From rose to red the level heaven burned; Then sudden, as if a sword fell from on high, A blade of gold flashed on the horizon's rim. THE SOWER. I. A SOWER went forth to sow, The sky and the earth, and his wand Thus did that Sower sow; II. It was an autumn day 329 The song of a sweet-voiced bird? Of all those voices not any And a sea of sunlight flowed, On my face I fell down there; I said: O God, thou art wise! WILLIAM BELL SCOTT. THE DANCE. (From "THE WITCH'S BALLAD."} O, I HAE come from far away, From a warm land far away, And I hae been to yon town, To try my luck in yon town: Nort, and Mysie, Elspie too, Right braw we were to pass the gate Wi' gowden clasps on girdles blue. Mysie smiled wi' miming mouth, Innocent mouth, miming mouth; Elspie wore her scarlet gown, Nort's gray eyes were unco' gleg, My Castile comb was like a crown. We walked abreast all up the street, Into the market up. the street: Our hair wi' marygolds was wound, Our bodices wi' love-knots laced, Our merchandise wi' tansy bound. Nort had chickens, I had cocks, Gamesome cocks, loud-crowing cocks; Mysie ducks, and Elspie drakes. For a wee groat or a pound, We lost nae time wi' gives and takes. Lost nae time, for weel we knew, When our chaffering a' was done, The market lasses looked and laughed, same. Sae loud the tongues o' raudies grew, Was thrust out ilka hand and face. And down each stair they thronged anon; Gentle, simple, thronged anon; Souter and tailor, frowzy Nan, The ancient widow young again Simpering behind her fan. Without choice, against their will, Doited, dazed against their will, The market lassie and her mither, The farmer and his husbandman, Hand in hand danced a' thegether. Slow at first, but faster soon, Still increasin' wild and fast, Hoods and mantles, hats and hose, Blindly doffed, and frae them cast, Left them naked, heads and toes. They would hae torn us limb frae limb, There was Jeff the provost's son, All goodly men we singled out, And drew them by the left hand in,- Then wi' cantrip kisses seven, Three times round wi' kisses seven, Like the wind that sucks the sea, Over and in and on the sea, Laughed while they had sense or breath; Drawn up was I right off my feet, Into the mist and off my feet; We'll gang ance mair to yon town, For I was born a crowned king's child, Elspie's gowden husbandman; JOSEPH BRENNAN. COME TO ME, DEAREST. COME to me, dearest, I'm lonely with out thee, Day-time and night-time, I'm thinking about thee; Night-time and day-time, in dreams II would not die without you at my side, behold thee; Our hearts ever answer in tune and in And wandered as of old with other men, And of the melody whose key is God. Now I will travel to the land of Kin, And know this sage of music, great Siang, And learn the secret lore which hides within All sweet well-ordered sounds." He went his way, Nor rested till he stood before the man. Thus spoke Siang unto Confucius: Thou who hast studied deeply the Koua — The eight great symbols of created things Knowest the sacred power of the line Which when unbroken flies to all the worlds As light unending, but in broken forms Falls short as sky and earth, clouds, winds, and fire, The deep blue ocean and the mountain high, And the red lightning hissing in the wave. The mighty law which formed what thou canst see, To which the master answered: "It is well. Take five days more!" And when the time was passed Unto Siang thus spoke Confucius: "I do begin to see, - yet what I see Is very dim. I am as one who looks And nothing sees except a luminous cloud: Give me but five more days, and at the end If I have not attained the great idea I will leave music as beyond my power." And on the fifteenth day Confucius rose And stood before Siang, and cried aloud : "The mist which shadowed me is blown away, I am as one who stands upon a cliff When he composed that air. I speak to him, I hear him clearly answer me again; And more than that, I see his very form: A man of middle stature, with a hue Half blended with the dark and with the fair; His features long, and large sweet eyes which beam 333 That which I never yet myself beheld, Though I have played the sacred song for years, Striving with all my soul to penetrate Its mystery unto the master's form, Whilst thou hast reached it at a single bound: Henceforth the gods alone can teach thee tune." MINE OWN. AND O, the longing, burning eyes! Which waves around me, night and day, And O, the step, half dreamt, half heard! O, art thou Sylph, -or truly Self, - "O, some do call me Laughter, love; "And some do call me Wantonness, And some do call me Play":— "O, they might call thee what they would If thou wert mine alway!" "And some do call me Sorrow, love, And some do call me Tears, And some there be who name me Hope, And some that name me Fears. "And some do call me Gentle Heart, With great benevolence, -a noble face! Then good Siang lay down upon the dust, The ancient legend, known to none but me, Describes our first great sire. And thou hast seen "And some do call me Life, sweetheart, She twined her white arms round his neck: The tears fell down like rain. "And if I live or if I die, We'll never part again." |