5
And a gold comb, and girdle,
And trinkets of white silver,
And gems are in my sea-chest,
Lest poor and empty-handed
Thy lover should return. 10
And I have brought from Tyre
A Pan-flute stained vermilion,
Wherein the gods have hidden
Love and desire and longing,
Which I shall loose for thee. 15
XLIX
When I am home from travel,
My eager foot will stay not
Until I reach the threshold
Where I went forth from thee.
And there, as darkness gathers 5
In the rose-scented garden,
The god who prospers music
Shall give me skill to play.
And thou shalt hear, all startled,
A flute blown in the twilight, 10
With the soft pleading magic
The green wood heard of old.
Then, lamp in hand, thy beauty
In the rose-marble entry!
And unreluctant Hermes 15
Shall give me words to say.
L
When I behold the pharos shine
And lay a path along the sea,
How gladly I shall feel the spray,
Standing upon the swinging prow;
And question of my pilot old, 5
How many watery leagues to sail
Ere we shall round the harbour reef
And anchor off the wharves of home!
LI
Is the day long,
O Lesbian maiden,
And the night endless
In thy lone chamber
In Mitylene? 5
All the bright day,
Until welcome evening
When the stars kindle
Over the harbour,
What tasks employ thee? 10
Passing the fountain
At golden sundown,
One of the home-going
Traffickers, hast thou
Thought of thy lover? 15
Nay, but how far
Too brief will the night be,
When I returning
To the dear portal
Hear my own heart beat! 20
LII
Lo, on the distance a dark blue ravine,
A fold in the mountainous forests of fir,
Cleft from the sky-line sheer down to the shore!
Above are the clouds and the white, pealing gulls,
At its foot is the rough broken foam of the sea, 5
With ever anon the long deep muffled roar,--
A sigh from the fitful great heart of the world.
Pages:
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37