the children of the night-第9章

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　　VIII





When　we　shall　hear　no　more　the　cradle…songs

Of　ages　　when　the　timeless　hymns　of　Love

Defeat　them　and　outsound　them　　we　shall　know

The　rapture　of　that　large　release　which　all

Right　science　comprehends；　and　we　shall　read；

With　unoppressed　and　unoffended　eyes；

That　record　of　All…Soul　whereon　God　writes

In　everlasting　runes　the　truth　of　Him。







　　IX





The　guerdon　of　new　childhood　is　repose：　

Once　he　has　read　the　primer　of　right　thought；

A　man　may　claim　between　two　smithy　strokes

Beatitude　enough　to　realize

God's　parallel　completeness　in　the　vague

And　incommensurable　excellence

That　equitably　uncreates　itself

And　makes　a　whirlwind　of　the　Universe。







　　X





There　is　no　loneliness：　　no　matter　where

We　go；　nor　whence　we　come；　nor　what　good　friends

Forsake　us　in　the　seeming；　we　are　all

At　one　with　a　complete　companionship；

And　though　forlornly　joyless　be　the　ways

We　travel；　the　compensate　spirit…gleams

Of　Wisdom　shaft　the　darkness　here　and　there；

Like　scattered　lamps　in　unfrequented　streets。







　　XI





When　one　that　you　and　I　had　all　but　sworn

To　be　the　purest　thing　God　ever　made

Bewilders　us　until　at　last　it　seems

An　angel　has　come　back　restigmatized；　

Faith　wavers；　and　we　wonder　what　there　is

On　earth　to　make　us　faithful　any　more；

But　never　are　quite　wise　enough　to　know

The　wisdom　that　is　in　that　wonderment。







　　XII





Where　does　a　dead　man　go？　　　The　dead　man　dies；

But　the　free　life　that　would　no　longer　feed

On　fagots　of　outburned　and　shattered　flesh

Wakes　to　a　thrilled　invisible　advance；

Unchained　（or　fettered　else）　of　memory；

And　when　the　dead　man　goes　it　seems　to　me

'T　were　better　for　us　all　to　do　away

With　weeping；　and　be　glad　that　he　is　gone。







　　XIII





Still　through　the　dusk　of　dead；　blank…legended；

And　unremunerative　years　we　search

To　get　where　life　begins；　and　still　we　groan

Because　we　do　not　find　the　living　spark

Where　no　spark　ever　was；　and　thus　we　die；

Still　searching；　like　poor　old　astronomers

Who　totter　off　to　bed　and　go　to　sleep；

To　dream　of　untriangulated　stars。







　　XIV





With　conscious　eyes　not　yet　sincere　enough

To　pierce　the　glimmered　cloud　that　fluctuates

Between　me　and　the　glorifying　light

That　screens　itself　with　knowledge；　I　discern

The　searching　rays　of　wisdom　that　reach　through

The　mist　of　shame's　infirm　credulity；

And　infinitely　wonder　if　hard　words

Like　mine　have　any　message　for　the　dead。







　　XV





I　grant　you　friendship　is　a　royal　thing；

But　none　shall　ever　know　that　royalty

For　what　it　is　till　he　has　realized

His　best　friend　in　himself。　　'T　is　then；　perforce；

That　man's　unfettered　faith　indemnifies

Of　its　own　conscious　freedom　the　old　shame；

And　love's　revealed　infinitude　supplants

Of　its　own　wealth　and　wisdom　the　old　scorn。







　　XVI





Though　the　sick　beast　infect　us；　we　are　fraught

Forever　with　indissoluble　Truth；

Wherein　redress　reveals　itself　divine；

Transitional；　transcendent。　　Grief　and　loss；

Disease　and　desolation；　are　the　dreams

Of　wasted　excellence；　and　every　dream

Has　in　it　something　of　an　ageless　fact

That　flouts　deformity　and　laughs　at　years。







　　XVII





We　lack　the　courage　to　be　where　we　are：　

We　love　too　much　to　travel　on　old　roads；

To　triumph　on　old　fields；　we　love　too　much

To　consecrate　the　magic　of　dead　things；

And　yieldingly　to　linger　by　long　walls

Of　ruin；　where　the　ruinous　moonlight

That　sheds　a　lying　glory　on　old　stones

Befriends　us　with　a　wizard's　enmity。







　　XVIII





Something　as　one　with　eyes　that　look　below

The　battle…smoke　to　glimpse　the　foeman's　charge；

We　through　the　dust　of　downward　years　may　scan

The　onslaught　that　awaits　this　idiot　world

Where　blood　pays　blood　for　nothing；　and　where　life

Pays　life　to　madness；　till　at　last　the　ports

Of　gilded　helplessness　be　battered　through

By　the　still　crash　of　salvatory　steel。







　　XIX





To　you　that　sit　with　Sorrow　like　chained　slaves；

And　wonder　if　the　night　will　ever　come；

I　would　say　this：　　The　night　will　never　come；

And　sorrow　is　not　always。　　But　my　words

Are　not　enough；　your　eyes　are　not　enough；

The　soul　itself　must　insulate　the　Real；

Or　ever　you　do　cherish　in　this　life　

In　this　life　or　in　any　life　　repose。







　　XX





Like　a　white　wall　whereon　forever　breaks

Unsatisfied　the　tumult　of　green　seas；

Man's　unconjectured　godliness　rebukes

With　its　imperial　silence　the　lost　waves

Of　insufficient　grief。　　This　mortal　surge

That　beats　against　us　now　is　nothing　else

Than　plangent　ignorance。　　Truth　neither　shakes

Nor　wavers；　but　the　world　shakes；　and　we　shriek。







　　XXI





Nor　jewelled　phrase　nor　mere　mellifluous　rhyme

Reverberates　aright；　or　ever　shall；

One　cadence　of　that　infinite　plain…song

Which　is　itself　all　music。　　Stronger　notes

Than　any　that　have　ever　touched　the　world

Must　ring　to　tell　it　　ring　like　hammer…blows；

Right…echoed　of　a　chime　primordial；

On　anvils；　in　the　gleaming　of　God's　forge。







　　XXII





The　prophet　of　dead　words　defeats　himself：

Whoever　would　acknowledge　and　include

The　foregleam　and　the　glory　of　the　real；

Must　work　with　something　else　than　pen　and　ink

And　painful　preparation：　　he　must　work

With　unseen　implements　that　have　no　names；

And　he　must　win　withal；　to　do　that　work；

Good　fortitude；　clean　wisdom；　and　strong　skill。







　　XXIII





To　curse　the　chilled　insistence　of　the　dawn

Because　the　free　gleam　lingers；　to　defraud

The　constant　opportunity　that　lives

Unchallenged　in　all　sorrow；　to　forget

For　this　large　prodigality　of　gold

That　larger　generosity　of　thought；　

These　are　the　fleshly　clogs　of　human　greed；

The　fundamental　blunders　of　mankind。







　　XXIV





Forebodings　are　the　fiends　of　Recreance；

The　master　of　the　moment；　the　clean　seer

Of　ages；　too　securely　scans　what　is；

Ever　to　be　appalled　at　what　is　not；

He　sees　beyond　the　groaning　borough　lines

Of　Hell；　God's　highways　gleaming；　and　he　knows

That　Love's　complete　communion　is　the　end

Of　anguish　to　the　liberated　man。







　　XXV





Here　by　the　windy　docks　I　stand　alone；

But　yet　companioned。　　There　the　vessel　goes；

And　there　my　friend　goes　with　it；　but　the　wake

That　melts　and　ebbs　between　that　friend　and　me

Love's　earnest　is　of　Life's　all…purposeful

And　all…triumphant　sailing；　when　the　ships

Of　Wisdom　loose　their　fretful　chains　and　swing

Forever　from　the　crumbled　wharves　of　Time。









Two　Quatrains







　　I



　Unity





As　eons　of　incalculable　strife

Are　in　the　vision　of　one　moment　caught；

So　are　the　common；　concrete　things　of　life

Divinely　shadowed　on　the　walls　of　Thought。







　　II



　Paraphrase





We　shriek　to　live；　but　no　man　ever　lives

Till　he　has　rid　the　ghost　of　human　breath；

We　dream　to　die；　but　no　man　ever　dies

Till　he　has　quit　the　road　that　runs　to　death。









Romance







　　I



　Boys



We　were　all　boys；　and　three　of　us　were　friends；

And　we　were　more　than　friends；　it　seemed　to　me：　

Yes；　we　were　more　than　brothers　then；　we　three。　。　。　。

Brothers？　。　。　。　　But　we　were　boys；　and　there　it　ends。





　　II



　James　Wetherell



We　never　half　believed　the　stuff

They　told　about　James　Wetherell；

We　always　liked　him　well　enough；

And　always　tried　to　use　him　well；

But　now　some　things　have　come　to　light；

And　James　has　vanished　from　our　view；　

There　is　n't　very　much　to　write；

There　is　n't　very　much　to　do。









The　Torrent







I　found　a　torrent　falling　in　a　glen

Where　the　sun's　light　shone　silvered　and　leaf…split；

The　boom；　the　foam；　and　the　mad　flash　of　it

All　made　a　magic　symphony；　but　when

I　thought　upon　the　coming　of　hard　men

To　cut　those　patriarcha