Then fall asleep fearless of dead days that return not; Yet dream if thou may'st that thou yet hast a hope!

--For thy dull morrow cometh and is as to-day is.

O sweet wind of the night, wherewith now ariseth The red moon through the garden boughs frail, overladen, O faint murmuring tongue of the dream-tide triumphant, That wouldst tell me sad tales in the times long pa.s.sed over, If somewhat I sicken and turn to your freshness, From no shame it is of earth's tangle and trouble, And deeds done for nought, and change that forgetteth; But for hope of the lips that I kissed on the sea-strand, But for hope of the hands that clung trembling about me,-- And the breast that was heaving with words driven backward, By longing I longed for, by pain of departing, By my eyes that knew her pain, my pain that might speak not-- Yea, for hope of the morn when the sea is pa.s.sed over, And for hope of the next moon the elm-boughs shall tangle; And fresh dawn, and fresh noon, and fresh night of desire Still following and changing, with nothing forgotten; For hope of new wonder each morn, when I, waking Behold her awaking eyes turning to seek me; For hope of fresh marvels each time the world changing Shall show her feet moving in noontide to meet me; For hope of fresh bliss, past all words, half forgotten, When her voice shall break through the hushed blackness of night.

--O sweet wind of the summer-tide, broad moon a-whitening, Bear me witness to Love, and the world he has fashioned!

It shall change, we shall change, as through rain and through sunshine The green rod of the rose-bough to blossoming changeth: Still lieth in wait with his sweet tale untold of Each long year of Love, and the first scarce beginneth, Wherein I have hearkened to the word G.o.d hath whispered, Why the fair world was fashioned mid wonders uncounted.

Breathe soft, O sweet wind, for surely she speaketh: _Weary I wax, and my life is a-waning; Life lapseth fast, and I faint for thee, Pharamond,_ _What are thou lacking if Love no more sufficeth?_ --Weary not, sweet, as I weary to meet thee; Look not on the long way but my eyes that were weeping Faint not in love as thy Pharamond fainteth!-- --Yea, Love were enough if thy lips were not lacking.

THE MUSIC

_LOVE IS ENOUGH: ho ye who seek saving, Go no further; come hither; there have been who have found it, And these know the House of Fulfilment of Craving; These know the Cup with the roses around it; _These know the World's Wound and the balm that hath bound it: Cry out, the World heedeth not, "Love, lead us home!"

He leadeth, He hearkeneth, He cometh to you-ward; Set your faces as steel to the fears that a.s.semble Round his goad for the faint, and his scourge for the froward: Lo his lips, how with tales of last kisses they tremble!

Lo his eyes of all sorrow that may not dissemble!

Cry out, for he heedeth, "O Love, lead us home!"

O hearken the words of his voice of compa.s.sion: "Come cling round about me, ye faithful who sicken Of the weary unrest and the world's pa.s.sing fashion!

As the rain in mid-morning your troubles shall thicken, But surely within you some G.o.dhead doth quicken, As ye cry to me heeding, and leading you home._

"Come--pain ye shall have, and be blind to the ending!

Come--fear ye shall have, mid the sky's overcasting!

Come--change ye shall have, for far are ye wending!

Come--no crown ye shall have for your thirst and your fasting, But the kissed lips of Love and fair life everlasting!

Cry out, for one heedeth, who leadeth you home!"

Is he gone? was he with us?--ho ye who seek savings Go no further; come hither; for have we not found it?

Here is the House of Fulfilment of Craving; Here is the Cup with the roses around it; The World's Wound well healed, and the balm that hath bound it: Cry out! for he heedeth, fair Love that led home._

_Enter before the curtain, LOVE, holding a crown and palm-branch._

LOVE

If love be real, if I whom ye behold Be aught but glittering wings and gown of gold, Be aught but singing of an ancient song Made sweet by record of dead stingless wrong, How shall we part at that sad garden's end Through which the ghosts of mighty lovers wend?

How shall ye faint and fade with giftless hands Who once held fast the life of all the lands?

--Beloved, if so much as this I say, I know full well ye need it not to-day, As with full hearts and glorious hope ablaze Through the thick veil of what shall be ye gaze, And lacking words to name the things ye see Turn back with yearning speechless mouths to me.-- --Ah, not to-day--and yet the time has been When by the bed my wings have waved unseen Wherein my servant lay who deemed me dead; My tears have dropped anigh the hapless head Deep buried in the gra.s.s and crying out For heaven to fall, and end despair or doubt: Lo, for such days I speak and say, believe That from these hands reward ye shall receive.

--Reward of what?--Life springing fresh again.-- Life of delight?--I say it not--Of pain?

It may be--Pain eternal?--Who may tell?

Yet pain of Heaven, beloved, and not of h.e.l.l.

--What sign, what sign, ye cry, that so it is?

The sign of Earth, its sorrow and its bliss, Waxing and waning, steadfastness and change; Too full of life that I should think it strange Though death hang over it; too sure to die But I must deem its resurrection nigh.

--In what wise, ah, in what wise shall it be?

How shall the bark that girds the winter tree Babble about the sap that sleeps beneath, And tell the fashion of its life and death?

How shall my tongue in speech man's longing wrought Tell of the things whereof he knoweth nought?

Should I essay it might ye understand How those I love shall share my promised land!

Then must I speak of little things as great, Then must I tell of love and call it hate, Then must I bid you seek what all men shun, Reward defeat, praise deeds that were not done.

Have faith, and crave and suffer, and all ye The many mansions of my house shall see In all content: cast shame and pride away, Let honour gild the world's eventless day, Shrink not from change, and shudder not at crime, Leave lies to rattle in the sieve of Time!

Then, whatsoe'er your workday gear shall stain, Of me a wedding-garment shall ye gain No G.o.d shall dare cry out at, when at last Your time of ignorance is overpast; A wedding garment, and a glorious seat Within my household, e'en as yet be meet.

Fear not, I say again; believe it true That not as men mete shall I measure you: This calm strong soul, whose hidden tale found out Has grown a spell to conquer fear and doubt, Is he not mine? yea, surely--mine no less This well mocked clamourer out of bitterness: The strong one's strength, from me he had it not; Let the world keep it that his love forgot; The weak one's weakness was enough to save, Let the world hide it in his honour's grave!

For whatso folly is, or wisdom was Across my threshold naked all must pa.s.s.

Fear not; no vessel to dishonour born Is in my house; there all shall well adorn The walls whose stones the lapse of Time has laid.

Behold again; this life great stories made; All cast aside for love, and then and then Love filched away; the world an adder-den, And all folk foes: and one, the one desire-- --How shall we name it?--grown a poisoned fire, G.o.d once, G.o.d still, but G.o.d of wrong and shame A lying G.o.d, a curse without a name.

So turneth love to hate, the wise world saith.

--Folly--I say 'twixt love and hate lies death, They shall not mingle: neither died this love, But through a dreadful world all changed must move With earthly death and wrong, and earthly woe The only deeds its hand might find to do.

Surely ye deem that this one shall abide Within the murmuring palace of my pride.

But lo another, how shall he have praise?

Through flame and thorns I led him many days And nought he shrank, but smiled and followed close, Till in his path the shade of hate arose 'Twixt him and his desire: with heart that burned For very love back through the thorns he turned, His wounds, his tears, his prayers without avail Forgotten now, nor e'en for him a tale; Because for love's sake love he cast aside.

--Lo, saith the World, a heart well satisfied With what I give, a barren love forgot-- --Draw near me, O my child, and heed them not!

The world thou lovest, e'en my world it is, Thy faithful hands yet reach out for my bliss, Thou seest me in the night and in the day Thou canst not deem that I can go astray.

No further, saith the world 'twixt Heaven and h.e.l.l Than 'twixt these twain.--My faithful, heed it well!

For on the great day when the hosts are met On Armageddon's plain by spears beset, This is my banner with my sign thereon, That is my sword wherewith my deeds are done.

But how shall tongue of man tell all the tale Of faithful hearts who overcome or fail, But at the last fail nowise to be mine.

In diverse ways they drink the fateful wine Those twain drank mid the lulling of the storm Upon the Irish Sea, when love grown warm Kindled and blazed, and lit the days to come, The hope and joy and death that led them home.

--In diverse ways; yet having drunk, be sure The flame thus lighted ever shall endure, So my feet trod the grapes whereby it glowed.

Lo, Faithful, lo, the door of my abode Wide open now, and many pressing in That they the lordship of the World may win!

Hark to the murmuring round my bannered car, And gird your weapons to you for the war!

For who shall say how soon the day shall be Of that last fight that swalloweth up the sea?

Fear not, be ready! forth the banners go, And will not turn again till every foe Is overcome as though they had not been.

Then, with your memories ever fresh and green, Come back within the House of Love to dwell; For ye--the sorrow that no words might tell, Your tears unheeded, and your prayers made nought Thus and no otherwise through all have wrought, That if, the while ye toiled and sorrowed most The sound of your lamenting seemed all lost, And from my land no answer came again, It was because of that your care and pain A house was building, and your bitter sighs Came hither as toil-helping melodies, And in the mortar of our gem-built wall Your tears were mingled mid the rise and fall Of golden trowels tinkling in the hands Of builders gathered wide from all the lands.-- --Is the house finished? Nay, come help to build Walls that the sun of sorrow once did gild Through many a bitter morn and hopeless eve, That so at last in bliss ye may believe; Then rest with me, and turn no more to tears, For then no more by days and months and years, By hours of pain come back, and joy pa.s.sed o'er We measure time that was--and is no more.

JOAN

The afternoon is waxen grey Now these fair shapes have pa.s.sed away; And I, who should be merry now A-thinking of the glorious show, Feel somewhat sad, and wish it were To-morrow's mid-morn fresh and fair About the babble of our stead.

GILES

Content thee, sweet, for nowise dead Within our hearts the story is; It shall come back to better bliss On many an eve of happy spring, Or midst of summer's flourishing.

Or think--some noon of autumn-tide Thou wandering on the turf beside The chestnut-wood may'st find thy song Fade out, as slow thou goest along, Until at last thy feet stay there As though thou bidedst something fair, And hearkenedst for a coming foot; While down the hole unto the root The long leaves flutter loud to thee The fall of spiky nuts shall be, And creeping wood-wale's noise above; For thou wouldst see the wings of Love.

JOAN

Or some November eve belike Thou wandering back with bow and tyke From wolf-chase on the wind-swept hill Shall find that narrow vale and still, And Pharamond and Azalais Amidmost of that gra.s.sy place Where we twain met last year, whereby Red-shafted pine-trunks rise on high, And changeless now from year to year, What change soever brought them there, Great rocks are scattered all around: --Wouldst thou be frightened at the sound Of their soft speech? So long ago It was since first their love did grow.

GILES