TENIEnough my Muse; thy message castAs stone from out a sling is hurled,Let drop to night; or re-appearWhere morning's gathering grey is pearled,And the bent sun, like Sisyphus,Toils laboring up the underworld.IILet be; thy wisdom knoweth wellThe just degrees of right and wrong;Although mayhap unmarked by menShall fall the echoes of thy song;Unheeded by the pilgrim yearsUnrecked of, by the heedless throng.IIIAnd yet before the highways partAnd thou and I in darkness dwell,Do thou thy swiftest Herald sendAnd this as final warning tell;'Banish all hope of gilded HeavenAnd laugh to scorn the fires of Hell'.IVPhantasmal dance those dual spritesMere witch-craft mummeries of the brain;The lying sorcery of the PriestsA worldly influence to retain;Where shalt thou go? What quest is thine?Where falls the single drop of rain?VBut Courage, Faith, and Constancy,The cardinal virtues as I deem,May well be worshipped, as indeedThe lilies of the soul they seem;Undying in their fragrance rareAnd glassed upon a sacred stream.VIKnow thou, the Ideal HarmonyThat fills all space, below, above,Is not in Creed, nor Form, nor RiteNor in those things thou dreamest of;But holds within its breadth and scopeThe sole and only note of Love.VIIReject all Creeds; and yet in eachSeek such material as thou can,With here a tenet, there a thoughtWhether it sprang from Christ or Pan;And make the key-stone of thy archThe common brotherhood of Man.VIIIAnd striving thus, a happier creedIn time to come shall burst its bud,The pure air cleared of battle-smokeAnd war no more by field and flood;Where men can lift up guiltless handsUncrimsoned by a brother's blood.IXWhen nevermore in calm or stormShall hawk-like hover on the seas,The canvas of opposing shipsTheir pennants floating to the breeze;And golden hopes will supersedeThe apples of Hesperides.XWhen man-emancipated manThrough loftier purpose wins control;With Justice as his only GodTo reign supreme o'er heart and soul;And Love, sun-like, illuminatesThe one, the true, the perfect whole.NOTES TO COSMOSNotes to CosmosCertain stanzas once intended for the original are here given. They are set down according to the chapters in which they were to have appeared.Chapter TwoOf trees that stirred in early SpringThe slow sap moving in their veins;Of flowers that dyed the woodland slopesThe primrose pale, and daisy-chains;Sun-kissed betimes, or overmournedBy shimmery tears of sobbing rains.Chapter FourAnd all night long the restless seaAgainst its barriers rose and fell,Till grey-eyed Dawn, by lonely sandsSaw flash and fade the last broad swell,Before her there the ebb-tide's gleamAnd at her feet a murmuring shell.And then were heard the Elder BardsIn full, Prophetic tone sublime,Their eyes ablaze with ecstacyAnd on their lips the living rhyme;King-honored in an age of KingsAnd on their beards the frosts of Time.Chapter EightAnd when a-down the bare brown lanesPattered the swift, white feet of Spring,I saw the velvet-golden flashThat marked the yellow-hammer's wingA-curve on high; and later heardThe robin, and the blue-bird sing.Far seaward on unnumbered islesMid scent of spice and drowsy balm,The lotos-eating IslandersLay soothed to sleep by utter calm;Low at their feet the pulsing tidesAnd o'er their heads the tufted palm.Chapter NineStark warriors of the Age of StoneWith pristine valor all elate,Who sought and slew the great Cave BearAnd robbed the tigress of her mate;And, weaponed with the ax and spear,Defied the towering mammoth's hate.And slant-eyed Mongols, yellow-skinned,Who traversed Western Steppes afar,Drank mare's milk, and observed their flocksWhite-clustered 'neath the Morning Star;Or, sallying forth with lance and bowEngaged in fierce Nomadic war.On vine-clad hills was found the Gaul;Above him glistened Alpine snows:And lower down where valleys layLoved of the lily and the rose,By moon-light tranced, the nightingaleSang silvery-sweet adagios.*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOKCOSMOS***
TEN
IEnough my Muse; thy message castAs stone from out a sling is hurled,Let drop to night; or re-appearWhere morning's gathering grey is pearled,And the bent sun, like Sisyphus,Toils laboring up the underworld.IILet be; thy wisdom knoweth wellThe just degrees of right and wrong;Although mayhap unmarked by menShall fall the echoes of thy song;Unheeded by the pilgrim yearsUnrecked of, by the heedless throng.IIIAnd yet before the highways partAnd thou and I in darkness dwell,Do thou thy swiftest Herald sendAnd this as final warning tell;'Banish all hope of gilded HeavenAnd laugh to scorn the fires of Hell'.IVPhantasmal dance those dual spritesMere witch-craft mummeries of the brain;The lying sorcery of the PriestsA worldly influence to retain;Where shalt thou go? What quest is thine?Where falls the single drop of rain?VBut Courage, Faith, and Constancy,The cardinal virtues as I deem,May well be worshipped, as indeedThe lilies of the soul they seem;Undying in their fragrance rareAnd glassed upon a sacred stream.VIKnow thou, the Ideal HarmonyThat fills all space, below, above,Is not in Creed, nor Form, nor RiteNor in those things thou dreamest of;But holds within its breadth and scopeThe sole and only note of Love.VIIReject all Creeds; and yet in eachSeek such material as thou can,With here a tenet, there a thoughtWhether it sprang from Christ or Pan;And make the key-stone of thy archThe common brotherhood of Man.VIIIAnd striving thus, a happier creedIn time to come shall burst its bud,The pure air cleared of battle-smokeAnd war no more by field and flood;Where men can lift up guiltless handsUncrimsoned by a brother's blood.IXWhen nevermore in calm or stormShall hawk-like hover on the seas,The canvas of opposing shipsTheir pennants floating to the breeze;And golden hopes will supersedeThe apples of Hesperides.XWhen man-emancipated manThrough loftier purpose wins control;With Justice as his only GodTo reign supreme o'er heart and soul;And Love, sun-like, illuminatesThe one, the true, the perfect whole.
I
I
Enough my Muse; thy message castAs stone from out a sling is hurled,Let drop to night; or re-appearWhere morning's gathering grey is pearled,And the bent sun, like Sisyphus,Toils laboring up the underworld.
Enough my Muse; thy message cast
As stone from out a sling is hurled,
Let drop to night; or re-appear
Where morning's gathering grey is pearled,
And the bent sun, like Sisyphus,
Toils laboring up the underworld.
II
II
Let be; thy wisdom knoweth wellThe just degrees of right and wrong;Although mayhap unmarked by menShall fall the echoes of thy song;Unheeded by the pilgrim yearsUnrecked of, by the heedless throng.
Let be; thy wisdom knoweth well
The just degrees of right and wrong;
Although mayhap unmarked by men
Shall fall the echoes of thy song;
Unheeded by the pilgrim years
Unrecked of, by the heedless throng.
III
III
And yet before the highways partAnd thou and I in darkness dwell,Do thou thy swiftest Herald sendAnd this as final warning tell;'Banish all hope of gilded HeavenAnd laugh to scorn the fires of Hell'.
And yet before the highways part
And thou and I in darkness dwell,
Do thou thy swiftest Herald send
And this as final warning tell;
'Banish all hope of gilded Heaven
And laugh to scorn the fires of Hell'.
IV
IV
Phantasmal dance those dual spritesMere witch-craft mummeries of the brain;The lying sorcery of the PriestsA worldly influence to retain;Where shalt thou go? What quest is thine?Where falls the single drop of rain?
Phantasmal dance those dual sprites
Mere witch-craft mummeries of the brain;
The lying sorcery of the Priests
A worldly influence to retain;
Where shalt thou go? What quest is thine?
Where falls the single drop of rain?
V
V
But Courage, Faith, and Constancy,The cardinal virtues as I deem,May well be worshipped, as indeedThe lilies of the soul they seem;Undying in their fragrance rareAnd glassed upon a sacred stream.
But Courage, Faith, and Constancy,
The cardinal virtues as I deem,
May well be worshipped, as indeed
The lilies of the soul they seem;
Undying in their fragrance rare
And glassed upon a sacred stream.
VI
VI
Know thou, the Ideal HarmonyThat fills all space, below, above,Is not in Creed, nor Form, nor RiteNor in those things thou dreamest of;But holds within its breadth and scopeThe sole and only note of Love.
Know thou, the Ideal Harmony
That fills all space, below, above,
Is not in Creed, nor Form, nor Rite
Nor in those things thou dreamest of;
But holds within its breadth and scope
The sole and only note of Love.
VII
VII
Reject all Creeds; and yet in eachSeek such material as thou can,With here a tenet, there a thoughtWhether it sprang from Christ or Pan;And make the key-stone of thy archThe common brotherhood of Man.
Reject all Creeds; and yet in each
Seek such material as thou can,
With here a tenet, there a thought
Whether it sprang from Christ or Pan;
And make the key-stone of thy arch
The common brotherhood of Man.
VIII
VIII
And striving thus, a happier creedIn time to come shall burst its bud,The pure air cleared of battle-smokeAnd war no more by field and flood;Where men can lift up guiltless handsUncrimsoned by a brother's blood.
And striving thus, a happier creed
In time to come shall burst its bud,
The pure air cleared of battle-smoke
And war no more by field and flood;
Where men can lift up guiltless hands
Uncrimsoned by a brother's blood.
IX
IX
When nevermore in calm or stormShall hawk-like hover on the seas,The canvas of opposing shipsTheir pennants floating to the breeze;And golden hopes will supersedeThe apples of Hesperides.
When nevermore in calm or storm
Shall hawk-like hover on the seas,
The canvas of opposing ships
Their pennants floating to the breeze;
And golden hopes will supersede
The apples of Hesperides.
X
X
When man-emancipated manThrough loftier purpose wins control;With Justice as his only GodTo reign supreme o'er heart and soul;And Love, sun-like, illuminatesThe one, the true, the perfect whole.
When man-emancipated man
Through loftier purpose wins control;
With Justice as his only God
To reign supreme o'er heart and soul;
And Love, sun-like, illuminates
The one, the true, the perfect whole.
NOTES TO COSMOS
Notes to Cosmos
Certain stanzas once intended for the original are here given. They are set down according to the chapters in which they were to have appeared.
Chapter TwoOf trees that stirred in early SpringThe slow sap moving in their veins;Of flowers that dyed the woodland slopesThe primrose pale, and daisy-chains;Sun-kissed betimes, or overmournedBy shimmery tears of sobbing rains.
Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Of trees that stirred in early SpringThe slow sap moving in their veins;Of flowers that dyed the woodland slopesThe primrose pale, and daisy-chains;Sun-kissed betimes, or overmournedBy shimmery tears of sobbing rains.
Of trees that stirred in early Spring
The slow sap moving in their veins;
Of flowers that dyed the woodland slopes
The primrose pale, and daisy-chains;
Sun-kissed betimes, or overmourned
By shimmery tears of sobbing rains.
Chapter FourAnd all night long the restless seaAgainst its barriers rose and fell,Till grey-eyed Dawn, by lonely sandsSaw flash and fade the last broad swell,Before her there the ebb-tide's gleamAnd at her feet a murmuring shell.And then were heard the Elder BardsIn full, Prophetic tone sublime,Their eyes ablaze with ecstacyAnd on their lips the living rhyme;King-honored in an age of KingsAnd on their beards the frosts of Time.
Chapter Four
Chapter Four
And all night long the restless seaAgainst its barriers rose and fell,Till grey-eyed Dawn, by lonely sandsSaw flash and fade the last broad swell,Before her there the ebb-tide's gleamAnd at her feet a murmuring shell.
And all night long the restless sea
Against its barriers rose and fell,
Till grey-eyed Dawn, by lonely sands
Saw flash and fade the last broad swell,
Before her there the ebb-tide's gleam
And at her feet a murmuring shell.
And then were heard the Elder BardsIn full, Prophetic tone sublime,Their eyes ablaze with ecstacyAnd on their lips the living rhyme;King-honored in an age of KingsAnd on their beards the frosts of Time.
And then were heard the Elder Bards
In full, Prophetic tone sublime,
Their eyes ablaze with ecstacy
And on their lips the living rhyme;
King-honored in an age of Kings
And on their beards the frosts of Time.
Chapter EightAnd when a-down the bare brown lanesPattered the swift, white feet of Spring,I saw the velvet-golden flashThat marked the yellow-hammer's wingA-curve on high; and later heardThe robin, and the blue-bird sing.Far seaward on unnumbered islesMid scent of spice and drowsy balm,The lotos-eating IslandersLay soothed to sleep by utter calm;Low at their feet the pulsing tidesAnd o'er their heads the tufted palm.
Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
And when a-down the bare brown lanesPattered the swift, white feet of Spring,I saw the velvet-golden flashThat marked the yellow-hammer's wingA-curve on high; and later heardThe robin, and the blue-bird sing.
And when a-down the bare brown lanes
Pattered the swift, white feet of Spring,
I saw the velvet-golden flash
That marked the yellow-hammer's wing
A-curve on high; and later heard
The robin, and the blue-bird sing.
Far seaward on unnumbered islesMid scent of spice and drowsy balm,The lotos-eating IslandersLay soothed to sleep by utter calm;Low at their feet the pulsing tidesAnd o'er their heads the tufted palm.
Far seaward on unnumbered isles
Mid scent of spice and drowsy balm,
The lotos-eating Islanders
Lay soothed to sleep by utter calm;
Low at their feet the pulsing tides
And o'er their heads the tufted palm.
Chapter NineStark warriors of the Age of StoneWith pristine valor all elate,Who sought and slew the great Cave BearAnd robbed the tigress of her mate;And, weaponed with the ax and spear,Defied the towering mammoth's hate.And slant-eyed Mongols, yellow-skinned,Who traversed Western Steppes afar,Drank mare's milk, and observed their flocksWhite-clustered 'neath the Morning Star;Or, sallying forth with lance and bowEngaged in fierce Nomadic war.On vine-clad hills was found the Gaul;Above him glistened Alpine snows:And lower down where valleys layLoved of the lily and the rose,By moon-light tranced, the nightingaleSang silvery-sweet adagios.
Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Stark warriors of the Age of StoneWith pristine valor all elate,Who sought and slew the great Cave BearAnd robbed the tigress of her mate;And, weaponed with the ax and spear,Defied the towering mammoth's hate.
Stark warriors of the Age of Stone
With pristine valor all elate,
Who sought and slew the great Cave Bear
And robbed the tigress of her mate;
And, weaponed with the ax and spear,
Defied the towering mammoth's hate.
And slant-eyed Mongols, yellow-skinned,Who traversed Western Steppes afar,Drank mare's milk, and observed their flocksWhite-clustered 'neath the Morning Star;Or, sallying forth with lance and bowEngaged in fierce Nomadic war.
And slant-eyed Mongols, yellow-skinned,
Who traversed Western Steppes afar,
Drank mare's milk, and observed their flocks
White-clustered 'neath the Morning Star;
Or, sallying forth with lance and bow
Engaged in fierce Nomadic war.
On vine-clad hills was found the Gaul;Above him glistened Alpine snows:And lower down where valleys layLoved of the lily and the rose,By moon-light tranced, the nightingaleSang silvery-sweet adagios.
On vine-clad hills was found the Gaul;
Above him glistened Alpine snows:
And lower down where valleys lay
Loved of the lily and the rose,
By moon-light tranced, the nightingale
Sang silvery-sweet adagios.
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOKCOSMOS***