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قراءة كتاب The Rose of Dawn: A Tale of the South Sea
تنويه: تعرض هنا نبذة من اول ١٠ صفحات فقط من الكتاب الالكتروني، لقراءة الكتاب كاملا اضغط على الزر “اشتر الآن"
اللغة: English
الصفحة رقم: 4
She knew not that she loved, he only knew
She was the moon of women; but their hearts,
Wiser than they, had flowered into one.
Then as she passed beneath the swinging leaves,
He caught the wreath wherewith on Tonga's shore
The maids had crowned him "King of Love and Beauty,"
And cast it from him with a high disdain
Of token other than from Taka's hand.
She laughed to see it, and her step was light
Along the flowery way.
Love in this land
Grows into perfect stature as the swift
Sweet growth of nature. In these gracious souls
Love stood full-armed, godlike, from birth. Their lips
Whispered of life and laughter, but their hearts,
Singing together, told each other clear:
Grows into perfect stature as the swift
Sweet growth of nature. In these gracious souls
Love stood full-armed, godlike, from birth. Their lips
Whispered of life and laughter, but their hearts,
Singing together, told each other clear:
"Ah, Love, dear Love, there is no need to say,
Catch up life's song, its lightest, merriest word,
Pledge deep the golden sun, the breeze and bird,
Draw down long lashes over happy eyes,
That none may guess the light that in them lies,
Nor with what secret smile your lips are stirred.
The moonlight is so short, so long the day,
Nay, Love, dear Love, there is no need to say."
Catch up life's song, its lightest, merriest word,
Pledge deep the golden sun, the breeze and bird,
Draw down long lashes over happy eyes,
That none may guess the light that in them lies,
Nor with what secret smile your lips are stirred.
The moonlight is so short, so long the day,
Nay, Love, dear Love, there is no need to say."
The whole world laughed with flowers overhead,
The sky a hollow sapphire ached with blue,
The green bright sea gave jewels to the sun,
And all the air was love that doting earth
Breathed to the sun, her lover.
The sky a hollow sapphire ached with blue,
The green bright sea gave jewels to the sun,
And all the air was love that doting earth
Breathed to the sun, her lover.
In the midst
Two radiant gods with brave, wide eyes, and hair
Crowned with the beatific spring, they stood,—
Taka, the fair, and young Malua, fierce,
Passionate-hearted youth, and passionate youth;
Faltering before her innocent gaze, he cried,
"Dare I adore?" so crystal clear she seemed
A silver dewdrop in the rose of dawn.
And Taka, trembling: "How can he be mine,
So strong, so fair, a god with heart of flame!"
And so they strove against their hearts and lived
Long lives of hope and fear and love's sweet pain
Within a heart-beat. But the time was near!
Two radiant gods with brave, wide eyes, and hair
Crowned with the beatific spring, they stood,—
Taka, the fair, and young Malua, fierce,
Passionate-hearted youth, and passionate youth;
Faltering before her innocent gaze, he cried,
"Dare I adore?" so crystal clear she seemed
A silver dewdrop in the rose of dawn.
And Taka, trembling: "How can he be mine,
So strong, so fair, a god with heart of flame!"
And so they strove against their hearts and lived
Long lives of hope and fear and love's sweet pain
Within a heart-beat. But the time was near!
There in mid-forest, rimmed with leaves jade green,
All singing in the sun,—as deep and brown
As Taka's eyes,—the pool disclosed itself.
Across the clear light of the morning, showers
Of fiery jewels shone against the trees,—
Rubies, bright sapphires, purple amethyst,
Topaz, fierce opal, grass-green emeralds
Flitting and darting;—were they only birds!
Flower made bird or bird made flower, they seemed
To eyes newborn upon a world of love.
The air was heavy with strange scents, the old
Familiar perfumes seemed so rarely sweet,
The jasmine was the very breath of love.
And when they rested on a flowery bank,
And Taka wove the red hibiscus wreath
To crown Malua, as he gazed at her,
Stretched at her feet, his chin upon his hand,
The whole long world had waited but for this.
All singing in the sun,—as deep and brown
As Taka's eyes,—the pool disclosed itself.
Across the clear light of the morning, showers
Of fiery jewels shone against the trees,—
Rubies, bright sapphires, purple amethyst,
Topaz, fierce opal, grass-green emeralds
Flitting and darting;—were they only birds!
Flower made bird or bird made flower, they seemed
To eyes newborn upon a world of love.
The air was heavy with strange scents, the old
Familiar perfumes seemed so rarely sweet,
The jasmine was the very breath of love.
And when they rested on a flowery bank,
And Taka wove the red hibiscus wreath
To crown Malua, as he gazed at her,
Stretched at her feet, his chin upon his hand,
The whole long world had waited but for this.
(Weaving the rosy wreath.)
"My dream was of thee at sunrise
With light steps over the sea.
Lonely upon the mountain,
I woke from my sleep for thee."
"My dream was of thee at sunrise
With light steps over the sea.
Lonely upon the mountain,
I woke from my sleep for thee."
(Weaving the rosy wreath.)
"The wild dark rocks were round me,
The flowery maids were gone;
I woke, thou—bright as lightning
Beside me—waited the dawn.
"The wild dark rocks were round me,
The flowery maids were gone;
I woke, thou—bright as lightning
Beside me—waited the dawn.
"Weaving the rosy wreath,
I weave my life in a dream.
Thou camest through dawn on the sea,
Red flower on a sunlit stream."
(Weaving the rosy wreath.)
I weave my life in a dream.
Thou camest through dawn on the sea,
Red flower on a sunlit stream."
(Weaving the rosy wreath.)
She laid the scarlet wreath upon his hair.
"My King," she whispered, and Malua's eyes—
Boy, spite of all his battles—filled with tears
Wrung from his burdened heart. He caught her hand;
The lake was hushed with noon-tide, far away
A fond bird starred the forest with a cry.
Then Taka turned, and in her eyes a light—
The light of summer moon in water still
And in her face the glamour of moon and star,
On which the crimson petals of her lips
Lay trembling, eager wings to her new soul,
Love was confessed.
"My King," she whispered, and Malua's eyes—
Boy, spite of all his battles—filled with tears
Wrung from his burdened heart. He caught her hand;
The lake was hushed with noon-tide, far away
A fond bird starred the forest with a cry.
Then Taka turned, and in her eyes a light—
The light of summer moon in water still
And in her face the glamour of moon and star,
On which the crimson petals of her lips
Lay trembling, eager wings to her new soul,
Love was confessed.
The day went swiftly on.
Malua left her side to gather fruits
For a love feast together. In a dream
His heart had moved, and like a child he longed
To prove it real by sweet familiar ways,
Serving his fairest lady while their laughter
Fell on the air like music. Taka, waiting
On the green bank his coming, told her heart:
"Not for his beauty only, tho' his eyes
Burn into mine more beautiful than the night,
Not for the corded muscle in his arm
Which broke a great branch that would stay my path,
Not for his voice, a murmur of soft seas,
Nor all the gracious ways he knows so well,
Not for his love that breaks within his eyes,—
All these are dear, are dearer than my life,
But for himself I love him," Taka dreamed.
"To be his sister, nay, his mother then,
To welcome him from hunting with my eyes,
To fight his battles with the other women,
To triumph in his triumphs, yet perchance
Be happier if when vanquished he would come
Safe in my arms for shelter. If I might
But suffer for his sake and see him stand
Stronger and happier—he should never guess—
But I might sometimes touch his hair and know
The curls that clung around my fingers mine,
Bought by my pain as he, Malua, mine.
Just so the heaven belongs to each small star
Fixed by its gracious power eternally."
Malua left her side to gather fruits
For a love feast together. In a dream
His heart had moved, and like a child he longed
To prove it real by sweet familiar ways,
Serving his fairest lady while their laughter
Fell on the air like music. Taka, waiting
On the green bank his coming, told her heart:
"Not for his beauty only, tho' his eyes
Burn into mine more beautiful than the night,
Not for the corded muscle in his arm
Which broke a great branch that would stay my path,
Not for his voice, a murmur of soft seas,
Nor all the gracious ways he knows so well,
Not for his love that breaks within his eyes,—
All these are dear, are dearer than my life,
But for himself I love him," Taka dreamed.
"To be his sister, nay, his mother then,
To welcome him from hunting with my eyes,
To fight his battles with the other women,
To triumph in his triumphs, yet perchance
Be happier if when vanquished he would come
Safe in my arms for shelter. If I might
But suffer for his sake and see him stand
Stronger and happier—he should never guess—
But I might sometimes touch his hair and know
The curls that clung around my fingers mine,
Bought by my pain as he, Malua, mine.
Just so the heaven belongs to each small star
Fixed by its gracious power eternally."
Thro' the late afternoon Uhila came.
The Earth was idle, on her knees her hand
Opened, relaxed and empty, and her eyes
Closed to the ardent sun. The village slept,
Waiting for evening's cool. Uhila came;
Over his shoulder like a
The Earth was idle, on her knees her hand
Opened, relaxed and empty, and her eyes
Closed to the ardent sun. The village slept,
Waiting for evening's cool. Uhila came;
Over his shoulder like a