we will rise on the wing,
And fly through the twilights of time till the home lights of heaven appear;
Our spirits through love and through longing made one in the infinite Lir.

LIGHT AND DARK

Not the soul that's whitest
    Wakens love the sweetest:
When the heart is lightest
    Oft the charm is fleetest.

While the snow-frail maiden,
    Waits the time of learning,
To the passion laden
    Turn with eager yearning.

While the heart is burning
    Heaven with earth is banded:
To the stars returning
    Go not empty-handed.

Ah, the snow-frail maiden!
    Somehow truth has missed her,
Left the heart unladen
    For its burdened sister.

TWILIGHT BY THE CABIN

Dusk, a pearl-grey river, o'er
    Hill and vale puts out the day—
What do you wonder at, asthore,
    What's away in yonder grey?

Dark the eyes that linger long—
    Dream-fed heart, awake, come in,
Warm the hearth and gay the song:
    Love with tender words would win.

Fades the eve in dreamy fire,
    But the heart of night is lit:
Ancient beauty, old desire,
    By the cabin doorway flit.

This is Etain's land and line,
    And the homespun cannot hide
Kinship with a race divine,
    Thrill of rapture, light of pride.

There her golden kinsmen are:
    And her heart a moment knew
Angus like the evening star
    Fleeting through the dusk and dew.

Throw the woman's mask away:
    Wear the opal glimmering dress;
Let the feathered starlight ray
    Over every gleaming tress.

Child of Etain, wherefore leave
    Light and laughter, joyful years,
For the earth's grey coloured eve
    Ever dropping down with tears?

Was it for some love of old?
    Ah, reveal thyself. The bars
On the gateway would not hold:
    He will follow to the stars.

BEAUTY

My spirit would have beauty to build its magic art
Come hither, star of evening, and dwell within my heart
Oh, twilight, fall in pearl dew, each healing drop may bring
Some image of the song the Quiet seems to sing.

My spirit would have beauty to offer at the shrine,
And turn dull earth to gold and water into wine,
And burn in fiery dreams each thought till thrice refined
It may have power to mirror the mighty Master's mind.

My spirit would have beauty to draw thee nigh, my bird.
I seek the lips that spake thee, sung thee, a starry word.
I'd breathe anew that music, and lure thee from afar,
And still thy quivering pinions at peace in thy own star.

THE VISION OF LOVE

The twilight fleeted away in pearl on the stream,
And night, like a diamond dome, stood still in our dream.
Your eyes like burnished stones or as stars were bright
With the sudden vision that made us one with the night.

We loved in infinite spaces, forgetting here
The breasts that were lit with life and the lips so near;
Till the wizard willows waved in the wind and drew
Me away from the fulness of love and down to you.

Our love was so vast that it filled the heavens up:
But the soft white form I held was an empty cup,
When the willows called me back to earth with their sigh,
And we moved as shades through the deep that was you and I.

A MEMORY

You remember, dear, together
    Two children, you and I,
Sat once in the autumn weather,
    Watching the autumn sky.

There was some one round us straying
    The whole of the long day through,
Who seemed to say, "I am playing
    At hide and seek with you."

And one thing after another
    Was whispered out of the air,
How God was a big, kind brother
    Whose home is in everywhere.

His light like a smile comes glancing
    Through the cool, cool winds as they pass,
From the flowers in heaven dancing
    To the stars that shine in the grass.

From the clouds in deep blue wreathing
    And most from the mountains tall,
But God like a wind goes breathing
    A dream of Himself in all.

The heart of the Wise was beating
    Sweet, sweet, in our hearts that day:
And many a thought came fleeting
    And fancies solemn and gay.

We were grave in our way divining
    How childhood was taking wings,
And the wonder world was shining
    With vast eternal things.

The solemn twilight fluttered
    Like the plumes of seraphim,
And we felt what things were uttered
    In the sunset voice of Him.

We lingered long, for dearer
    Than home were the mountain places
Where God from the stars dropt nearer
    Our pale, dreamy faces.

Our very hearts from beating
    We stilled in awed delight,
For spirit and children were meeting
    In the purple, ample night.

A SUMMER NIGHT

Her mist of primroses within her breast
Twilight hath folded up, and o'er the west,
Seeking remoter valleys long hath gone,
Not yet hath come her sister of the dawn.
Silence and coolness now the earth enfold,
Jewels of glittering green, long mists of gold,
Hazes of nebulous silver veil the height,
And shake in tremors through the shadowy night.
Heard through the stillness, as in whispered words,
The wandering God-guided wings of birds
Ruffle the dark. The little lives that lie
Deep hid in grass join in a long-drawn sigh
More softly still; and unheard through the blue
The falling of innumerable dew,
Lifts with grey fingers all the leaves that lay
Burned in the heat of the consuming day.
The lawns and lakes lie in this night of love,
Admitted to the majesty above.
Earth with the starry company hath part;
The waters hold all heaven within their heart,
And glimmer o'er with wave-lips everywhere
Lifted to meet the angel lips of air.
The many homes of men shine near and far,
Peace-laden as the tender evening star,
The late home-coming folk anticipate
Their rest beyond the passing of the gate,
And tread with sleep-filled hearts and drowsy feet.
Oh, far away and wonderful and sweet
All this, all this. But far too many things
Obscuring, as a cloud of seraph wings
Blinding the seeker for the Lord behind,
I fall away in weariness of mind.
And think how far apart are I and you,
Beloved, from those spirit children who
Felt but one single Being long ago,
Whispering in gentleness and leaning low
Out of its majesty, as child to child.
I think upon it all with heart grown wild.
Hearing no voice, howe'er my spirit broods,
No whisper from the dense infinitudes,
This world of myriad things whose distance awes.
Ah me; how innocent our childhood was!

WHOM WE WORSHIP