XIII. But the broad light glares and beats, And I loathe the squares and streets, Into some still cavern deep, There to weep, and weep, and weep My whole soul out to thee. Dead, long dead, Long dead! A touch of their office might have sufficed, But the churchmen fain would kill their church, As the churches have kill'd their Christ. III. See, there is one of us sobbing, And another, a lord of all things, praying v. In the mad His party-secret, fool, to the press; V. And yonder a vile physician, blabbing The case of his patient—all for what? To tickle the maggot born in an empty head, And wheedle a world that loves him not, For it is but a world of the dead. IV. Nothing but idiot gabble! Not let any man think for the public good, But babble, merely for babble. Everything came to be known. V. Not that gray old wolf, for he came not back From the wilderness, full of wolves, where he used to lie; He has gather'd the bones for his o'ergrown whelp to crack; Crack them now for yourself, and howl, and die. VI. Prophet, curse me the blabbing lip, But I know that he lies and listens mute In an ancient mansion's crannies and holes: Arsenic, arsenic, sure, would do it, Except that now we poison our babes, poor souls! It is all used up for that. VII. Tell him now: she is standing here at my Not beautiful now, not even kind; But is ever the one thing silent here. She comes from another stiller world of Stiller, not fairer than mine. VIII. But I know where a garden grows, That blow by night, when the season is To the sound of dancing music and flutes : For the keeper was one, so full of pride, For he, if he had not been a Sultan of brutes, Would he have that hole in his side? Same hit shattered Cannon booming xo. My life has crept so long on a broken wing That like a silent lightning under the stars She seem'd to divide in a dream from a band of the blest, And spoke of a hope for the world in the coming wars'And in that hope, dear soul, let trouble have rest, Knowing I tarry for thee,' and pointed to Mars As he glow'd like a ruddy shield on the Lion's breast. II. And it was but a dream, yet it yielded a dear delight When I thought that a war would arise in defence of the right, III. And as months ran on and rumour of battle grew, That old hysterical mock-disease should die.' Till I saw the dreary phantom arise and fly Far into the North, and battle, and seas of death. IV. Let it go or stay, so I wake to the higher aims Of a land that has lost for a little her lust of gold, And hail once more to the banner of battle unroll'd! And the heart of a people beat with one desire; For the peace, that I deem'd no peace, is over and done, V. Let it flame or fade, and the war roll down like a wind, Which shone so close beside Thee that ye made One light together, but has past and leaves The Crown a lonely splendour. May all love, His love, unseen but felt, o'ershadow Thee, The love of all Thy sons encompass Thee, The love of all Thy daughters cherish Thee, The love of all Thy people comfort Thee, Till God's love set Thee at his side again! THE COMING OF ARTHUR. Came night and day, and rooted in the fields, And wallow'd in the gardens of the King. And ever and anon the wolf would steal The children and devour, but now and then, Her own brood lost or dead, lent her fierce teat To human sucklings; and the children, housed In her foul den, there at their meat would growl, And mock their foster-mother on four feet, Tiil, straighten'd, they grew up to wolflike men, Worse than the wolves. And King Leodogran Groan'd for the Roman legions here again, And Cæsar's eagle: then his brother king, Urien, assail'd him: last a heathen horde, Reddening the sun with smoke and earth with blood, And on the spike that split the mother's heart Spitting the child, brake on him, till, amazed, He knew not whither he should turn for aid. |