Chapter 17

AVE POST SAECULA(Greeting after the Ages)

IWhen I was a king of EgyptAnd Priest of the Sun God Ra,And you a Peruvian captiveWere brought from your home afar,In a corner one day in my palaceI caught but a glance from youreyes—Lonely and alien andwistful—That filled me with glad surprise.IIThe dusky daughters of KemiHad mocked at your lily-like face;They were arrogant in their beautyTill I made them the slaves of your grace.Then together in stately bargesWe sailed on the Sacred Nile,And the joy and the peace of AahluWere mine through your loving smile.IIIMummies together in spices,Fine linen, and cloth of gold,They laid us away in a rock-tomb,And in hieroglyphics toldOur names and our years and achievements,And they worshipped us when deadTill their generations had fadedAnd new races came in their stead.IVOur names and our deeds were forgotten,And our rock-tomb crumbled away,But the love that made us immortalEndured through the brighter day;And we sometimes looked to earthwardFor a glimpse of the river green,Where I had been king in EgyptWhile you were my loyal queen.VAt the court of the Royal Harlot,We lived again by theNile,—The astrologer Abd-el-GhizehAnd the maid of honor Ajyl.And although I had all forgottenThe days of my royal pride,By the light in your eyes I knew youAnd claimed again my bride.VIWhen the haughty CleopatraSailed to meet her Roman Mars,It was you who held her mirror;It was I that read their stars.Did we dream of those primitive bargesThat had carried us that sameway?—Who shall say!—but at least we rememberedThat our love had lived for aye.VIIAnd again, that life completed,We vanished from mortal sightOnly to join each otherIn the spirit world of light.Who can say in what other agesWe met on earth again,Or by what celestial stagesWe purged ourselves from pain?VIIIGone all the royal regaliaAnd the black magician’s wands;Now the royal priest turned peddlerEarns his bread in strange new lands.Trading from city to city,He journeys wide and farTill he finds in a distant cornerA damsel like a star.IXYears has she toiled in patience,Lonely and ill at ease,Feeding her heart with day dreamsThat solace but hardly please;At the touch of his lips she awakensAnd the glad light in her faceTells him once more he holds herFast in his fond embrace.XFor the deeper knowledge is wakenedFar down ’neath the conscious brain,And he knows his bride of the agesHas come back to earth again;And the gate of death has no terror,Since it cannot separateThe souls that watch for each otherWith a love inviolate.Laurens Maynard.

When I was a king of Egypt

And Priest of the Sun God Ra,

And you a Peruvian captive

Were brought from your home afar,

In a corner one day in my palace

I caught but a glance from youreyes—

Lonely and alien andwistful—

That filled me with glad surprise.

The dusky daughters of Kemi

Had mocked at your lily-like face;

They were arrogant in their beauty

Till I made them the slaves of your grace.

Then together in stately barges

We sailed on the Sacred Nile,

And the joy and the peace of Aahlu

Were mine through your loving smile.

III

Mummies together in spices,

Fine linen, and cloth of gold,

They laid us away in a rock-tomb,

And in hieroglyphics told

Our names and our years and achievements,

And they worshipped us when dead

Till their generations had faded

And new races came in their stead.

Our names and our deeds were forgotten,

And our rock-tomb crumbled away,

But the love that made us immortal

Endured through the brighter day;

And we sometimes looked to earthward

For a glimpse of the river green,

Where I had been king in Egypt

While you were my loyal queen.

At the court of the Royal Harlot,

We lived again by theNile,—

The astrologer Abd-el-Ghizeh

And the maid of honor Ajyl.

And although I had all forgotten

The days of my royal pride,

By the light in your eyes I knew you

And claimed again my bride.

When the haughty Cleopatra

Sailed to meet her Roman Mars,

It was you who held her mirror;

It was I that read their stars.

Did we dream of those primitive barges

That had carried us that sameway?—

Who shall say!—but at least we remembered

That our love had lived for aye.

VII

And again, that life completed,

We vanished from mortal sight

Only to join each other

In the spirit world of light.

Who can say in what other ages

We met on earth again,

Or by what celestial stages

We purged ourselves from pain?

VIII

Gone all the royal regalia

And the black magician’s wands;

Now the royal priest turned peddler

Earns his bread in strange new lands.

Trading from city to city,

He journeys wide and far

Till he finds in a distant corner

A damsel like a star.

Years has she toiled in patience,

Lonely and ill at ease,

Feeding her heart with day dreams

That solace but hardly please;

At the touch of his lips she awakens

And the glad light in her face

Tells him once more he holds her

Fast in his fond embrace.

For the deeper knowledge is wakened

Far down ’neath the conscious brain,

And he knows his bride of the ages

Has come back to earth again;

And the gate of death has no terror,

Since it cannot separate

The souls that watch for each other

With a love inviolate.

Laurens Maynard.

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