THE TURN OF THE ROAD SOFT, gray buds on the willow, Dust on the wayside flower, The meadow-lark's luring tone Is silent now, from the grasses tipped With dew at the dawn, the pearls have slipped Far have I fared alone. And then, by the alder thicket The turn of the road-and you! Though the earth lie white in the noonday heat, Or the swift storm follow our hurrying feet What do we care-we two! Alice Rollit Coe [18 "MY DELIGHT AND THY DELIGHT” My delight and thy delight Walking, like two angels white, In the gardens of the night: My desire and thy desire Twining to a tongue of fire, Leaping live, and laughing higher; Through the everlasting strife In the mystery of life. Love, from whom the world begun, Hath the secret of the sun. Love can tell, and love alone, Whence the million stars were strown, Why each atom knows its own, How, in spite of woe and death, Gay is life, and sweet is breath: Love at Sea This he taught us, this we knew, Hand in hand as we stood 'Neath the shadows of the wood, Heart to heart as we lay In the dawning of the day. Robert Bridges [1844 “O, SAW YE THE LASS" 1125 O, SAW ye the lass wi' the bonny blue een? When night overshadows her cot in the glen, LOVE AT SEA IMITATED FROM THEOPHILE GAUTIER We are in love's land to-day; Where shall we go? Love, shall we start or stay, Or sail or row? There's many a wind and way, And never a May but May; Our land-wind is the breath Our ballast is a rose; Our way lies where God knows We are in love's hand to-day Our seamen are fledged Loves, Our ropes are dead maids' hair, We are in love's land to-day Where shall we land you, sweet? Or where the fire-flowers blow, We are in love's hand to-day Land me, she says, where love Shows but one shaft, one dove, One heart, one hand,- A shore like that, my dear, Lies where no man will steer, No maiden land. Algernon Charles Swinburne [1837-1909] MARY BEATON'S SONG From "Chastelard" BETWEEN the sunset and the sea Plighted Between the sea-mark and the sea Joy grew to grief, grief grew to me; Love's talk, love's touch there seemed to be Between the sea-sand and the sea. Between the sundown and the sea Love watched one hour of love with me; I saw them come and saw them flee Between the sea-strand and the sea 1127 Algernon Charles Swinburne [1837-1909] PLIGHTED MINE to the core of the heart, my beauty! Mine, from the dear head's crown, brown-golden, Give to a few friends hand or smile, Like a generous lady, now and awhile, But the sanctuary heart, that none dare win, Keep holiest of holiest evermore; The crowd in the aisles may watch the door, Mine, my own, without doubts or terrors, Many may praise thee,-praise mine as thine, But thy heart of hearts, pure, faithful, and true, Mine!-God, I thank Thee that Thou hast given As this my soul which I lift to Thee: Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, Life of my life, whom Thou dost make Two to the world for the world's work's sake,— A WOMAN'S QUESTION BEFORE I trust my fate to thee, Color and form to mine, Before I peril all for thee, question thy soul to-night for me. I break all slighter bonds, nor feel A shadow of regret: Is there one link within the past That holds thy spirit yet? Or is thy faith as clear and free as that which I can pledge to thee? Does there within thy dimmest dreams A possible future shine, Wherein thy life could henceforth breathe, Untouched, unshared by mine? If so, at any pain or cost, O, tell me before all is lost. |