To S
Eunice Tietjens
From my life’s outer orbit, where the nightThat bounds my knowledge still is pierced throughBy far-off singing planets such as you,Whose faint, sweet voices come to me like lightIn disembodied beauty, keen and bright,—From this far orbit to my nearer viewYou came one day, grown tangible and trueAnd warm with sympathy and fair with sight.Then I who still had loved your distant voice,Your songs, shot through with beauty and with tearsAnd woven magic of the wistful years,I felt the listless heart of me rejoiceAnd stir again, that had lain stunned so long,Since I had you, yourself a living song.
From my life’s outer orbit, where the nightThat bounds my knowledge still is pierced throughBy far-off singing planets such as you,Whose faint, sweet voices come to me like lightIn disembodied beauty, keen and bright,—From this far orbit to my nearer viewYou came one day, grown tangible and trueAnd warm with sympathy and fair with sight.Then I who still had loved your distant voice,Your songs, shot through with beauty and with tearsAnd woven magic of the wistful years,I felt the listless heart of me rejoiceAnd stir again, that had lain stunned so long,Since I had you, yourself a living song.
From my life’s outer orbit, where the nightThat bounds my knowledge still is pierced throughBy far-off singing planets such as you,Whose faint, sweet voices come to me like lightIn disembodied beauty, keen and bright,—From this far orbit to my nearer viewYou came one day, grown tangible and trueAnd warm with sympathy and fair with sight.
From my life’s outer orbit, where the night
That bounds my knowledge still is pierced through
By far-off singing planets such as you,
Whose faint, sweet voices come to me like light
In disembodied beauty, keen and bright,—
From this far orbit to my nearer view
You came one day, grown tangible and true
And warm with sympathy and fair with sight.
Then I who still had loved your distant voice,Your songs, shot through with beauty and with tearsAnd woven magic of the wistful years,I felt the listless heart of me rejoiceAnd stir again, that had lain stunned so long,Since I had you, yourself a living song.
Then I who still had loved your distant voice,
Your songs, shot through with beauty and with tears
And woven magic of the wistful years,
I felt the listless heart of me rejoice
And stir again, that had lain stunned so long,
Since I had you, yourself a living song.