Faith — is the Pierless Bridge

Faith — is the Pierless Bridge
Supporting what We see
Unto the Scene that We do not —
Too slender for the eye

It bears the Soul as bold
As it were rocked in Steel
With Arms of steel at either side —
It joins — behind the Vail

To what, could We presume
The Bridge would cease to be
To Our far, vascillating Feet
A first Nescessity.

I'll tell you how the Sun rose —

I'll tell you how the Sun rose —
A Ribbon at a time —
The Steeples swam in Amethyst —
The news, like Squirrels, ran —
The Hills untied their Bonnets —
The Bobolinks — begun —
Then I said softly to myself —
"That must have been the Sun"!
But how he set — I know not —
There seemed a purple stile
That little Yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while —
Till when they reached the other side —
A Cominie in Gray —
Put gently up the evening Bars —
And led the flock away —

The Lady feeds Her little Bird

The Lady feeds Her little Bird
At rarer intervals —
The little Bird would not dissent
But meekly recognize

The Gulf between the Hand and Her
And crumbless and afar
And fainting, on Her yellow Knee
Fall softly, and adore —

We knew not that we were to live —

We knew not that we were to live —
Nor when we are to die —
Our ignorance our Cuirass is —
We wear Mortality
As lightly as an Option Gown
Till asked to take it off —
By his intrusion, God is known —
It is the same with Life —

Just to be Rich

Just to be Rich
To waste my Guinea
On so broad a Heart!
Just to be Poor,
For Barefoot pleasure
You, Sir, shut me out!

When I hoped I feared —

When I hoped I feared —
Since I hoped I dared
Everywhere alone
As a Church remain —
Spectre cannot harm —
Serpent cannot charm —
He deposes Doom
Who hath suffered him —

One life of so much consequence!

One life of so much consequence!
Yet I — for it — would pay —
My soul’s entire income —
In ceaseless — salary —

One Pearl — to me — so signal —
That I would instant dive —
Although — I knew — to take it —
Would — cost me — just a life!

The Sea is full — I know it!
That — does not blur my Gem!
It burns — distinct from all the row —
Intact — in Diadem!

The life is thick — I know it!
Yet — not so dense a crowd —
But Monarchs — are perceptible —
Far down the dustiest Road!

If the foolish, call them “flowers” —

If the foolish, call them “flowers” —
Need the wiser, tell?
If the Savans “Classify” them
It is just as well!

Those who read the “Revelations”
Must not criticize
Those who read the same Edition —
With beclouded Eyes!

Could we stand with that Old “Moses” —
“Canaan” denied —
Scan like him, the stately landscape
On the other side —

Doubtless, we should deem superfluous
Many Sciences,
Not pursued by learned Angels
In scholastic skies!

Low amid that glad Belles lettres
Grant that we may stand —
Stars, amid profound Galaxies —
At that grand “Right hand”!

He scanned it — Staggered —

He scanned it — Staggered —
Dropped the Loop
To Past or Period —
Caught helpless at a sense as if
His Mind were going blind —
Groped up, to see if God were there —
Groped backward at Himself
Caressed a Trigger absently
And wandered out of Life —

We outgrow love, like others things

We outgrow love, like other things
And put it in the Drawer —
Till it an Antique fashion shows —
Like Costumes Grandsires wore.

A Visitor in Marl —

A Visitor in Marl —
Who influences Flowers —
Till they are orderly as Busts —
And Elegant — as Glass —

Who visits in the Night —
And just before the Sun —
Concludes his glistening interview —
Caresses — and is gone —

But whom his fingers touched —
And where his feet have run —
And whatsoever Mouth he kissed —
Is as it had not been —

Why make it doubt — it hurts it so —

Why make it doubt — it hurts it so —
So sick — to guess —
So strong — to know —
So brave — opon it's little Bed
To tell the very last They said
Unto Itself — and smile — And shake —
For that dear — distant — dangerous — sake —
But — the Instead — the Pinching fear
That Something — it did do — or dare —
Offend the Vision — and it flee —
And They no more remember me —
Nor ever turn to tell me why —
Oh, Master, This is Misery —

Each Second is the last

Each Second is the last
Perhaps, recalls the Man
Just measuring unconsciousness
The Sea and Spar between —

To fail within a chance —
How terribler a thing
Than perish from the chance's list
Before the Perishing!

Lest they should come — is all my fear

Lest they should come — is all my fear
When sweet incarcerated — here

She dwelleth in the Ground —

She dwelleth in the Ground —
Where Daffodils — abide —
Her Maker — Her Metropolis —
The Universe — Her Maid —

To fetch Her Grace — and Hue —
And Fairness — and Renown —
The Firmament's — To pluck Her —
And fetch Her Thee — be mine —

Purple —

         Purple —

The Color of a Queen, is this —
The Color of a Sun
At setting — this and Amber —
Beryl — and this, at Noon —

And when at night — Auroran widths
Fling suddenly on Men —
'Tis this — and Witchcraft — nature keeps
A Rank — for Iodine —

A House opon the Hight —

A House opon the Hight —
That Wagon never reached —
No Dead, were ever carried down —
No Peddler's Cart — approached —

Whose Chimney never smoked —
Whose Windows — Night and Morn —
Caught Sunrise first — and Sunset — last —
Then — held an Empty Pane —

Whose fate — Conjecture knew —
No other neighbor — did —
And what it was — we never lisped —
Because He — never told —

Me from Myself — to banish —

Me from Myself — to banish —
Had I Art —
Invincible My Fortress
Unto All Heart —

But since Myself — assault Me —
How have I peace
Except by subjugating
Consciousness?

And since We're Mutual Monarch
How this be
Except by Abdication —
Me — of Me — ?

Love — thou art high —

Love — thou art high —
I cannot climb thee —
But, were it Two —
Who knows but we —
Taking turns — at the Chimborazo —
Ducal — at last — stand up by thee —

Love — thou art deep —
I cannot cross thee —
But, were there Two
Instead of One —
Rower, and Yacht — some sovreign Summer —
Who knows — but we'd reach the Sun?

Love — thou art Vailed —
A few — behold thee —
Smile — and alter — and prattle — and die —
Bliss — were an Oddity — without thee —
Nicknamed by God —
Eternity —

Had I presumed to hope —

Had I presumed to hope —
The loss had been to Me
A Value — for the Greatness' Sake —
As Giants — gone away —

Had I presumed to gain
A Favor so remote —
The Failure but confirm the Grace
In further Infinite —

'Tis failure — not of Hope —
But Confident Despair —
Advancing on Celestial Lists —
With faint — Terrestrial power —

'Tis Honor — though I die —
For That no Man obtain
Till He be justified by Death —
This — is the Second Gain —

Bloom — is Result — to meet a Flower

Bloom — is Result — to meet a Flower
And casually glance
Would cause one scarcely to suspect
The minor Circumstance

Assisting in the Bright Affair
So intricately done
Then offered as a Butterfly
To the Meridian —

To pack the Bud — oppose the Worm —
Obtain it's right of Dew —
Adjust the Heat — elude the Wind —
Escape the prowling Bee —

Great Nature not to disappoint
Awaiting Her that Day —
To be a Flower, is profound
Responsibility —

Tie the strings to my Life, My Lord,

Tie the strings to my Life, My Lord,
Then, I am ready to go!
Just a look at the Horses —
Rapid! That will do!

Put me in on the firmest side —
So I shall never fall —
For we must ride to the Judgment —
And it's partly, down Hill —

But never I mind the steepest —
And never I mind the Sea —
Held fast in Everlasting Race —
By my own Choice, and Thee —

Good bye to the Life I used to live —
And the World I used to know —
And kiss the Hills, for me, just once —
Then — I am ready to go!

Gratitude — is not the mention

Gratitude — is not the mention
Of a Tenderness,
But it's still appreciation
Out of Plumb of Speech —

When the Sea return no Answer
By the Line and Lead
Proves it there's no Sea, or rather
A remoter Bed?

The Soul has Bandaged moments —

The Soul has Bandaged moments —
When too appalled to stir —
She feels some ghastly Fright come up
And stop to look at her —

Salute her, with long fingers —
Caress her freezing hair —
Sip, Goblin, from the very lips
The Lover — hovered — o'er —
Unworthy, that a thought so mean
Accost a Theme — so — fair —

The soul has moments of escape —
When bursting all the doors —
She dances like a Bomb, abroad,
And swings opon the Hours,

As do the Bee — delirious borne —
Long Dungeoned from his Rose —
Touch Liberty — then know no more —
But Noon, and Paradise —

The Soul's retaken moments —
When, Felon let along,
With shackles on the plumed feet,
And staples in the song,

The Horror welcomes her, again,
These, are not brayed of Tongue —

Had I not This, or This, I said,

Had I not This, or This, I said,
Appealing to Myself,
In moment of prosperity —
Inadequate — were Life —

"Thou has not Me, nor Me" — it said,
In moment of Reverse —
"And yet Thou are industrious —
No need — hadst Thou — of us — "?

My need — was all I had — I said
The need did not reduce —
Because the food — exterminate —
The hunger — does not cease —

But diligence — is sharper —
Proportioned to the chance —
To feed opon the Retrograde —
Enfeebles — the Advance —