THEODORE HARDING RAND

IWINGED wonder of motionIn splendor of sheen,Cruising the shining blueWaters all day,Smit with hunger of heartAnd seized of a questWhich nor beauty of flowerNor promise of restHas charm to appeaseOr slacken or stay,—What is it you seek,Unopen, unseen?IIAre you blind to the sightOf the heavens of blue,Or the wind-fretted cloudsOn their white, airy wings,Or the emerald grassThat velvets the lawn,Or glory of meadowsAflame like the dawn?Are you deaf to the noteIn the woodland that ringsWith the song of the whitethroat,As crystal as dew?IIIWinged wonder of motionIn splendor of sheen,Stay, stay a brief momentThy hither and thitherQuick-beating wings,Thy flashes of flight;And tell me thy heart,Is it sad, is it light,Is it pulsing with fearsWhich scorch it and wither,Or joys that up-wellIn a girdle of green?IV"O breather of wordsAnd poet of life,I tremble with joy,I flutter with fear!Ages it seemeth,Yet only to-dayInto this world ofGold sunbeams at play,I came from the deeps.O crystalline sphere!O beauteous light!O glory of life!V"On the watery floorOf this sibilant lake,I lived in the twilight dim.'There's a world of Day,'Some pled, 'a worldOf ether and wings athrobClose over our head.''It's a dream, it's a whim,A whisper of reeds,' they said,—And anon the waters would sob.And ever the goingWent on to the deadWithout the glint of a ray,And the watchers watchedIn their vanishing wake.VI"The passingPassed for aye,And the waitingWaited in vain!Some power seemed to enfoldThe tremulous waters around,Yet never in heatNor in shrivelling cold,Nor darkness deep or gray,—Came token of sound or touch,—A clear unquestioned 'Yea!'And the scoffers scoffed,In swelling refrain,'Let us eat and drink,For to-morrow we die.'VII"But, O, in a trance of bliss,With gauzy wings I awoke!An ecstasy bore me awayO'er field and meadow and plain.I thought not of recent pain,But revelled, as splendors brokeFrom sun and cloud and air,In the eye of golden Day.VIII"I'm yearning to breakTo my fellows belowThe secret of ages hoar;In the quick-flashing lightI dart up and down,Forth and back, everywhere,But the waters are sealedLike a pavement of glass,—Sealed that I may not pass.O for waters of air!Or the wing of an eagle's mightTo cleave a pathway below!"IXAnd the Dragonfly in splendorCruises ever o'er the lake,Holding in his heart a secretWhich in vain he seeks to break.

WINGED wonder of motion

In splendor of sheen,

Cruising the shining blue

Waters all day,

Smit with hunger of heart

And seized of a quest

Which nor beauty of flower

Nor promise of rest

Has charm to appease

Or slacken or stay,—

What is it you seek,

Unopen, unseen?

IIAre you blind to the sightOf the heavens of blue,Or the wind-fretted cloudsOn their white, airy wings,Or the emerald grassThat velvets the lawn,Or glory of meadowsAflame like the dawn?Are you deaf to the noteIn the woodland that ringsWith the song of the whitethroat,As crystal as dew?

Are you blind to the sight

Of the heavens of blue,

Or the wind-fretted clouds

On their white, airy wings,

Or the emerald grass

That velvets the lawn,

Or glory of meadows

Aflame like the dawn?

Are you deaf to the note

In the woodland that rings

With the song of the whitethroat,

As crystal as dew?

IIIWinged wonder of motionIn splendor of sheen,Stay, stay a brief momentThy hither and thitherQuick-beating wings,Thy flashes of flight;And tell me thy heart,Is it sad, is it light,Is it pulsing with fearsWhich scorch it and wither,Or joys that up-wellIn a girdle of green?

III

Winged wonder of motion

In splendor of sheen,

Stay, stay a brief moment

Thy hither and thither

Quick-beating wings,

Thy flashes of flight;

And tell me thy heart,

Is it sad, is it light,

Is it pulsing with fears

Which scorch it and wither,

Or joys that up-well

In a girdle of green?

IV"O breather of wordsAnd poet of life,I tremble with joy,I flutter with fear!Ages it seemeth,Yet only to-dayInto this world ofGold sunbeams at play,I came from the deeps.O crystalline sphere!O beauteous light!O glory of life!

"O breather of words

And poet of life,

I tremble with joy,

I flutter with fear!

Ages it seemeth,

Yet only to-day

Into this world of

Gold sunbeams at play,

I came from the deeps.

O crystalline sphere!

O beauteous light!

O glory of life!

V"On the watery floorOf this sibilant lake,I lived in the twilight dim.'There's a world of Day,'Some pled, 'a worldOf ether and wings athrobClose over our head.''It's a dream, it's a whim,A whisper of reeds,' they said,—And anon the waters would sob.And ever the goingWent on to the deadWithout the glint of a ray,And the watchers watchedIn their vanishing wake.

"On the watery floor

Of this sibilant lake,

I lived in the twilight dim.

'There's a world of Day,'

Some pled, 'a world

Of ether and wings athrob

Close over our head.'

'It's a dream, it's a whim,

A whisper of reeds,' they said,—

And anon the waters would sob.

And ever the going

Went on to the dead

Without the glint of a ray,

And the watchers watched

In their vanishing wake.

VI"The passingPassed for aye,And the waitingWaited in vain!Some power seemed to enfoldThe tremulous waters around,Yet never in heatNor in shrivelling cold,Nor darkness deep or gray,—Came token of sound or touch,—A clear unquestioned 'Yea!'And the scoffers scoffed,In swelling refrain,'Let us eat and drink,For to-morrow we die.'

"The passing

Passed for aye,

And the waiting

Waited in vain!

Some power seemed to enfold

The tremulous waters around,

Yet never in heat

Nor in shrivelling cold,

Nor darkness deep or gray,—

Came token of sound or touch,—

A clear unquestioned 'Yea!'

And the scoffers scoffed,

In swelling refrain,

'Let us eat and drink,

For to-morrow we die.'

VII"But, O, in a trance of bliss,With gauzy wings I awoke!An ecstasy bore me awayO'er field and meadow and plain.I thought not of recent pain,But revelled, as splendors brokeFrom sun and cloud and air,In the eye of golden Day.

VII

"But, O, in a trance of bliss,

With gauzy wings I awoke!

An ecstasy bore me away

O'er field and meadow and plain.

I thought not of recent pain,

But revelled, as splendors broke

From sun and cloud and air,

In the eye of golden Day.

VIII"I'm yearning to breakTo my fellows belowThe secret of ages hoar;In the quick-flashing lightI dart up and down,Forth and back, everywhere,But the waters are sealedLike a pavement of glass,—Sealed that I may not pass.O for waters of air!Or the wing of an eagle's mightTo cleave a pathway below!"

VIII

"I'm yearning to break

To my fellows below

The secret of ages hoar;

In the quick-flashing light

I dart up and down,

Forth and back, everywhere,

But the waters are sealed

Like a pavement of glass,—

Sealed that I may not pass.

O for waters of air!

Or the wing of an eagle's might

To cleave a pathway below!"

IXAnd the Dragonfly in splendorCruises ever o'er the lake,Holding in his heart a secretWhich in vain he seeks to break.

And the Dragonfly in splendor

Cruises ever o'er the lake,

Holding in his heart a secret

Which in vain he seeks to break.

Back to Index Next