A PORTRAIT. And her voice, it murmurs lowly, And her smile, it seems half holy, And if any poet knew her, He would sing of her with falls And if any painter drew her, And if reader read the poem, He would whisper, "You have done a And a dreamer (did you show him That same picture) would exclaim "'Tis my angel, with a name !" And a stranger when he sees her And all voices that address her, 29 And all fancies yearn to cover The hard earth whereon she passes, And all hearts do pray, "God love her!" THE MASK. 1. I HAVE a smiling face, she said, I have a garland for my head, And all its flowers are sweet, And so you call me gay, she said. II. Grief taught to me this smile, she said, III. Behind no prison-grate, she said, Which slurs the sunshine half a mile, Are captives so uncomforted, As souls behind a smile. God's pity let us pray, she said. THE MASK. IV. I know my face is bright, she said. Such brightness dying suns diffuse ! The ending of my day, she said. V. If I dared leave this smile, she said, VI. And since that must not be, she said, VII. But in your bitter world, she said, Grief's earnest makes life's play, she said. 31 A CHILD'S THOUGHT OF GOD. I. THEY say that God lives very high! II. And, if you dig down in the mines, III. God is so good, He wears a fold Of Heaven and earth across His face, Like secrets kept, for love, untold. IV. But still I feel that His embrace Slides down, by thrills, through all things made, Through sight and sound of every place, V. As if my tender mother laid On my shut lids, her kisses' pressure, Half-waking me at night; and said, "Who kissed you through the dark, dear guesser?" THE LADY'S "YES." THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD. WHAT'S the best thing in the world? June-rose, by May dew impearled; Sweet south wind, that means no rain; Pleasure, not in haste to end; Love, when, so, you 're loved again. 66 THE LADY'S "YES." "YES!" I answered you last night; Colors, seen by candle-light, Will not look the same by day. When the viols played their best, Fit for Yes or fit for No. Call me false, or call me free 33 |