‘Faithful to the end’ Amended

Its fee—to be of Gold—Had Nature—in Her monstrous HouseA single Ragged Child—To earn a Mine—would runThat Interdicted Way,And tell Him—Charge thee speak it plain—That so far—Truth is True?And answer What I do—Beginning with the DayThat Night—begun—Nay—Midnight—’twas—Since Midnight—happened—say—If once more—Pardon—Boy—The Magnitude thou mayEnlarge my Message—If too vastAnother Lad—help thee—Thy Pay—in Diamonds—be—And His—in solid Gold—Say Rubies—if He…

How ignorant I had beenOf pretty ways of Covenant—How awkward at the HymnRound our new Fireside—but for this—This pattern—of the Way—Whose Memory drowns me, like the DipOf a Celestial Sea—What Mornings in our Garden—guessed—What Bees—for us—to hum—With only Birds to interruptThe Ripple of our Theme—And Task for Both—When Play be done—Your Problem—of the Brain—And mine—some…

Tho’ Serfs—supply the Oil—It matters not the busy Wick—At her phosphoric toil!The Slave—forgets—to fill—The Lamp—burns golden—on—Unconscious that the oil is out—As that the Slave—is gone.

That everlasting—sings!Whose galleries—are Sunrise—Whose Opera—the Springs—Whose Emerald Nest the Ages spinOf mellow—murmuring thread—Whose Beryl Egg, what Schoolboys huntIn ‘Recess’—Overhead!

The day was warm, and winds were prosy—I said ”Twill keep’—I woke—and chid my honest fingers,The Gem was gone—And now, an Amethyst remembranceIs all I own—

Put up my Heart thy Hoary workAnd take a Rosy Chair.Not any House the Flowers keep –The Birds enamor Care –Our salary the longest DayIs nothing but a Bier.