"Heaven" has different Signs - to me - Sometimes, I think that Noon Is but a symbol of the Place - And when again, at Dawn, A mighty look runs round the World And settles in the Hills - An Awe if it should be like that Upon the Ignorance steals -
The Orchard, when the Sun is on - The Triumph of the Birds When they together Victory make - Some Carnivals of Clouds -
The Rapture of a finished Day Returning to the West - All these - remind us of the place That Men call "Paradise" -
Itself be fairer - we suppose - But how Ourself, shall be Adorned, for a Superior Grace - Not yet, our eyes can see.
My first well Day - since many ill - I asked to go abroad, And take the Sunshine in my hands And see the things in Pod - A'blossom just - when I went in To take my Chance with pain - Uncertain if myself, or He, Should prove the strongest One.
The Summer deepened, while we strove - She put some flowers away - And Redder cheeked Ones - in their stead - A fond - illusive way -
To cheat Herself, it seemed she tried - As if before a Child To fade - Tomorrow - Rainbows held The Sepulchre, could hide.
She dealt a fashion to the Nut - She tied the Hoods to Seeds - She dropped bright scraps of Tint, about - And left Brazilian Threads
On every shoulder that she met - Then both her Hands of Haze Put up - to hide her parting Grace From our unfitted eyes.
My loss, by sickness - Was it Loss? Or that Ethereal Gain One earns by measuring the Grave - Then - measuring the Sun.
The Test of Love - is Death - Our Lord - "so loved" - it saith - What Largest Lover - hath Another - doth - If smaller Patience - be - Through less Infinity - If Bravo, sometimes swerve - Through fainter Nerve -
Accept it's Best - And overlook - the Dust - Last - Least - The Cross'- Request.
Delight - becomes pictorial - When viewed through Pain - More fair - because impossible That any gain - The Mountain - at a given distance - In Amber - lies - Approached - the Amber flits - a little - And That's - the Skies.
I reckon - When I count it all - First - Poets - Then the Sun - Then Summer - Then the Heaven of God - And then - the List is done - But, looking back - the First so seems To Comprehend the Whole - The Others look a needless Show - So I write - Poets - All -
Their Summer - lasts a Solid Year - They can afford a Sun The East - would deem extravagant - And if the Other Heaven -
Be Beautiful as they Disclose To Those who worship Them - It is too difficult a Grace - To justify the Dream.
We learned the Whole of Love - The Alphabet - the Words - A Chapter - then the mighty Book - Then - Revelation closed - But in Each Other's eyes An Ignorance beheld - Diviner than the Childhood's And each to each, a Child -
Attempted to expound What Neither - understood - Alas, that Wisdom is so large - And Truth - so manifold!
He gave away his Life - To Us - Gigantic Sum - A trifle - in his own esteem - But magnified - by Fame - Until it burst the Hearts That fancied they could hold - When swift it slipped it's limit - And on the Heavens - unrolled -
'Tis Ours - to wince - and weep - And wonder - and decay By Blossoms gradual process - He chose - Maturity -
And quickening - as we sowed - Just obviated Bud - And when We turned to note the Growth - Broke - perfect - from the Pod.
A Dying Tiger - moaned for Drink - I hunted all the Sand - I caught the Dripping of a Rock And bore it in my Hand - His Mighty Balls - in death were thick - But searching - I could see A Vision on the Retina Of Water - and of me -
'Twas not my blame - who sped too slow - 'Twas not his blame - who died While I was reaching him - But 'twas - the fact that He was dead.
One Anguish - in a Crowd - A minor thing - it sounds - And yet, unto the single Doe Attempted - of the Hounds 'Tis Terror as consummate As Legions of Alarm Did leap, full flanked, upon the Host - 'Tis Units - make the Swarm -
A small Leech - on the Vitals - The sliver, in the Lung - A leakage in an Artery - Are scarce accounted - Harms -
But mighty - by relation To that Repealless thing - A Being - impotent to stop - When once it has begun.