hearts commune ; and when ,

’Mid rack and j ar,are borne and shaped

Triumphal archs of menWhat rift can mar

,disturb or shift

Life’s architrave again ?

And can it be that Death forgets ,So relegates ! All hails !

1 13


To destiny that helplessness,

Innately,wrong assails ?

That He, from hence, who cried ! Forgive,Must heed the lavish wailsOf penitence ? That innocence,As strong or frail , avails ?

Avaunt,avaunt, ah , wild Mirwayle !

Thou ghost of pallid shade,Tho shadows haunt and mar the tale,Thy mockeries are stayed .

5

All hail ! all hail ! the sovereign PrinceTriumphant

,kingdom come

All demons pale at His approach,

Till demonry is dumb .

All hail,all hail to victory

,

Exultant,—core and rimN0 ghost can veil the vast immense

,

A soul in love of Him .

N O Scourge entails ! no hurt enduresThe sacrifice repliesIn holy grails ! the universeIs glad ! it testifies .

6

The All - High - Priest is love,—all love ;

The odds of all delights

1 14


Thru all turmoil,thru all the joy.

Thru all the dumb belief ;Thru barrenness

,thru all the wrong

,

Thru al l unheeded wails,Thru all excess of imp or fiendTo where the good assails

Thru threat of powers,thru drift and sham ,

Thru grasping after breath ,Strange gift o f ours

,— thru that far hope

,

Thru most exclusive death ;Thru guilelessness

,thru banter

,charm

,

Thru all that love bequests,

Thru patient stress,thru all the rasp

Of anxious trial - tests

Thru all the flings, thru all the ebbsOf aim

,and high rehearse ,

Thru all that brings the surging ofA moral universeThru al l the blunder, thru all the shock,Thru all the reach of mind,Thru all the wonder

,thru all the man ,

The being undefined ;

Thru every reed,thru every thought,

Thru every revelation ,Thru every creed

,thru every cross ,

Thru every aspiration

1 16


Of every soul,or soon or late

,

There comes the one desire,

To grasp the whole, to stand and callFor universes higher .

9

Thru all the throes,thru all the sighs ,

Thru all the dire convulsions ,Thru all repose

,thru all the choice,

Thru all the sheer expulsionsThere comes to all

,or low or high

,

In ranks of all denialThe over - call ! !

N O field is wonWithout hero ic trial . !

Thru all decei ts,thru all obscure

Desire,thru all decay,

Thru all defeats , all good to al lForgiveness mus t convey.

Thru all earth’s stri fe perpetualDesire aspires to beThe soul of li fe—the choice of LoveThruout eternity .

XXVH

All hail ! all hail ! O Christ the Lamb !And Heaven signals so !

1 17


Mi rwayle, Mirwayle ! no ill can damnWhere crimson fountains flow !

All hail,all hail ! To compensate

The caterwaul of woeNo good can fail ! and soon or lateAbjectest death shall know .

All hail,all hail ! To justi fy

The crimson cross o f Christ ,All ill must fail ! as f ar , all goodMust be imparadised !

1 18

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