I heard my soul say carelessly,
"The myrtle flowers will grow more blue."

VI. Wood Song
I heard a wood thrush in the dusk

Twirl three notes and make a star --
My heart that walked with bitterness

Came back from very far.
Three shining notes were all he had,

And yet they made a starry call --
I caught life back against my breast

And kissed it, scars and all.
VII. Refuge

From my spirit's gray defeat,
From my pulse's flagging beat,

From my hopes that turned to sand
Sifting through my close-clenched hand,

From my own fault's slavery,
If I can sing, I still am free.

For with my singing I can make
A refuge for my spirit's sake,

A house of shining words, to be
My fragile immortality.

III
The Flight

Look back with longing eyes and know that I will follow,
Lift me up in your love as a light wind lifts a swallow,

Let our flight be far in sun or blowing rain --
*But what if I heard my first love calling me again?*

Hold me on your heart as the brave sea holds the foam,
Take me far away to the hills that hide your home;

Peace shall thatch the roof and love shall latch the door --
*But what if I heard my first love calling me once more?*

Dew
As dew leaves the cobweb lightly

Threaded with stars,
Scattering jewels on the fence

And the pasture bars;
As dawn leaves the dry grass bright

And the tangled weeds
Bearing a rainbow gem

On each of their seeds;
So has your love, my lover,

Fresh as the dawn,
Made me a shining road

To travel on,
Set every common sight

Of tree or stone
Delicately alight

For me alone.
To-night

The moon is a curving flower of gold,
The sky is still and blue;

The moon was made for the sky to hold,
And I for you.

The moon is a flower without a stem,
The sky is luminous;

Eternity was made for them,
To-night for us.

Ebb Tide
When the long day goes by

And I do not see your face,
The old wild, restless sorrow

Steals from its hiding place.
My day is barren and broken,

Bereft of light and song,
A sea beach bleak and windy

That moans the whole day long.
To the empty beach at ebb tide,

Bare with its rocks and scars,
Come back like the sea with singing,

And light of a million stars.
I Would Live in Your Love

I would live in your love as the sea-grasses live in the sea,
Borne up by each wave as it passes, drawn down by each wave that recedes;

I would empty my soul of the dreams that have gathered in me,
I would beat with your heart as it beats, I would follow your soul

as it leads.
Because

Oh, because you never tried
To bow my will or break my pride,

And nothing of the cave-man made
You want to keep me half afraid,

Nor ever with a conquering air
You thought to draw me unaware --

Take me, for I love you more
Than I ever loved before.

And since the body's maidenhood
Alone were neither rare nor good

Unless with it I gave to you
A spirit still untrammeled, too,

Take my dreams and take my mind
That were masterless as wind;

And "Master!" I shall say to you
Since you never asked me to.

The Tree of Song
I sang my songs for the rest,

For you I am still;
The tree of my song is bare

On its shining hill.
For you came like a lordly wind,

And the leaves were whirled
Far as forgotten things

Past the rim of the world.
The tree of my song stands bare

Against the blue --
I gave my songs to the rest,

Myself to you.
The Giver

You bound strong sandals on my feet,
You gave me bread and wine,

And sent me under sun and stars,
For all the world was mine.

Oh, take the sandals off my feet,
You know not what you do;

For all my world is in your arms,
My sun and stars are you.

April Song
Willow, in your April gown

Delicate and gleaming,
Do you mind in years gone by

All my dreaming?
Spring was like a call to me

That I could not answer,
I was chained to loneliness,

I, the dancer.
Willow, twinkling in the sun,

Still your leaves and hear me,
I can answer spring at last,

Love is near me!
The Wanderer

I saw the sunset-colored sands,
The Nile like flowing fire between,

Where Rameses stares forth serene,
And Ammon's heavy temple stands.

I saw the rocks where long ago,
Above the sea that cries and breaks,

Swift Perseus with Medusa's snakes
Set free the maiden white like snow.

And many skies have covered me,
And many winds have blown me forth,

And I have loved the green, bright north,
And I have loved the cold, sweet sea.

But what to me are north and south,
And what the lure of many lands,

Since you have leaned to catch my hands
And lay a kiss upon my mouth.

The Years
To-night I close my eyes and see

A strange procession passing me --
The years before I saw your face

Go by me with a wistful grace;
They pass, the sensitive, shy years,

As one who strives to dance, half blind with tears.
The years went by and never knew

That each one brought me nearer you;
Their path was narrow and apart

And yet it led me to your heart --
Oh, sensitive, shy years, oh, lonely years,

That strove to sing with voices drowned in tears.
Enough

It is enough for me by day
To walk the same bright earth with him;

Enough that over us by night
The same great roof of stars is dim.

I do not hope to bind the wind
Or set a fetter on the sea --

It is enough to feel his love
Blow by like music over me.

Come
Come, when the pale moon like a petal

Floats in the pearly dusk of spring,
Come with arms outstretched to take me,

Come with lips pursed up to cling.
Come, for life is a frail moth flying,

Caught in the web of the years that pass,
And soon we two, so warm and eager,

Will be as the gray stones in the grass.
Joy

I am wild, I will sing to the trees,
I will sing to the stars in the sky,

I love, I am loved, he is mine,
Now at last I can die!

I am sandaled with wind and with flame,
I have heart-fire and singing to give,

I can tread on the grass or the stars,
Now at last I can live!

Riches
I have no riches but my thoughts,

Yet these are wealth enough for me;
My thoughts of you are golden coins

Stamped in the mint of memory;
And I must spend them all in song,

For thoughts, as well as gold, must be
Left on the hither side of death

To gain their immortality.
Dusk in War Time

A half-hour more and you will lean
To gather me close in the old sweet way --

But oh, to the woman over the sea
Who will come at the close of day?

A half-hour more and I will hear

• refuge [´refju:dʒ] v.&n.避难(所)；庇护 (初中英语单词)
• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
• pasture [´pɑ:stʃə] n.牧场；放牧 v.吃(草) (初中英语单词)
• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)
• barren [´bærən] a.贫瘠的；不生育的 (初中英语单词)
• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)
• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)
• procession [prə´seʃən] n.队伍 v.列队行进 (初中英语单词)
• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
• riches [´ritʃiz] n.房地产；丰富 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)
• rainbow [´reinbəu] n.彩虹 (高中英语单词)
• sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)
• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)
• thrush [θrʌʃ] n.画眉鸟 (英语四级单词)
• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)
• fragile [´frædʒail] a.易碎的；虚弱的 (英语四级单词)
• thatch [θætʃ] n.茅草屋顶 (英语四级单词)
• cobweb [´kɔbweb] n.蜘蛛网；蛛丝 (英语四级单词)
• unaware [,ʌnə´weə] a.不知道的；不觉察的 (英语四级单词)
• wistful [´wistfəl] a.渴望的；不满足的 (英语四级单词)
• fetter [´fetə] n.脚镣；束缚 (英语四级单词)
• myrtle [´mə:tl] n.桃金娘科 (英语六级单词)
• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)
• lordly [´lɔ:dli] a.高贵的；高傲的 (英语六级单词)
• outstretched [,aut´stretʃt] a.扩张的；伸长的 (英语六级单词)
• half-hour [´hɑ:f-auə] n.&a.(每)三十分钟的 (英语六级单词)