As far from pity, as complaint -
As cool to speech - as stone -
As numb to Revelation
As if my Trade were Bone -
As far from Time - as History -
As near yourself - Today -
As Children, to the Rainbow's scarf -
Or Sunset's Yellow play
To eyelids in the Sepulchre -
How dumb the Dancer lies -
While Color's Revelations break -
And blaze - the Butterflies!
Alone, I cannot be -
For Hosts - do visit me -
Recordless Company -
Who baffle Key -
They have no Robes, nor Names -
No Almanacs - nor Climes -
But general Homes
Like Gnomes -
Their Coming, may be known
By Couriers within -
Their going - is not -
For they're never gone.
Your Riches - taught me - Poverty.
Myself - a Millionaire
In little Wealths, as Girls could boast -
Till broad as Buenos Ayre -
You drifted your Dominions -
A Different Peru -
And I esteemed All Poverty
For Life's Estate with you -
Of Mines, I little know - myself -
But just the names, of Gems -
The Colors of the Commonest -
And scarce of Diadems -
So much, that did I meet the Queen -
Her Glory I should know -
But this, must be a different Wealth -
To miss it - beggars so -
I'm sure 'tis India - all Day -
To those who look on You -
Without a stint - without a blame,
Might I - but be the Jew -
I'm sure it is Golconda -
Beyond my power to deem -
To have a smile for Mine - each Day,
How better, than a Gem!
At least, it solaces to know
That there exists - a Gold -
Altho' I prove it, just in time
It's distance - to behold -
It's far - far Treasure to surmise -
And estimate the Pearl -
That slipped my simple fingers through -
While just a Girl at School.
I cross till I am weary
A Mountain - in my mind -
More Mountains - then a Sea -
More Seas - And then
A Desert - find -
And My Horizon blocks
With sudden - blinding - Grains
Of unconjectured quantity -
As Asiatic Rains -
Nor this - defeat my Pace -
It hinder from the West
But as an Enemy's Salute
One hurrying to Rest -
What merit had the Goal -
Except there intervene
Faint Doubt - and far Competitor -
To jeopardize the Gain?
At last - the Grace in sight -
I shout unto my feet -
I offer them the Whole of Heaven
The instant that we meet -
They strive - and yet delay -
They stagger - Do we die -
Or is this Death's Experiment -
Reversed - in Victory?
That I did always love
I bring thee Proof
That till I loved
I never lived - Enough -
That I shall love alway -
I argue thee
That love is life -
And life hath Immortality -
This - dost thou doubt - Sweet -
Then have I
Nothing to show
But Calvary.
Death is potential to that Man
Who dies - and to his friend -
Beyond that - unconspicuous
To Anyone but God -
Of these Two - God remembers
The longest - for the friend -
Is integral - and therefore
Itself dissolved - of God.
I've seen a Dying Eye
Run round and round a Room -
In search of Something - as it seemed -
Then Cloudier become -
And then - obscure with Fog -
And then - be soldered down
Without disclosing what it be
'Twere blessed to have seen.
To fill a Gap
Insert the Thing that caused it -
Block it up
With Other - and 'twill yawn the more -
You cannot solder an Abyss
With Air.
'Tis One by One - the Father counts -
And then a Tract between
Set Cypherless - to teach the Eye
The Value of it's Ten -
Until the peevish Student
Acquire the Quick of Skill -
Then Numerals are dowered back -
Adorning all the Rule -
'Tis mostly Slate and Pencil -
And Darkness on the School
Distracts the Children's fingers -
Still the Eternal Rule
Regards least Cypherer alike
With Leader of the Band -
And every separate Urchin's Sum -
Is fashioned for his hand.
We see - Comparatively -
The Thing so towering high
We could not grasp it's segment
Unaided - Yesterday -
This Morning's finer Verdict -
Makes scarcely worth the toil -
A furrow - Our Cordillera -
Our Apennine - a knoll -
Perhaps 'tis kindly - done us -
The Anguish - and the loss -
The wrenching - for His Firmament
The Thing belonged to us -
To spare these Striding Spirits
Some Morning of Chagrin -
The waking in a Gnat's - embrace -
Our Giants - further on.